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Hand rail protection.


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Over the years I have managed on several boats to wear away the paint on the handrail in the area of the centre line. This is normally caused by using the centre line to bring the boat to a stop.

As Loddon is in being repainted my thoughts are veering towards some kind of protection possibly a strip of 4mm ally fixed to the handrail.

Fairleads are a non starter due to the forces involved and the chance of them departing like a missile from their position.

Does anyone have any better ideas apart from not using the centre line to stop the boat.

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4 minutes ago, dor said:

Never had a problem with fairleads (proper handrail ones, not bow ones).  A friend did have strips of brass about half a metre long which looked ok.

Fairleads are ok if bolted through with decent washers on the underside but when just tapped into the rail..........

I have had one come off (not fitted by me) it was like a missile.

  • Greenie 1
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My front line rubs on the cant when moored.  A 15 mm ish  wide piece of alloy D section either side has stopped the paint damage.

I think it is the stuff Derek Pearson used to put round the top of his chimneys, but I would expect one of the Model Engineering suppliers will have something suitable.

 

N

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I assume you are using one line secured to the middle of the roof,and is rubbing the handrail when bringing your boat to a halt?

On mine,I simply used two lines secured to the handrails.There was no rubbing.

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Fairleads have big problems, they concentrate rope wear in one location, and if used in locks make it very difficult/impossible to pull the boat into the side of a deep lock when going up.

 

I thought about a brass strip but decided against it as its more holes drilled into the top of the boat which are potential leaks and rust starters. In fact fairleads are potential rust starters.

 

I have decided to live with it and repair the paint every year or two, though I might do that bit in an epoxy primer at some stage to avoid the rope wearing right back to bare metal.

 

................Dave

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2 hours ago, BEngo said:

I think it is the stuff Derek Pearson used to put round the top of his chimneys, but I would expect one of the Model Engineering suppliers will have something suitable.

 

That is a name I haven't heard mentioned in years.

Remember having long conversation with him about rear cabin chimney extension which I finally got him to build.

 

1 hour ago, Mad Harold said:

I assume you are using one line secured to the middle of the roof,and is rubbing the handrail when bringing your boat to a halt?

On mine,I simply used two lines secured to the handrails.There was no rubbing.

Yes I have twin ropes from single centre mount, however the rails are solid so nothing to tie on to.

 

58 minutes ago, dmr said:

I thought about a brass strip but decided against it as its more holes drilled into the top of the boat which are potential leaks and rust starters. In fact fairleads are potential rust starters.

 

I have decided to live with it and repair the paint every year or two, though I might do that bit in an epoxy primer at some stage to avoid the rope wearing right back to bare metal.

 

Solar is already mounted on the handrail further forward so I am already going down the leak / rust route but highly mitigated with sealant on the threads.

 

As for paint, the boat is being painted in two pack polyurethane so the wear may be better than in the past with normal paint.

Having seen/touched a boat painted with two pack the finish is exceedingly hard even after just a couple of days and very shiny.

 

4 minutes ago, pearley said:

Looks good but the worn area is about 4ft long 

Edited by Loddon
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1 hour ago, Loddon said:

That is a name I haven't heard mentioned in years.

Remember having long conversation with him about rear cabin chimney extension which I finally got him to build.

 

Yes I have twin ropes from single centre mount, however the rails are solid so nothing to tie on to.

 

 

Solar is already mounted on the handrail further forward so I am already going down the leak / rust route but highly mitigated with sealant on the threads.

 

As for paint, the boat is being painted in two pack polyurethane so the wear may be better than in the past with normal paint.

Having seen/touched a boat painted with two pack the finish is exceedingly hard even after just a couple of days and very shiny.

 

Looks good but the worn area is about 4ft long 

I spent a month boating with a French mate who had been on steel yachts much of his adult life. He got me patching up worn paint areas on an almost daily basis, as he was paranoid about rust, and no amount of reasoning with him could stop him going on at me. When he had me redoing the blacking above the waterline I did get a bit shirty about it, especially as he would sit and watch, but not help!

He did have a point about just covering over the worn areas though, my boat had the same centre ring as yours seems to have, with a line for each side, that ran back to the counter so I could jump off either side with a line in my hand. Pick a warm day to do the patching, and try to avoid using the rope for as long as possible so the paint hardens, but a bit of in my case midnight blue on the rope is a small price to pay.

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I had fairleads on the last NB and didn't have any problems with them (no paint wear and not pulling out) - maybe that was because I used the engine to stop the boat before getting off and, then just using the centre line to 'hold' the boat rather than using it to bring the boat to a stop.

 

Like you I had a line each side coming off a centre 'ring'

 

 

IMG_20140426_184603.jpg

IMG_20140428_123955.jpg

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37 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I had fairleads on the last NB and didn't have any problems with them (no paint wear and not pulling out) - maybe that was because I used the engine to stop the boat before getting off and, then just using the centre line to 'hold' the boat rather than using it to bring the boat to a stop.

 

Like you I had a line each side coming off a centre 'ring'

 

 

IMG_20140426_184603.jpg

IMG_20140428_123955.jpg

 

Likewise, i use the engine to stop and use the centre lines to pull the boat to the side, or sometimes back or forth a bit. Never had a problem with errant fairleads.

 

However my neighbour lost a fairlead when a boat went charging past their mooring, the resulting slack and consequent surge ripped out their shoreline.

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4 minutes ago, cuthound said:

However my neighbour lost a fairlead when a boat went charging past their mooring, the resulting slack and consequent surge ripped out their shoreline.

Fair comment, but I wouldn't use my centre line when mooring, its simply a 'parking brake' whilst waiting for a lock etc.

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11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Fair comment, but I wouldn't use my centre line when mooring, its simply a 'parking brake' whilst waiting for a lock etc.

 

I agree.

 

My neighbour wasn't using the centre line to moor. The fairlead that got ripped off was on the front deck.

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3 minutes ago, cuthound said:

The fairlead that got ripped off was on the front deck.

Ahhhh - OK, so not fitted with a backplate then, we all learn by our mistakes, but rarely from others mistakes.

 

Numerous times I've told folks about not using the T-Stud for attaching an anchor, but do they listen. No.

Even when you give examples of failure from folks on this forum, if its not what they want to hear, its not acted upon.

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5 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Ahhhh - OK, so not fitted with a backplate then, we all learn by our mistakes, but rarely from others mistakes.

 

Numerous times I've told folks about not using the T-Stud for attaching an anchor, but do they listen. No.

Even when you give examples of failure from folks on this forum, if its not what they want to hear, its not acted upon.

 

Indeed.

 

When I first started work I had a boss who said to me "you don't have to fall off a cliff to realise it hurts". Once I  worked out what he meant I found that it was sound advice and served me well over the years.

 

I always try to learn from other people's mistakes, saves a fortune and lots of pain. ?

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3 hours ago, Loddon said:

That is a name I haven't heard mentioned in years.

Remember having long conversation with him about rear cabin chimney extension which I finally got him to build.

 

He was still living aboard his boat in Audlem a couple of years ago when I went through....the boat name escapes me at the moment but it was the same one he had at Marsworth....should be going that way later in the year so will keep a look out

 

My Back cabin chimney is one of his....still doing its thing...must be about 25 years old now!

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1 minute ago, frangar said:

He was still living aboard his boat in Audlem a couple of years ago when I went through....the boat name escapes me at the moment but it was the same one he had at Marsworth....should be going that way later in the year so will keep a look out

 

My Back cabin chimney is one of his....still doing its thing...must be about 25 years old now!

They were good chimneys, mine went with the boat :(

 

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I have 6mm eyebolts with a small spreader plate under the rail and  a self locking nut.  Had them now for 5 years no trouble, if the bolt were to fail the ring would still be on the rope and not flying like a missile, if the rope breaks then! I hope I am not behind it.

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Had one fairlead go ping when they were attached with M4 brass screws when all three screws snapped and it disappeared in to the depths of a lock. Fortunately, this was one lock before Midland SwinChandlers in Penkridge, so bought a replacement. The new one and the remaining one on the other side were drilled out and the handrail taped M6 for stainless screws. Much stronger and no problems since.

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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9 hours ago, dor said:

Never had a problem with fairleads (proper handrail ones, not bow ones).  A friend did have strips of brass about half a metre long which looked ok.

That is what I am considering, very thin brass. My paint is long gone

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2 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

That is what I am considering, very thin brass. My paint is long gone

I think the ones I saw were fixed with Sikaflex-type adhesive.  Stayed well stuck!  Avoided drilling any holes.  The strips were slightly bent over the side of the handrail along the length.  Looked very tidy.

20 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Had one fairlead go ping when they were attached with M4 brass screws when all three screws snapped and it disappeared in to the depths of a lock. Fortunately, this was one lock before Midland SwinChandlers in Penkridge, so bought a replacement. The new one and the remaining one on the other side were drilled out and the handrail taped M6 for stainless screws. Much stronger and no problems since.

Jen

Mine are also fixed with M6 SS screws.  They've taken some pretty hefty strain without letting go!

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9 hours ago, Loddon said:

Over the years I have managed on several boats to wear away the paint on the handrail in the area of the centre line. This is normally caused by using the centre line to bring the boat to a stop.

As Loddon is in being repainted my thoughts are veering towards some kind of protection possibly a strip of 4mm ally fixed to the handrail.

Fairleads are a non starter due to the forces involved and the chance of them departing like a missile from their position.

Does anyone have any better ideas apart from not using the centre line to stop the boat.

Neil put bras strip the full length of his handrails

6 minutes ago, dor said:

I think the ones I saw were fixed with Sikaflex-type adhesive.  Stayed well stuck!  Avoided drilling any holes.  The strips were slightly bent over the side of the handrail along the length.  Looked very tidy. 

That's the plan, but I have lots of plans

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43 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Neil put bras strip the full length of his handrails

He did, I went earlier to TNC to have a look to see if it was full length, it was also overlapped on the inside to give better handhold I think.

 

 

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We have fairleads for the centre lines, I've stopped the boat and pulled it backwards and forwards without issues so far.

You can see them in this photo 

 

IMG_20190703_173017917.jpg.cd1320e6e3d9b2040853c7cd232d2357.jpg

 

I've thought about getting some brass strips for the rear corners of the cabin as sometimes a stern line rubs on the edges when moored with a spring set.

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