Damaged hand rails - what to do?

[Horsehorn]

Hi all,

 

One of our handrails along the roof was badly damaged yesterday due to fast river currents whipping the boat away from where it was tied up. Boat pulled away in wind and currents but still tied on, the handrail bent and popped off the rivets. Turns out the handrails are only painted gas pipes and so ruptured easily under pressure.

 

The rupture is at the middle of the rail and is pretty big, protuding out and overhanging, so ertainly needs attention. We can prob bash it inwards so is less of an obstruction but is obv not secure now. We have always tied our ropes to the handrail, so now can't have ropes on that side of the boat until it's fixed.

 

So... Advice on replacing this gas piping with proper handrails (on both sides of boat). What material? How fix to the roof? Is this a job for a welder? How much will it cost?!?

 

Thanks all,

 

Lucy

[system 4-50]

Hi all,

 

One of our handrails along the roof was badly damaged yesterday due to fast river currents whipping the boat away from where it was tied up. Boat pulled away in wind and currents but still tied on, the handrail bent and popped off the rivets. Turns out the handrails are only painted gas pipes and so ruptured easily under pressure.

 

The rupture is at the middle of the rail and is pretty big, protuding out and overhanging, so ertainly needs attention. We can prob bash it inwards so is less of an obstruction but is obv not secure now. We have always tied our ropes to the handrail, so now can't have ropes on that side of the boat until it's fixed.

 

So... Advice on replacing this gas piping with proper handrails (on both sides of boat). What material? How fix to the roof? Is this a job for a welder? How much will it cost?!?

 

Thanks all,

 

Lucy

Any chance of a picture?

[steven wilkinson]

and one of the handrail too?

[OldGoldy]

and one of the handrail too?

:clapping:

[Naughty Cal]

Why do you tie your ropes using the handrail. It was never designed to take such loads. Mooring cleats (and other mooring devices) are specifically designed for the loading and forces of the boat moving, a handrail as you have found out is not.

 

As hot fixing it find a local welder.

[MtB]

Lucy,

 

Sorry to hear of this accident.

 

In classic oblique forum style, I'm going to point out you should never moor a boat using the roof handrails. Too much risk of heeling the boat over and capsizing it especially on a river, although in your case the rail seems to have actually come away from the boat first! Why not use the tee stud on the bow and the dollies at the stern like everyone else?

 

To answer your question yes a welder should be able to fashion new rails. Spun steel gas piping is extremely strong and makes excellent handrail by the way. I'd imagine the cost would be in the order of £500. Just a guess though.

 

MtB

[OldGoat]

[bizzard ON]

- If you are at all a DIYer, how's about cutting out the affected section, either

find a length of pipe just slightly larger, so that the exposed handrail tube fits inside it

cut the larger pipe so that when in position it covers both ends

drill a hole through both pipes and insert screws to secure it.

OR

get a length of the same pipe

two pipe couplers

cut length to suit

coupler at ether end

tighten and you're done

 

All depends on the size of pipe, availability of couplers, and your own capabilities.

[bizzard OFF]

[Québec]

Our handrail split and bent due to rust. As a temporary measure, until we can get some welding done, we used a combination of a couple of 6" nails and car filler then pushed the rail back into place before it all set. Rock solid now.

[BEngo]

Hi all,

 

One of our handrails along the roof was badly damaged yesterday due to fast river currents whipping the boat away from where it was tied up. Boat pulled away in wind and currents but still tied on, the handrail bent and popped off the rivets. Turns out the handrails are only painted gas pipes and so ruptured easily under pressure.

 

The rupture is at the middle of the rail and is pretty big, protuding out and overhanging, so ertainly needs attention. We can prob bash it inwards so is less of an obstruction but is obv not secure now. We have always tied our ropes to the handrail, so now can't have ropes on that side of the boat until it's fixed.

 

So... Advice on replacing this gas piping with proper handrails (on both sides of boat). What material? How fix to the roof? Is this a job for a welder? How much will it cost?!?

 

Thanks all,

 

Lucy

 

 

What is the boat (cabin) made of?

 

How are the existing hand-rails held on?

 

Do you really need to use the hand-rails as mooring bollards?

 

N

[Amy&Ian]

Hi Lucy! Not sure if you'll read this, I've just been trawling the forums for welding advice and saw this, and went oh I know this person!

I'm Amy, friends with Dan, my partner and I are up on the wall on EendrachtII. I saw Dan recently and he told me about the horrible experience you had. So good you didn't fall in or lose hold of your boat, the water was going SO FAST that day!

Anyways, hope you are getting it fixed, all is ok and you are keeping warm and dry!

Amy x

[waterworks]

Lucy,

 

Sorry to hear of this accident.

 

In classic oblique forum style, I'm going to point out you should never moor a boat using the roof handrails. Too much risk of heeling the boat over and capsizing it especially on a river, although in your case the rail seems to have actually come away from the boat first! Why not use the tee stud on the bow and the dollies at the stern like everyone else?

 

To answer your question yes a welder should be able to fashion new rails. Spun steel gas piping is extremely strong and makes excellent handrail by the way. I'd imagine the cost would be in the order of £500. Just a guess though.

 

MtB

why are you offering advice that is "just a guess " does that help anyone ?

[Tuscan]

why are you offering advice that is "just a guess " does that help anyone ?

 

 

Yes a very constructive comment I have nothing to add so I will just post a criticism, come on guys we can do better, and the advice was about £500 seems high for a repair rather than a replacement rail.

[steven wilkinson]

if someone offered me a 'ball-park' figure for a repair that I had no clue about, I would consider that constructive! At least I would know it wasn't a pocket money repair, or a trip-to-the-bank-manager repair!

[MtB]

why are you offering advice that is "just a guess " does that help anyone ?

 

Because when I answered, no-one else had even attempted to answer the OP's request for an estimate of how much it might cost.

 

Is that ok with you Mr forum policeman? I do so hope so.

 

 

MtB

 

P.S. there was noting stopping you answering, seeing as you are so much cleverer than me

[Martin Kedian]

Hi Lucy if you still need this sorted PM me your number an I will give you a call I am sure it can be sorted Martin Kedian. (Kedian Eng Ltd )

[Paul C]

why are you offering advice that is "just a guess " does that help anyone ?

 

I think that's unfair on Mike; his post on the technique of repair is pretty much spot-on. The "just a guess" part is the price, because he's not actually a welder at a boatyard which is in your local area, so can't give a firm quote (our local boatyard can't even do that, with the boat sitting in front of them! They are a bit more random than that).

 

I am a welder (car bodywork and ag stuff though) and there's plenty of variation in prices welders charge. And its not just from some of them feeling they're special and asking more - there's lots of different ways to tackle a welding job, from "farm bodge temporary repair to last to the end of the day" to a professional repair which matches the original manufacturer's construction and is, to all intents and purposes, undetectable once done.