Scandalous
Junior Member
Hi Dave ! Yesterday I downloaded about one hundred pages for my 1974 E27, and on one of the pages was a drawing of the hand-rail. Somewhere in the cabin overhead should be a couple of 1/2 inch bolts which pass through to the rails. Go through the specs for your boat and see if you can find it, if not contact me (619) 424-9800 and I can fax or send you a copy of the one I have. Don Swanson
gareth harris
Sustaining Member
Dave - every Ericson I have heard of so far (not sure about a 27 or 29 specifically) to pull off the handrails had nuts embedded in the deck core. They have a tendency to pull away after a couple of decades of water damage.
I ended up through bolting mine, there is a post in the archives about it; to remove the old handrails, none of the bolts turned, but brute force went a long way.
Don - are you at Fiddler's Cove? If so tell Kurt I said hello.
Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
I ended up through bolting mine, there is a post in the archives about it; to remove the old handrails, none of the bolts turned, but brute force went a long way.
Don - are you at Fiddler's Cove? If so tell Kurt I said hello.
Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
Art Mullinax
Member III
Mine too
Mine too. My 71/29 had the same thing. The bolts appeared to be threaded into the cabin top. The holes were not damaged, just threaded. I'm still looking at a better method. I think drilling through the liner, cut a 3/4 hole in the liner, through bolt the rail and use plastic plugs to cover the hole in the liner?
Mine too. My 71/29 had the same thing. The bolts appeared to be threaded into the cabin top. The holes were not damaged, just threaded. I'm still looking at a better method. I think drilling through the liner, cut a 3/4 hole in the liner, through bolt the rail and use plastic plugs to cover the hole in the liner?
gareth harris
Sustaining Member
I couldn't find my old post in the archives, maybe it was on sailnet; here is what I did:
1. Remove old handrails.
If the bolts will not turn, just use a crowbar under the hand rail.
2. If the bolts unscrew, then once the hand rails are gone, use the same size drill bit into the hole, and the nuts will come up on it. Drill gently to not damage the bit.
3. Drill right down through the hull into the cabin.
4. At each hole in the headliner, use a 1" hole saw to cut access to the deck.
5. Use a 3/4" hole saw from above to cut right through the deck at each hole.
5A. Some people prefer to use a bent nail, allen key, or some such device in their drill to dig out the balsa core instead of using a hole saw all the way through the deck, I find it very difficult to get all the core out that way.
6. Push some duct tape up through the headliner to cover the hole in the deck, and seal it the best you can. Place some plastic beneath the holes to catch drips from step 7.
7. From above, pour in a little epoxy to the hole. Let it just start to gel, but not go hard. The intention is to wait until it has sealed any drips right through the deck, and then fill the hole while the epoxy is still bonding.
8. Thicken more epoxy with adhesive filler to the point that it will JUST run, almost like peanutbutter. Pour this into the hole until it fills. Be ready to top it up a little if it is still leaking at the bottom. Let it harden fully (overnight).
9. Drill new screw holes for the handrails right through the epoxy fill. Place a 1" circular backing block in the hole in the headliner. Secure the hand rails with appropriate sealant, bolts long enough to go right through the deck and fasten to nuts under the 1" circular backing blocks.
10. You can also mount interior handrails directly under the exterior, which are both useful and nicely cover all the work from inside - teak is expensive of course.
Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
1. Remove old handrails.
If the bolts will not turn, just use a crowbar under the hand rail.
2. If the bolts unscrew, then once the hand rails are gone, use the same size drill bit into the hole, and the nuts will come up on it. Drill gently to not damage the bit.
3. Drill right down through the hull into the cabin.
4. At each hole in the headliner, use a 1" hole saw to cut access to the deck.
5. Use a 3/4" hole saw from above to cut right through the deck at each hole.
5A. Some people prefer to use a bent nail, allen key, or some such device in their drill to dig out the balsa core instead of using a hole saw all the way through the deck, I find it very difficult to get all the core out that way.
6. Push some duct tape up through the headliner to cover the hole in the deck, and seal it the best you can. Place some plastic beneath the holes to catch drips from step 7.
7. From above, pour in a little epoxy to the hole. Let it just start to gel, but not go hard. The intention is to wait until it has sealed any drips right through the deck, and then fill the hole while the epoxy is still bonding.
8. Thicken more epoxy with adhesive filler to the point that it will JUST run, almost like peanutbutter. Pour this into the hole until it fills. Be ready to top it up a little if it is still leaking at the bottom. Let it harden fully (overnight).
9. Drill new screw holes for the handrails right through the epoxy fill. Place a 1" circular backing block in the hole in the headliner. Secure the hand rails with appropriate sealant, bolts long enough to go right through the deck and fasten to nuts under the 1" circular backing blocks.
10. You can also mount interior handrails directly under the exterior, which are both useful and nicely cover all the work from inside - teak is expensive of course.
Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
I don't know if these inserts( see atachments) apply to your situ but I've noticed them inside my exterior handrails at the base. Since the "interior" rails I have on my E32 are tied into the "exterior" rails above, the inserts may be helpful.
Additional reinforcement may be added by injecting epoxy-reinforced filler into the bolt holes, but first wax your bolts throughly. Inject removable silicone into the bolt holes to prevent water intrusion. For any rotten plug holes, i have used a penetrating type of epoxy(rot fix) or thinned epoxy mix with lacquer thinner. Reference either "west system" or "system Three" literature for instruction.
Additional reinforcement may be added by injecting epoxy-reinforced filler into the bolt holes, but first wax your bolts throughly. Inject removable silicone into the bolt holes to prevent water intrusion. For any rotten plug holes, i have used a penetrating type of epoxy(rot fix) or thinned epoxy mix with lacquer thinner. Reference either "west system" or "system Three" literature for instruction.
Attachments
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rockler_connector bolts.jpg -
rockler_riveting nuts.jpg -
Rocklr_ threaded inserts.jpg