E35/3 handrail screws?

[gabosifat]

Hello everyone,
Am flying up to join my son on the boat up the B.C. coast. Some of the screws that hold down the wood cabin top handrails have rusted and broken. Can anyone tell me the screw size please? Will have to chisel out the plugs, and have cut some replacements. I assume the raised fibreglass sections that the rails screw into would have some sort of backing in them.
many thanks to all who reply!
Cheers,
Steve Gabbott
E35/3 Silent Dancer

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Hello everyone,
Am flying up to join my son on the boat up the B.C. coast. Some of the screws that hold down the wood cabin top handrails have rusted and broken. Can anyone tell me the screw size please? Will have to chisel out the plugs, and have cut some replacements. I assume the raised fibreglass sections that the rails screw into would have some sort of backing in them.
many thanks to all who reply!
Cheers,
Steve Gabbott
E35/3 Silent Dancer

Steve,
Do you literally mean 'chisel' out the plugs/bungs? I drill a small hole in the bung, put a screw into it and use that as a handle with pliers to worry the bung out. Usually I need to pick scraps out with a piece of bent coat-hanger wire as well. Then I use a short piece of tubing to blow out the residue. But perhaps you already know this and were using the term loosely. Or, perhaps you weren't talking about bungs, as I reread your post.

Sorry, no hard data on handrail screws. This link (with other embedded posts) turned up:

Anyone remove their handrails...

... that weren't thru-bolted? As I understand it, for the boats where the handrail wasn't thru-bolted they may might screwed the handrails into a an aluminum plate built into the deck. If so, all of these screws may be completely frozen turning this project into a total nightmare. Does...

ericsonyachts.org

Good luck,
Jeff

 

[gabriel]

They shouldn’t all be screws they should be bolts. On my Ericson they are 1/4”. I believe the length was the longest available 4”, or maybe 5”. Either way I fastened them in the inside with a washer, nut, cut excess and capped with an acorn nut. This was fine except for the port handrail that had an interior handrail which was thru bolted to the interior handrail which I used allthread and cut it down to the length needed.

Originally from the factory the first handrail fasteners (closest to bow) were indeed screws but I wasn’t able to tighten these enough for a solid feel, so I thru bolted them as well. They are solid now, no movement at all.

 

[gabosifat]

Thanks for your replies Jeff and Gabriel!
Might just be able to do a temporary fix this trip as there will be very limited supplies up the coast. I plan on taking up a few different stainless screws - 10s, 12s in different lengths. A more permanent fix will happen when the boat comes back here in the spring.
Cheers and happy sailing!
Steve Gabbott
E35/3 Silent Dancer

 

[bigd14]

Might be different for your boat but we found simple wood screws screwed into plywood or some other softish wood embedded in the pylons. Haven’t reinstalled the handrails yet so not sure if we’ll through bolt or use wood screws again (with epoxy).

 

[Loren Beach]

Given the stress and strain on those particular fasteners, I would epoxy fill/re-drill those holes for sure. Put nuts and fender washers underneath, too.

 

[RCsailfast]

Removed the handrails to refinish them this year. Mine were mounted with #14x 1-1/2” SS Phillips flat head screws. There were no through bolts. The pads are solid under the gel coat. Not sure of construction but had a cracked one that had gotten water inside and froze.