Bent bow rail

tjbaze

New Member
Jan 21, 2009
10
Oklahoma
Boat Info
460 Sundancer 2000
Engines
twin cummins 8.3 6CTA (430)
I own a 2000 model 460DA that had a slight dent and bent about 3 sections back on the port side. I decided to leave it since it was not all that severe. Well, Memorial day weekend I was tied to a friends dock. While having dinner a huge storm came out of nowhere causing the boat to rock dangerously, after bending all the rollers on the dock, the rail on the starboard side finally caught one of the brackets and gouged it up as well as bent it upward. Since it is all one piece, and very large to transport, I wanted to repair it on the boat. Can the sections be cut out and replaced using those 60 degree "t" fittings, or is removing and welding the only option. Also, not having a micrometer, does anyone know the size of that rail....thanks in advance for any suggestions. By the way, incredible that the fiberglass or rail screws and mountings were not damaged after a pounding!
 
I can tell you that has never been a practice we follow at our facility since we just change the whole thing and sent them back to the vender. I'm sure there is a way to do it though, I'm no welder so my knowledge ends here.

You were really lucky that it didnt get into your glass work though! You would be amazed at some of the bow rails that have been damaged after market that come back to be replaced <<jaw drop>>
Good Luck!
 
I own a 2000 model 460DA that had a slight dent and bent about 3 sections back on the port side. I decided to leave it since it was not all that severe. Well, Memorial day weekend I was tied to a friends dock. While having dinner a huge storm came out of nowhere causing the boat to rock dangerously, after bending all the rollers on the dock, the rail on the starboard side finally caught one of the brackets and gouged it up as well as bent it upward. Since it is all one piece, and very large to transport, I wanted to repair it on the boat. Can the sections be cut out and replaced using those 60 degree "t" fittings, or is removing and welding the only option. Also, not having a micrometer, does anyone know the size of that rail....thanks in advance for any suggestions. By the way, incredible that the fiberglass or rail screws and mountings were not damaged after a pounding!

One thing to consider is that if it is mounted by bolt through, the interior overhead covering may have to be cut away for access to the nuts. Maybe there a is a way to remove the ceiling and then re-affix, but I have not found one yet.

I have a slightly bent stanchion up forward which was like that when I bought the boat and I am hesitant for this reason, cutting away a portion of the ceiling to access the nuts on the bolts.
 
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The rail can be welded, with 'rail' being defined as the horizontal tube, and stanchions being the vertical/angled tubes. The rail is stainless steel and would need to be TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welded. TIG is different from stick or MIG welding in that it does not produce a shower of sparks and molten metal spatter. As a result the area around the work site could be covered with protective mats. If done properly the bluing created by the heat can be buffed out. Heat will still be an issue, so any welding on the lower half of the stanchions is risky, although it can be averted with the use of dry ice packs (in the extreme) to ice/water cooling.

This work would have to be done on land by a very experienced welder who welds stainless or aluminum on a regular basis. The odds are a guy who builds fishing towers for boats would be a better choice than a guy who welds structural steel. This kind of work requires a very light touch, and a lot patience. It also takes a lot of time to do without overheating the entire rail structure and turning it into a pretzel.

The brings me to the next statement, yes you can weld the rail, but it might cost more to do in place than to simply get a new one and not go through all of the hassle.

I will also tell you, I can weld stainless tube, and even have all of the necessary equipment at my disposal. That being said, a welding repair would be my choice of last resort.

Henry
 
Please excuse my intrusion into this thread, but what are my options for some scrapes in my bow rail (caused by a concrete wall in Seattle locks) ?? Thank you and sorry for high jacking....
 
I own a 2000 model 460DA that had a slight dent and bent about 3 sections back on the port side. I decided to leave it since it was not all that severe. Well, Memorial day weekend I was tied to a friends dock. While having dinner a huge storm came out of nowhere causing the boat to rock dangerously, after bending all the rollers on the dock, the rail on the starboard side finally caught one of the brackets and gouged it up as well as bent it upward. Since it is all one piece, and very large to transport, I wanted to repair it on the boat. Can the sections be cut out and replaced using those 60 degree "t" fittings, or is removing and welding the only option. Also, not having a micrometer, does anyone know the size of that rail....thanks in advance for any suggestions. By the way, incredible that the fiberglass or rail screws and mountings were not damaged after a pounding!

it can be welded (I estimate about 2 hrs labor for good welder), T fitting could be used, but will not look nice anymore. I think on 46 DA they used 1" tubing.
 
Please excuse my intrusion into this thread, but what are my options for some scrapes in my bow rail (caused by a concrete wall in Seattle locks) ?? Thank you and sorry for high jacking....

if they are not too deep you could wet sand and polished them
it will take few hrs but can be done
you could start with fine file and go to different grids of sand paper - up to 1500 or maybe 2000 and some wax once you finished
 
I have more experience with this problem then I care to admit but I can tell you this, the bent section can be removed and a new section welded in but this is not a DIY job. As far as access to the backing plate and nuts for the stantions they are all accessable you just need to take a ton of stuff apart. I had to gain access to every plate on the port side of my boat which required, the removal of the cockpit fridge, all the cabinets in the galley, plus the removal of access plates in the galley and closet in the forward stateroom. I did all this work, paid a huge amount to have a new section of rail installed and then went and let the boat tangle up with the same piling a second time and bent the new rail, which I was able to mostly straigten up using a jig made out of 2x6's and some grade 8 threaded rods.... dont ask.
 
I can say that there is no guarantee that you can get to ALL the backing plates and nuts. Example: when assembled, my bowrail stantions were welded to a deckplate from beneath (ie: there wasn't a bead of weld run 360 degrees around the stantion, more like a few tacks from the underside) and then the bowrail was dropped into place and bolted from underneath. I had 6 such welds fail - the forward most three on the port and starboard side. All six that failed were indeed accessible with some disassembly, and those were removed and replaced .

There's a 7th that is hanging on by probably one tack weld. That one is behind the stall shower in the head. My entire head is a single modular piece and there is now way on God's green earth I can get to the backing plate and nuts w/o cutting an observation port in the shower stall - and even then who the hell knows what else is back there blocking access. I figure if/when that one fails, I'll cut the heads off the bolts above deck, push each bolt through, tap the fiberglass and run new bolts in with marine tex as a thread sealant.

Rick, somewhere I have pix of Jon's contraption. I'll go see if I can find them. Sheer genius, albeit a Rube Goldberg!
 
I will come clean... last fall we had a bad Noreaster in mid October that created a very high tide on the bay. It lifted the bow rail up and over the top of the front piling in my slip and the boat hung up on the piling and bent the crap out of the rail plus broke the welds on three of the stantions. Over the winter I had the rail repaired. This spring on Mothers Day we had another storm that did the same damn thing to me. I now have installed a $15 plastic pointed cap on the piling so that it cant happen again. Oh how I wish I could have a do over, but live and learn. The second bend was not nearly as bad and I was able to straighten it up pretty well with my contraption, but it still has a little wiggle in it that totally pisses me off everytime I look over and see it.

Ron I will email you the before and afters as I have no idea how to attach a photo since my box is full
 
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Fir$$t incident...
JonsRailBent.jpg



$econd incident...
Bentagain.jpg



Jig to repair...
BentRailJig.jpg

 
I will come clean... last fall we had a bad Noreaster in mid October that created a very high tide on the bay. It lifted the bow rail up and over the top of the front piling in my slip and the boat hung up on the piling and bent the crap out of the rail plus broke the welds on three of the stantions. Over the winter I had the rail repaired. This spring on Mothers Day we had another storm that did the same damn thing to me. I now have installed a $15 plastic pointed cap on the piling so that it cant happen again. Oh how I wish I could have a do over, but live and learn. The second bend was not nearly as bad and I was able to straighten it up pretty well with my contraption, but it still has a little wiggle in it that totally pisses me off everytime I look over and see it.

Ron I will email you the before and afters as I have no idea how to attach a photo since my box is full

Ouch!

But a great picture of your jig - my congratulations on that - I'll file that one away in my "hope I never need it, but thanks to the Forum I have it" dept.!
 
Thanks to everyone for all the responses. It sounds like removing the bow rail bolts is harder than repairing the rail. The bend portions are on the upper side so no welding is needed except from upright to upright since the bend on both are in the middle between the uprights....
 
Thanks for posting the pics Ron, as you know computers are not my thing.
 

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