Toerails and Stanchion Reinstallation

My problem of boat builders not doing promised work (and lately losing valuable parts they were supposed to have fitted!) led me to trying an add for people interested in paintting our deck in the Gumtree Classified Website. Among the numerous respondents was an Irish guy and his Pommy mate (a professional house painter from England) who were very easy to work with, trustworthy (they'd ring when they were late starting) and they did a great job preparing, undercoating and topcoats of single pack deck paint and decktread by brush. The fickle Melbourne weather smiled upon us and despite dubious weather reports, they only had to stop once due to a very local shower and the temperatures were just high enough.

One Pom replaced another (who left to travel round Oz) to install the toerails and stanchions and the job was done much faster than if a boat builder had been employed. Sure you need to find the right guys and work with them to advise what needs to be done exactly, but at least these guys listened, unlike many boat builders. Also these guys loved doing a job that was more of a challenge and interesting, rather than normal building labourer jobs.

Question to Doug Sharpin (original boat builder) - "We removed the toerails for a new topside paint job (not an easy task as some bolts were bent and wouldn’t come out yet others had already been ripped out and toerails very loose). I’m curious what the bolts are bedded into – is it glass poked down into the space between skins or just filler. Amazingly tough but strange to have bolts not screws into just GRP. Incredible that even with an impact driver, two bolts had to be cut off as could not be removed!"

Answer from Doug - "The bolts AND rails were holding and clamping the deck moulding to the hull flange and all assembled with resin and asbestos!! powder mix known generally in the trade of those days as "bog" - the bolt heads were also siliconed under the heads but in pulling the joint down the bog squeezed out and filled the recess in the rail as well as tight around the bolts hence the tight bolts to try and waterproof this join. Incidently the toerails came from a Company in Huntingdale called Briggs Marine, now Adcast."

Our toerails are now back on but not without complications. For future info of Holland 25 owners, I pass on this info -Toerails and stanchions bolted with 1/4" x 1" bolts into nuts at less than 1/2" below deck level, 3/4" below toerail surface. Where the nuts remain and are held solid, it is easy to bolt back into these.

HOWEVER, where the nuts have been pulled out you need to drill out bog and loose nut or it will lock any bolt or self tapper you try and use. Where nuts are still there and have worked loose you will not be able to remove the bolt as it will just turn so only options are to leave, cut off, drill out. I left two cut off bolts in situ as too much damage to remove. Moved one stanchion base as nuts were unable to be captured but caught on 1 1/2" self tappers.

We reattached toerails using 1" long self-tappers into holes filled with bog and redrilled, with Sikaflex on srews to seal and bond. Five stanchions and pullpit were bolted back using bolts that luckily caught the nuts below with one moved a bit and self tappers used. Everything straight and solid again with vertical stanchions (I had a couple of bent ones straightened while removed and all sanded to a consistent finish). Straight wires and toerails (even though black toerail anodising stained and faded) looks great and a big relief to have them finally back on.Removal of toerails is not to be enterred into lightly!!!

The yacht has now obviously reached the point where other Club members are asking regarding "launch date" but still work to be done that makes putting a date on it impossible.