wood rails - repair, replaice or ?

[Eventide]

i am bringing my 1968 / 50' yachtfish back to its former glorious self. have removed almost all deck hardware and stanchions in anticipation of having them stripped and re-chromed so the metal all looks new.

the wood rails are original and very tired looking. the guys doing the fiberglass work for me are telling me that the rails are shot and that i need to start fresh with something new, either new wood or maybe stainless rails.

has anyone done this type of thing before and could you please offer some advice and maybe some encouragement?

my approach has always been ...'repair, don't replace'. i am often too stubborn for my own good but i am thinking i can repair the wood rails myself with the right materials and instruction.

money is always a factor. any ideas or thoughts? thanks in advance.


mike meeker
st. petersburg, fl

 

[rsmith]

The 50 YF is a pretty rare boat. I have a 50c. Would like to see pics of yours.

 

[Keith]

We too have a 50' yacht fisherman, a 1966. I would love to see photos of yours also. Our rails are the original wood ones. They still look pretty good.

Keith
Lady J

 

[dastahl]

That is a very special boat. I saw one once years ago but I understand Hatt only made 4-5 of them. Sorry to get off topic. One of my friends hit a day marker and wrecked the curved wood rails on the port side of his 58 LRC. A guy in Fort Pierce replaced them and they are perfect. He made a jig to the curve and laid up strips of teak like Hatteras did.
If you think your rails are sanded down too far and you have to make new ones you can. Might be hard but it can be done. I would say the guys replaced 30 feet of wood rail and 4 or 5 stantions for what I was told was $6K. Send me a message if you want me to get the wood guys name in Fort Pierce.
David
Skooch 58 LRC
Thunderbolt GA heading south on ICYW

 

[Fanfare]

Keep the wood. I have the 50MY with the same wood except at the stern. My wood is original but likely thinner in all dimensions due to 46 years of sanding and refinishing. You won't see anything like its glow in any modern boat. I get many complements on our varnish. I do have to put two coats of varnish on about every 2-3 months in the Florida sun. For storage I have canvas covers for the rails and the mahogany upright to the bridge deck and for my mahogany mast. By the way, the Hatteras trademark "swoop" which portrays (horizontally) the Outer Banks is found at the juncture between this upright and the fiberglass bridge deck. I don't think my boat had any other marking to identify it as a Hatt other than this.

The one problem with the original railings is that the outside is flush with the rubrail below them and is easily scraped on pilings while docking. If I ever replace mine I will move the wood part inwards an inch or so to avoid this. On the 53MY Hatteras fixed this by adding a 1.5 in. knuckle under this rub rail which increased the boat's outside beam from our 15' 7" to 15' 10." I think they are the same size inside.

 

[Eventide]

thanks, guys, for the response and the suggestions. i am going to keep them and restore them myself based on what you have had to say.

this is a great forum.

all the best.



mike meeker
st. petersburg, fl

 

[Finalee]

Try using a heat gun instead of sanding. I have found it to be a quicker method and does not sand away the wood.

 

[Eventide]

fred:

the heat gun idea sounds intriguing. i have never done that before. any special tips, tricks or traps to it? does it take about the same amount of time as sanding?

much thanks.


mike meeker
st. petersburg, fl

 

[TROUBLE]

Mike,
I've done quite a bit of heat gun stripping. Its a lot faster that sanding or chemmical removal and also a lot cleaner. You are going to need an assortment of "cabinet scrapers" in different blade widths. If you hold the heat gun at an angle close to the wood but not on it until the finish starts to bubble you can pull the finish right off with the scraper. After a while you develop a rythme that will allow you to move the heat gun to bubble a spot while removing the varnish where you just heated.

Art

 

[Finalee]

Art is right on. Once you get the feel for it things go fast. Watch your heat setting. Use no more than needed. I used the new formula Cetol afterward. It comes in 2 parts. I layed down 8 coats of step one and the same with the gloss coat. It has been 1.5 years now without touch up, and it looks great. Varnish only lasted 6 months.

 

[Eventide]

gentlemen: thanks for the responses, much appreciated. i am going to use the heat gun approach based on what you have suggested. gotta love this forum. again, thanks.

 

[Ragbagger]

Replace them with Metal. You will toil forevever trying to keep the wood rails looking decent in the Florida climate. We see it all the time at our marina. Give yourself a break and go without wood.

Wood is beautiful and looks great, I agree. It is almost impossible to kept it up in southern climates.

 

[Will]

We use covers with velcrow fasteners on our varnished handrails and go a few years between recoats.
Will