B.O.A.T.... bow railing had a nasty encounter with a pier!

[Glock Diver]

Beautiful day Sunday, until about 5:30pm!  Myself and a couple divers went out and hit some artificial reefs about 12nm off Sanibel.  As we returned to the ramp, a nasty thunderstorm rolled in (thunder, lightning, pelting rain). At the request of my passengers, I pulled up on a beach, next to a covered fishing pier where they could get out of the elements until the storm passed.

The current had picked up and as we pulled off the beach, it quickly pulled us towards the pier, and my efforts to quickly move the boat away were unsuccessful  :cry:  A piece of metal hooked part of my stainless bow railing and bent that sucker like it was nothing.  FML!

Sooo... any suggestions on how to fix this?  Marine welder and a gelcoat repair?  Would a pie plate need to be cut in the gunwale for access to that bolt?



And from above

[gran398]

Mike, that sucks. Must be something in the air, we've had some bad luck this weekend too.

Maybe you can access it through the hatch. Cut a big hole in the side of the hatch....then glass it back? Would beat cutting the liner IMHO. Then the welder can have at it.

Hey...at least everyone is okay...the boat can be fixed

Take care....make sure u get to the ribs before that foreign guy

[bumpster]

Here is my non professional opinion. Its only one leg so you should be able to have a welder fix it with no problem. When he welds the plate have it offset so you can use new holes and also cover the old ones. Since it is only one leg you should be able to just use SS screw and not worry about thru bolting it. Alot of manufacturers  still dont thru bolt.

[seabob4]

Mike, that sucks!  But then, I saw stuff like this happen at the factory (overhead hoist hooks left down, then the hoist is trollied, snags a rail in the process...OOPS!).  We had a guy from Schmitt come in just for that purpose, on many occasion!

Alright.  A good SS welder can cut the old stanchion off and weld on a new one.  In fact, call Schmitt and tell them your issues, they may be able to "help", so to speak.  Scott has a good idea on the pie inside the port storage hatch.  Those stanchions secured with a 1/4-20 stud, all you need is the ability to reach the new stud, thread on a new nut (use a 1/4" fender washer underneath, then tighten her up.  Keep in mind, it will be a long reach up into a space you can't see, laying halfway upside down...

Should you need to cut a hole for a 4" access pie, cut one on the starboard side, same location.  That way, it looks like they were SUPPOSED to be there...  

[Glock Diver]

Yes, I keep reminding myself that it could've been much worse!  
Nobody got struck by lightning, nobody lost any fingers, and the boat didn't slam into the pier.  

Found the company that Bob mentioned - http://www.ggschmitt.com/ - and sent them an email, along with a couple local marine welders.  We'll see how much this mishap's gonna cost me!

[pete]

Sorry about you rail,Mike,glad no one got hurt.Pie plate looks like the way to go.Its always somthing!

[Glock Diver]

Talked to a couple marine welders today... Sounds like $250-300 is a rough estimate.  :|  could be worse!

[pete]

I guess thats this weeks repair price,same amount they want to fix my t top,its a conspiracy!

[c master]

I can't really tell from the photos...is that a broken bolt in the deck?  Anyway, I hate pie plates.   How 'bout trying a small hole saw?  Drill directly over the bolt...just larger than whatever is left in the deck?

Let's say you end up with a 3/4" hole.  I've seen people make a temporary, flexible backing material (plastic piece froma Clorox bottle).  Cut a small round disc of plastic, stick a wire through the middle of the disc, and bend it  a little so the disc won't fall off.  Put some adhesive on the top of the plastic disc, push it down through the hole, pull up with the wire "handle" (so that the backing disc adheres to the inside of the gunnel and creates a 'bottom' for the hole)   After a while, pull the wire out....it should just 'straighten' and leave the backing disc behind.   Pour in some 5200 (or whatever).  Once the 5200 dries it will be hard as a rock.  If you're careful you won't have to sand it down much, and the base plate for the stanchion should cover the spot.

What's the worst that could happen?

[Glock Diver]

I can't really tell from the photos...is that a broken bolt in the deck?  Anyway, I hate pie plates.   How 'bout trying a small hole saw?  Drill directly over the bolt...just larger than whatever is left in the deck?

Let's say you end up with a 3/4" hole.  I've seen people make a temporary, flexible backing material (plastic piece froma Clorox bottle).  Cut a small round disc of plastic, stick a wire through the middle of the disc, and bend it  a little so the disc won't fall off.  Put some adhesive on the top of the plastic disc, push it down through the hole, pull up with the wire "handle" (so that the backing disc adheres to the inside of the gunnel and creates a 'bottom' for the hole)   After a while, pull the wire out....it should just 'straighten' and leave the backing disc behind.   Pour in some 5200 (or whatever).  Once the 5200 dries it will be hard as a rock.  If you're careful you won't have to sand it down much, and the base plate for the stanchion should cover the spot.

What's the worst that could happen?

I think I follow, but would it hold up after I bolt the new stanchion in the same place, and stress is put on that new bolt ?

[Circle Hooked]

Mike sorry about your bad luck bud,alot of times crap happens to good people,instead of 5200 fill the hole with Marine Tex and you won't have a problem,you can redrill right through it again,also i think you have a Marine surplus down there,they sell the stuff pretty cheap compared to WM anyway.

[seabob4]

Mike sorry about your bad luck bud,alot of times crap happens to good people,instead of 5200 fill the hole with Marine Tex and you won't have a problem,you can redrill right through it again,also i think you have a Marine surplus down there,they sell the stuff pretty cheap compared to WM anyway.

Scott, your right about the MarineTex AND, if it's still open, Marine Surplus' other location is in Ft. Myers...

[c master]

Sorry...yes, Marine Tex...not 5200.

[pete]

won't you still need a pie plate to bolt it to the hull and put some fender washers in there for support?

[Glock Diver]

Yeah, I can't see how I could re-attach the railing without cutting a pie plate somewhere...

And yes, Marine Surplus is still open in Ft Myers!