Handrail

[BMHoch]

HJas anyone ordered a new teak handrail from Catalina? When using my port rail as a base for a preventer, the wood split in half right at the mounting point.  The rail itself is curved,and although a "stuck" in repair section might be OK, the whole piece should be replaced. Any thoughts?

[dpenz]

I suspect the handrail starts out straight.  I recently removed one for refinishing and it required some persuading to go back.

Catalina may be your best bet for a replacement.  Many marine stores carry standard handrail up to six loops long, but the longer rails may only be available on special order from Thailand.  Something to do with shipping restrictions.  Consider using two sections.

  After spending many hours stripping and sanding and varnishing, I began to look enviously at my neighbor's stainless steel handrails.  Not so bad looking, I thought.  I could get used to that.

[Stu Jackson]

When recently walking the docks, I noted that most boats have either two short or too short handrails, since many of them only go to the mast.

Like, no one would ever go any further forward on deck?!?

Ron has previously encouraged folks to NOT entirely remove their handrails (even for rebedding for leaks), because, as mentioned above, they start straight and when removed, like to go that way again.  They're a bear to get back in if you remove them completely.  See his Mainsheet article.

A preventer takes and makes a very large load, which should only be handled by a stout fitting, which, unless you're doing an end-boom preventer all the way to the bow, should, must, and can only be a shroud base.  They take the load on a tack, why not a run?

We have not been in situations where an end boom preventer was necessary.  The end of our sailing days are always downwind, dead downwind, with a 400 yard wide main shipping channel as our "turf."

What we do is this:

We rigged a run-back-to-the-cokpit cunningham a few years ago, and put a snap shackle on the single block that connects to the base of the mast.

We have an extra long line on the cunnigham to let it extend a long way.

We take the cunningham hook off the mainsail cunningham cringle, extend the long line, and drop the cunningham's hook onto one of the appropriate mainsheet bails under the boom.

We take the snap shackle off the mast base and rig it easily to a shroud base with the long line.  Depending on wind strength and/or direction, it's attached either to the shroud base or the aft lower base.

With a good balance between the traveller and the mainsheet, with a pull on the former cunnigham line (now the preventer) through the cam cleats on the coachroof, we have a variety of mainsail angles to work with.

Easy to set, easy to remove and does double duty.

Wood's not too good in shear, as you've learned.

Ron's suggestion to repair the handrail makes the most sense.  Should be a reasonably manageable affair to accomplish.  

Aren't you glad you didn't use a stanchion?