Roamer Toe Rail

they are attched to the steel deck

Water Drainage

I saw the same issue on my Offshore. I cut and shaped the toe rail in two places on each side for drainage.

Due to the sticky gray sheist that kept oozing out for 40 years, I elected to remove mine altogether and fabricate bulwarks above the deck line. Since my aluminum is almost 1/4" thick
(.220) I find that drilling and tapping is almost as bullet proof as through bolting, plus I bed all that stuff with 5200. ws

Thanks Joe... thats what happens when you own the same boat for 38 years! Always have projects that pop up, like the wood windshield/roof support frames that are second generation and going this winter. I'd like to do the pilothouse sides and front with aluminum plate and install nice new windows mounted in rubber. I am getting too darn old for too much more of this kids' stuff! ws




notice the rot in the lower right corner...

SEVENTY and ten cents an hour??? Man, you just made the plastic knees hurt a bunch less, and I thank you for that! Now post some pics wouldya?? Feel free to visit us at the other place too!! ws

Toe Rail Removal

I took off all of the toe rail on my 1966 Roamer and replaced the stanchion thru deck connection with a 4x4 teak pad, bolted and caulked to deck allowing drainage off deck it is quite strudy

Original toe rails

On a 1966 37' aluminum Roamer I removed the original toe rails, sanded them, thoroughly covered the underside with epoxy and rebedded them onto the deck. I am going for an original appearance. If the boards are bedded properly, I don't think that corrosion will bread under the boards.

The stanchion base on the 1966 37' Roamers has a large center hole (about 1 3/4 inch) for the lower part of the base, which is threaded for the stanchion. Then there are the four holes for securing the base to the boards and deck.

Some thoughts: it seems that the grey gooey putty that was originally used would require some occasional tightening of the boards. Hot/cold cycles and physical loads that force the goo from under the boards can leave a void where water can between the wood and luminum (or steel) and begin to degrade the structure. Removing the wood plugs and snugging the board to the deck every several years is a big job (about 200 screws!!). However, this may keep the putty from oozing to a point that it no longer provides the seal.

Also, on the the aluminum Roamers the deck is threaded, but I don't think the aluminum is thick enough to provide a secure mount of the threaded aluminum. So, nuts are required. Most of my stanchion base screws had nuts under the deck. Some did not. I don't know if some just did not have nuts or they fell off in over the 40 years of normal use. Some nuts cannot be reached unless significant dissassembly of the boat interior.

So, I think the original boards can be used and maintained, but a bit of re-engineering is required.

Just my opinion...

David

I removed my toe rails whih were (on a 1958) were through deck bolted ans on the underside a rubber based material was stapled to canvas. There were 2 drainholes at the most forward point of the bow. I am replacing with more drain holes....every 6-8" and .....do you think that 5200 should be used as a bedding?

I really love them Roamers!! ppat

yachtsmanbill might disagree, but I would never use 5200 on a boat. There are plenty of other options for sealants that do as good a job as 5200, but without the almost impossible job of removing the stuff when it comes time to rebed.

5200 is for people who buy fiberglass boats because they're maintenance-free.

Maybe I should have asked...Is a bedding compound necessary?

I would say absolutely yes.

I'm partial to sikaflex 291 though recently I've been trying out 721 for its improved UV characteristics. The downside with 721 is that the work time in warm, humid weather is scary short.

Without bedding compound, capillary action will cause water to wick in under and between any two items that are bolted or screwed together. The water will eventually find its way to the screw or bolt holes, and then wick in through the threads. Since those are generally metal to (dissimilar) metal contact areas, presence of water = a battery and corrosion begins.

This is why I not only use bedding compound on the main contact surface, but also the underside of the bolt or screw head and 5-10mm or so down the length of the screw or bolt. It takes extra time to do it, but it's a fraction of what it takes to pull it off later because corrosion or rot has taken over.

good info....Thanks

Willy always told me that he uses 5200 on metal only pretty much. Itll come apart and you can scrape the residue off with a hot chisel like butter. Acetone will remove the final film easily.
Theres a million other adhesive/caulks to use and they are pretty specific. I actually use a lot of ALEX caulk. Its siliconized latex based stuff thats really good for waterproofing/bedding cleats etc. Its not real strong for construction and theres also UV4000 and most of this stuff is paintable.
Seems he is having a problem logging on here, so he asked me to write this for him. I sure hope someone can help him! Pat

I've had paint, gelcoat, and pieces of my boat come off when I tried to debond cleats and other hardware that the PO bedded in 5200.

But hey...if it works for ymb I'm OK with that.

More of My Opinion:

If two parts are mechanically joined (with bolts, screws, etc.), then I see no reason to glue the parts togeter with 5200.

I use 5200 very infrequently. I know that I have used it in a couple locations on the current Roamer project, but I can remember where... Ah! I used 5200 making backing plates for the thru hulls.

I like the butyl tape (a.k.a gray sticky crap, a.k.a. gray oozing "stuff", etc.). It is cheap and easy to find. It stays flexible, cleans-up easily with mineral spirits, and is easy to form around the screw heads so that water doesn't leak down along the threads.

When I disassembled the boat, the parts joined tightly with the butyl tape as a bedding compound were in good condition. I'd say that is a good test of butyl as a bedding compound.