All-around grab handle.

[Roach1948]

Well my big Winter project this year is an all-around grab handle. I noticed I really needed one when sailing in so many F7 this season. I am thinking of one that follows the contour of the toe rail set inside of it by 6 inched or so.

The question is, how shall I make it? I suppose the easy option would be to use those brass hand-hold brackets from classic marine and run some Mahogany? dowl along. The dissadvantage of this is that they are not very high, and it would be handy to have the rail high enough to get a boot-hold under? I feel ubiquitous handrails made from one plank will be too week when bent into shape, so I am looking at making one from maybe using mahogany blocks for the upright part and one solid plank ontop. The question is what wood do I use for the top part and how to I join the blocks to the top plank grab handle part in the strongest possible way?

 

[Peterduck]

Have you seen the traditional Norwegian style bulwarks, which have a generous gap between the bulwark plank and the cap rail and between the plank and the deck? Obviously, they don't have a toerail. By setting the rail 6" inside the deck edge you are depriving yourself of a very useful width of deck, especially alongside the coach house. The bulwark stanchions may be best to be a custom metal fitting, either cast or fabricated. If you made your caprail in two halves, set side-by-side, they would be easy to bend around the sheer and the stanchions could be set in between them. As to a suitable timber, perhaps oak, afromorsia or utile would be effective.
Peter.

 

[NobbyMan]

A one piece grab rail should be stronger and easier to fit that one made with separate stantions. I usually use a straight grained piece of Iroko tapered from around 40-50mm at the base to 30mm at the top.

To ensure a solid fastening I space the uprights so they fall on deck beams, I fasten from the top with either #14 or #16 screws and every third or forth fastening is a machine screw also use either a polysulfide or polyurethane adhesive sealant under the rails to give extra security.

The only time someone has managed to break one was when they used it as a mooring cleat on a tidal berth, they made off a breast line to it didn't check their lines as the tide went out leaving the boat hung up from the dock wall.

 

[Roach1948]

Thanks for the advice.

I think I might give it a go with pyramid shaped stanchions in Mahogany and then a mahognay top plank. Another Dallimore owner has this system and he swears by it. The more I think of it the more I want to get my boot under the rail - it will greatly add to my safety and as I don't have a coachroof, I am not really limiting my useful deck space - infact I increase it as I will now be able to tie stuff to the deck if required.