Stainless Steel guard rails on a sailing boat

[coopec]

I know the feeling !! The big 80 approaches and I know I have to be more careful moving around the boat! I don't really know if 'solid' rails would make me feel safer though. I find most guard rails/wire are too low for me, just the right height in fact to tip me over! Mine would need to be 6 inches higher.
Possibly solid rails would be even more of an incentive for crew ( and especially crew of other boats ) to use them for pushing their boat off and thus straining the fittings.
I might consider some grab rails say around the mast.

I have to agree with you when you say " I find most guard rails/wire are too low for me, just the right height in fact to tip me over! Mine would need to be 6 inches higher" . What is the point installing a SS top rail 650mm off the deck!!?

My stanchions are 930 mm high which is a good height (but not high enough for commercial vessels). I have Stainless wire rope on top but I will certainly be installing netting from the top guard wire down to deck. Apparently most serious cruising yachts are set up that way.



I'd worry about the extra wight above deck too. The weight of the tubing 600mm above deck weighing 30kg (?) will probably negate 120 kg of your ballast.

Unless you get the top rail rolled to follow the curvature of the deck it will look faceted and hideous.

 

[DownWest]

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Unless you get the top rail rolled to follow the curvature of the deck it will look faceted and hideous.

Rolling has it's own problems, as the curve varies over the length. I actually used a vertical hydraulic jack in a frame to give the tube frequent little bends (about 10cm spacing) which blended into a fair curve. Remember, the tube is on edge and quite resistant to bending. I have a powered roller bender, but didn't even try it. There are CNC ones, but mega bucks and I don't know of one anywhere close.

 

[jonic]

Seen it done to a couple of boats (with gated access fitted) and it worked well.

 

[coopec]

Rolling has it's own problems, as the curve varies over the length. I actually used a vertical hydraulic jack in a frame to give the tube frequent little bends (about 10cm spacing) which blended into a fair curve. Remember, the tube is on edge and quite resistant to bending. I have a powered roller bender, but didn't even try it. There are CNC ones, but mega bucks and I don't know of one anywhere close.

Yes it would have to be done on the job

But then I have often made up cardboard (or cheap ply) templates and taken them along to the workshop as a guide. I did that for my upholstery and the pulpit an pushpit and it worked fine.

Maybe you could put a slightly larger tube in the bench vice, insert the 6 Meter SS tube and then (carefully ) tug it towards you to bend it slightly?

 

[rogerthebodger]

That looks like a seriously thought-out boat with interesting ideas incorporated.

Do you have a website or blog where I can see more details of her?

I posted various pictures on the site URL in my sig.

 

[DownWest]

Yes it would have to be done on the job

But then I have often made up cardboard (or cheap ply) templates and taken them along to the workshop as a guide. I did that for my upholstery and the pulpit an pushpit and it worked fine.

Maybe you could put a slightly larger tube in the bench vice, insert the 6 Meter SS tube and then (carefully ) tug it towards you to bend it slightly?

I worked from offsets taken off the boat and bent it in the workshop. 6mtrs is a bit unwieldy. Boat was outside a larger one on the pôntoon, so access tricky. As for bending it in a vice. Lots of force required and not accurate enough. The 'little nip' method was a bit slow, but very controllable. Tube not very cheap, if one kinks it...

 

[Poignard]

I posted various pictures on the site URL in my sig.

Got it. Thanks!