SO39i: replace teak toe rail with working substitute

[dbostrom]

I don't think I'm getting ahead of myself here but we'll see. It appears we'll be taking on a SO39i. I'd assumed I'd be buckling down to remedy all sorts of faults but after the surveyor's report and a long day on my own part tunneling through the boat there's (apparently) a deficiency of things urgently needing to be fixed. 

My main quibble with this boat is the decorative teak toe rail. I understand that aesthetics sometimes trump other considerations but the toe rail on this boat doesn't earn its space, in my opinion; it could be doing more than one thing, and it could be less trouble while slacking off. 

Has anybody on JONF taken on replacing this toe rail with a more functional aluminum implementation, namely the familiar slotted aluminum version? Any gotchas or trouble with that?

And for that matter (I won't argue because I'm asking for opinions) are there good reasons to stick with the cozy but lazy teak?

[Strikes me that rounded, wide teak would be more comfortable for rail meat than pointy aluminum. We're not the competitive sort but one never knows what may portend.  So, one point to teak in that department. ]

[dbostrom]

Hmm. Replying to myself: a few minutes of education on the extended function of toe rails makes me think I may well be crazy to think about this.

Dang. Slotted rails are so handy, besides not being made of food. 

[hoppy]

My SO40 has the same problem with the toe rail being only decorative.

Rather than replacing it with functional, I just mounted 4 u-bolts through the deck close to the toe rail, aft and midships for blocks to control my genekar and suddenly I don't care that it is only cosmetic.

[dbostrom]

That's a lot easier and less risky than ripping up the whole toe rail just to get some convenient attachment points. Very pragmatic. Thank you.

[Trevor]

It is strange you raise this point just now as last weekend I was discussing the merits of the teak tow rail and importantly how to clean and treat it. My neighbour in the next pen has a SO42i and has the same toerail as me. He cleans it and uses semcor? to make it look nice. He commented on how hard it is on his knees to clean and treat it, kneeling on the deck for long periods.

I pondered an aluminium toerail like a Hunter in our Marina which is very functional as you describe. We used to have a Beneteau 373 for a short while and it had the aluminium toerail and I must confess it was quite handy.

I think I will stick with the teak however. it sounds like a pretty big job to me and I wouldn't want our yacht to lose that unmistakable Jeanneau look.  

Regards,

[nornaj]

On the 39i the wooden toe rail is undoubtedly a pain. It is only partially secured, so the green stuff grows under it, it is the source of those wonderful vertical black streaks that appear on the hull and need to be removed regularly. It traps debris. Keeping it clean is almost impossible, varnishing it would be daft; teak oil is probably the answer - if you're prepared to keep up with the job. Otherwise it is just an annual scrub.
And it isn't teak, anyway. On the x09s the wood has been replaced by an easy (easier?) care engineered product.
Replacing it with aluminum would likely require custom extrusions.
Through hull securing points are relatively easy to add if/as needed.
Like others, we have decided to live with it, though several parts are beginning to crack along the grain and will need attention in a year or two.
NornaJ

[dbostrom]

Replacing it with aluminum would likely require custom extrusions.

Yes; in my very recent and possibly lamented "I will never own a boat" persona I was ignorant of the role of the toe rail in most production boats as a means to hide and secure the hull-deck bond. I've not had a chance to look closely yet, but the toe rail of the 39i seems to be flat in profile on the bottom, while virtually all commercially available toe rail extrusions are some variation of an "L" or "V" shape and are made for specific boats with specific hull-deck mating profiles. I've not found a generic flat-bottomed extruded toe rail for sale.

Does anybody have a photo or diagram of the hull-deck joint on a 39i? Surely the little strip of teak isn't holding the boat together?

[bikerwookie]

If it is the same on the 33i I can state it is not just decorative. My fore decker has done over 150 races with it and never had a problem despite sliding down the decks a more than a few times. If you want a rail to clip snatch blocks and leads onto then it may well be of no use. As said earlier the later ones are plastic but it took me two years to realise this - I would have the same stuff for all the teak if I could get it.

[rc sail]

On my 39 DS the teak toe rail looks great for one season after freshly stained and
glossed. Than it is another project I was going to get to.
As a idea for change, perhaps remove one of the small section of toe rail at either
the bow or stern. Should than give you a look at what is under the toe rail and
also see how well a new rail would fit/look.

[MalcolmP]

My understanding and expectation of the hull deck joint is that it is made primarily  with a special Sikaflex jointing compound and that there will be a series of self tapping screws. The heads of which are then hidden below the teak toe-rail. 

On our 39i whilst I do like the teak, agree keeping green mould from building up underneath the teak is a pain - it would have been better if the teak had been bedded on a sealant to stop water and air getting underneath - I doubt if it would make the timber rot as it would still have air on three sides, but maybe that is why the factory didn't do that from OEM. I am not planning to lift my teak to find out. Like other posters where I have need for attachments such as jackstays I have fitted wichard self sealing U bolts

On the teak issue it is not unusual for the Scandinavian boats to fit addition teak rub-rails such as this:


Teak does look good but others have made low maintenance replacement of some parts such as this project:
www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/stainlesshandrails.html

guess the toe rails might be fabricated from stainless as an (expensive) option. I have never liked the alloy versions as they tend to get scratched and will then start to corrode.

[dbostrom]

Thank you for all of the information, which has probably stopped me from undertaking a fool's mission. 

[shawnkaplan]

I have a 2007 42 DS, and the under-side of the toe rails never quite seem to dry.  water leaks under and then i get green dirty stuff that then streaks the side of my hull.  Anyone have ideas?  i keep the rail raw, and havent oiled it yet.  I dont think oil would help though as i believe the water is seeping under the rail rather than through it. ? 

I was thinking of a small bead of clear silicone caulking might help.  I'm sure I'd have to replace it every other year, but thinking of using silicone because it should be easy to remove and I dont want to cause any headaches down the road with a more permanent cleanup job.

Nov 27, 2014 16:33:59 GMT nornaj said:

On the 39i the wooden toe rail is undoubtedly a pain. It is only partially secured, so the green stuff grows under it, it is the source of those wonderful vertical black streaks that appear on the hull and need to be removed regularly. It traps debris. Keeping it clean is almost impossible, varnishing it would be daft; teak oil is probably the answer - if you're prepared to keep up with the job. Otherwise it is just an annual scrub.
And it isn't teak, anyway. On the x09s the wood has been replaced by an easy (easier?) care engineered product.
Replacing it with aluminum would likely require custom extrusions.
Through hull securing points are relatively easy to add if/as needed.
Like others, we have decided to live with it, though several parts are beginning to crack along the grain and will need attention in a year or two.
NornaJ

[Tafika II]

First I want to thank you all for dissuading me from even thinking about changing out my teak toe rails to aluminum. We have tried Cetal, teak oil, tropical sealer and bare wood options, but elected to go with varnished rails (6 coats). While it looks fantastic, it is high maintenance. FYI, the toe rail on the SO42DS is strictly cosmetic as it is screwed into the deck with what looks to be a #10 wood type screws. I was thinking about have AwlGrip Awlbrite, but that’s something I’ll contract out if I decide to do it.
During my last foray with varnishing, I did mask off from the vertical outside surface of the toe rail transition to the deck/hull and apply a 3/16” black silicon bead (We have a dark blue hull). This keeps the water from egressing from the outside, but I am contemplating doing the same on the inside of the rail to the deck in white. This makes the look cleaner and provides for a demarcation line when taping for varnish + keeps water from going underneath the toe rail. Haven’t done it yet, but if I do, I’ll post some photos.

[bereboot]

After research i think this might fit the bill: 

crestaluminum.com/Main/Marine/Wauquiez%20Pretorien%2035.pdf