J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Toe rail replacement

Has anyone replaced thier teak toerails with starboard or other material? is it classs legal? Are there any penalties? Is thre a source for new toe rails?

I'm sure you can replace the toe rail with the original material.

I think J/24s recently are being made with a plastic toe rail. You might try checking with TPI to see if they have any.

While the class has approved replacing the handrails with different materials, nothing has been done about toe rails. You should probably check with the measurer, Larry Christy alchristy@earthlink.net

If you're racing PHRF rather than class, there probably isn't any penalty for replacing toe rails. Again, check with the PHRF fleet you're racing with to make sure.

I fabricated new toe rails from a Starboard-like material. I purchased an 8' sheet of material 1-1/4" thick from a local plastics distributor and cut numerous 1-1/4" strips. Using a combination of table saw, dado blades, router, belt sander, and some ingenuity that I surely couldn't find again, I was able to replicate the original teak rails fairly well. Though I'm sure they will not wear as well as teak over the long run but they look great, no maintenance and much lower cost than wood. They have been on two years now and look like new.

Steve Sullivan
Temptation # 311

What is "Starboard" material?

Starboard (probably a trademarked name) is a polyethylene plastic that resists chemicals and such and is UV resitant. I think West Marine sells some up to 3/4" thick.

I have replaced the teak toe rail with a standard 1-1/4" T-track. although not actually class legal it has improved the crew attitude about hiking. (no more cut legs). I do not attach any hardware while 1 design but on PHRF it is a handy thing to have. Very easy to install once the old 5200 is removed.

The primarys on my j30 have been changed before I bought it a few years ago.They are Barient modle 24-45 self tailing 2 speed.They work very well and my wife has no problem grinding. I can`t imagine anything less.