J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment handrail repair

I would request that prior to this years NA's, the class should officially rule on the pole track issue. I give up time to my (very) competitive PHRF fleet setting up my pole at roundings, and would definitely add the track to the deck if it was declared class legal.

My track goes to the deck. It is clearly original equipment.

Being the boat that was 'speared' in NA's, the pole position had nothing to do with the collision.

Back to handrails. I have ordered SS handrails from Bosun and am trying to pre plan installation. I have ash wood rails inside the cabin-is there any way to remove the plugs that cover the bolts without damaging the wood? What is the best technique for removing the old handrails?

I have seen somewhere that you use a wood screw through the center of the wood plug. As the wood screw bottoms out it drives the plug backwards. You might want to drill a pilot hole first and use a screw that is the correct length so it hits the bolts in the rails.

My SS rails came a few weeks ago. My interior rails seem to be white oak not ash. The grain is too fine for ash. Anyway the wood screw method might work with some or all of your plugs. I'd try it first. If it doesn't get all of them a properly sized Forstner bit works well, but the plug has to be mostly intact for this or you'll chew up the hole. However, if the wood screw method gets any of the plug out, carefull work with a fine chisel will finish the job. If someone has epoxied them in get a bigger Forstner bit and start over

With my stainless rails, the bolts were a larger diameter, hence the nut was a larger diameter, hence again the hole in the wood handrail below decks had to be larger to accomodate the nut. So I didn't worry too much about making a mess getting the old plugs out. As it turned out, they came out pretty easy with a small chisel, and didn't gouge the wood much at all. I enlarged the holes carefully with a drill press and Forstner bit. I steadied the rail in a heavy clamp, then with an appropriately sized bit, I enlarged the original hole in the rail, then, without moving the clamp or the rail, I changed to the Forstner bit so it would be precicely aligned with the hole just enlarged in the rail. Its a bit tedious changing bits back and forth but its the best way to be perfectly aligned. Anyway, I did something right because everything fit when I was done. Good luck!