DIY Grab rail for Sailboat

So we continue in our adventures in getting Constellation ready for travel.  The boat sat neglected for a few years before we got her, so there have been some projects that really, REALLY needed doing.

Along these lines, we discovered on one of our fist sails that, for reasons the surpasseth understanding, someone at some point had removed both of the grab rails from the top of the dog house, leaving nothing to hold onto when working with the sails, going forward, etc, etc. . .

Had to fix that.

I wasn't wild about drilling even MORE holes in the doghouse.  I looked around for some teak or composite handrail that fit the current, caulked-in hole pattern to no avail.  I thought about getting a plank of teak and cutting out some new ones, but with only a small selection of battery powered hand tools, that seemed like a recipe for frustration.  Accordingly, we decided to go with a grab line in stead of a grab rail.

These are stainless 8mm "shoulder" eyebolts, sometimes called lifting rings.

We drilled out the old holes that were used to mount the old grabrail and installed the eyes.

So, on them interwebs, we found some rather nice shouldered eyebolts in the right length.  I drilled out the old caulk plugs from the original hand rail and bolted them in.  Then ran some excess bow line we had down each side.

It makes a great grab line, and is easy to connect things to if you need to do so.  Just one more project out of the way.

Locknuts and washers inside the cabin ceiling hold them in place.

Add some nice braided line and you have your hand holds.

More shortly,  Projects, projects, projects. . . .

M


Some more from our trip to the Sassafras River.

looking smug at Worton Creek

We weren't the only ones who thought the place lovely.

ALL of the sunsets along these West facing inlets were spectacular!