Hand rails and gas lockers

[Mowjo]

Get your thinking caps on boys and girls, I need help! first one! the grab rails on my new/old boat have seen better days and I'd like to replace them like for like, does anyone know where I can get replacements, they are 28/30mm round and 2100mm long, I know I can get stainless but I really like wood!

 

Second! Gas lockers, do they have to be made of GRP, Stainless, Metal, or can they be made from Ply as long as they are airtight on the seams, mine hold two little diddy gas bottles and as we are out all the time I'd like to fit a new locker that holds two of the 15kilo bottles, I'll be lucky to get a week out of the two I have now,

 

Frank,,,,

[Mowjo]

Sorry Dave! they are round and straight,, and I'm getting a headache trying to find them,, 

 

Frank,,,,

[grendel]

if your boat was a Broom, I would suggest Broom handles  . sorry..

how about looking at stair handrails, though I think they are nearer 50mm.

Hardwood or softwood? maybe approach a boatbuilder who makes bits for saily boats, quant poles, spars etc, I am sure they must have the tools to round off timbers to a desired diameter.

Grendel

[grendel]

http://www.timcom-ptc.co.uk/rd2808-hardwood-dowels-28mm-x-2400mm-997-p.asp

How about - 28mm hardwood dowels @ 2.4m length

[grendel]

in oak - http://www.timcom-ptc.co.uk/oak-dowel-24-mtr-x-28-mm-we-will-send-no-less-than-3-dowels-1238-p.asp

[grendel]

softwood... http://www.timcom-ptc.co.uk/pd2824-premium-quality-pine-dowels-28mm-x-24m--minimum-order-quantity-5-1253-p.asp

just google the diameter an 'hardwood dowel'

[grendel]

even wickes has them - http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-28mm-Light-Hardwood-Dowel-FB157-2400mm/p/128529

Grendel

[littlesprite]

Hi Frank,

I'm a long way out of my territory here but what about the stick up things that sailors hang their bed sheets on, they're round and wooden and could be available second hand.

[Mowjo]

Grendel! get your coat! right Managed to find the Handrails, the ones on the boat are 25mm dia but in 28/30 ml brackets so a little bit wobbly but they have been on the boat since who knows when so I'm giving in and refitting 25mm round, they are from Sheridan Marine a Freeman Shop and as I dealt with them when I had a freeman the low price has really surprised me, http://www.sheridanmarine.com/product/freeman-mahogany-handrail

Frank,,,

Just need to sort out the Gas locker now unless someone knows where I can get the 28mm grab rail,,,

[grendel]

if you want a specific wood, then try here - http://www.toolsandtimber.co.uk/timber/wooden-dowels/

 it does seem that lengths longer than 2.4m might be trickier.

Grendel

[grendel]

or you could just acquire a few spare boathooks, and take the hooky bits off the ends.

Grendel

[Mowjo]

Thanks Grendel! I did look at a lot of them but they only do 2400mm/8ft Long  I need just under 9ft and it needs to be Iroko, Teak or Manogamy, but thanks for taking time to look,,

 

Frank,,,

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Frank.

Try a curtain pole supplier for a Mahogany pole to fit a 8 foot patio door that should be around 9 foot to allow for the curtain reveals.

 

Regards

Alan

[JawsOrca]

Frank... Re, gas locker:

 

Copied from, http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/media/194782/2013ecp_private%20_boats_ed3_public_final.pdf

 

Cylinder lockers must be constructed of materials that are either 

· the same material and thickness of the surrounding hull structure; or,

· metal of minimum thickness of approximately 1mm; or,

· FRP of minimum thickness of approximately 5mm thickness.

Any repairs to cylinder lockers must meet the thickness requirements 

above, and:

· metal locker repairs must be made using a plate of similar metal and 

must be seam welded or brazed;

· FRP locker repairs must be made using fiberglass fabric/matting and 

resin.

 

Don't forget to drain it... plus theres lots more about drain hose.. height above waterline etc.. so have a good read...

[Mowjo]

Thanks folks!  been looking at a few ready made lockers and some of them are silly money, I done a bit of fibre glass work in the past so I may make my own, if and when I get time,,,,

 

Frank,,,,,

[Guest]

Thanks folks!  been looking at a few ready made lockers and some of them are silly money, I done a bit of fibre glass work in the past so I may make my own, if and when I get time,,,,

 

Frank,,,,,

 

I think that's the way I would do it too Frank.

 

Making it out of plywood you have complete adaptability to the space available for length/width/height, and can even incorporate tapers or steps to maximise the space available.

 

Very strong too, and lining the inside with FRP and mat would be very easy, as a perfect shiny gelcoat finish is not required.

 

Also, of course, you could make it in-situ, if needed.

[Guest]

I just had a quick search on the YBW boat forums and there's some interesting threads on there about making gas lockers from ply and FRP.

 

http://www.ybw.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-190822.html

[Oddfellow]

I have been working on a private boat that's failed a BSS becuase of a gas locker that was non-compliant.

 

The locker itself was formed at the back of the boat by creating a space using ply sides encasing the rear quarter of the vessel and, unusually, with access at one horiontal end behind the bench seat back rest. The locker, whilst painted and sealed with silicon along the joins was not adequately vented, not sealed around the gas pipe entry and had no flame retardant properties at all. The locker was also side opening into the cockpit which is in itself a BSS fail but not noted on the failure sheet. It is a point worth noting that this vessel has previously passed two BSS examinations and just goes to show how much some examiners know. 

[Timbo]

Have you tried talking to Tim Collins on the Rhond at Wroxham? I went in recently asking daft questions,as I do, about toe rails and cant rails and he just walked to a large rack of various hardwood rails made for Broads Boats and said 'you will need some of my medium cant rail'.

[Mowjo]

Thanks Timbo! I actually though of Tim last night, I'll pop in and see him next time I'm there, I prefer supporting local business where I can, Andy! when we bought my daughters boat two years ago, she couldn't come to view it so asked me to look at it, I took one look at the engine and electrics and told her I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole even though it had passed the BSS a month previous, the state of the engine put me right off it didn't look like it had been touched since the boat was built, I know the engine is nothing to do with the BSS, but the electrics were something else, they had used normal solid core twin and earth, there was Orange what I call lawnmower cable, and the fuse board looked like it was out of one of the BT green boxes, it was a bank of about 50 fuses on a carrier and where he hadn't used the previous cable it honestly looked like bell wire, unfortunately my daughter fell in love with it from the pictures and still went ahead and bought it, when she got it back to the moorings, I took a better look and found a bilge pump under the engine that went straight out the side, no filters or anything, next I looked at the gas locker, it was an old galvinised one, so I took the bottles out to check, how the bottle hadn't gone through the bottom I don't know! it was full of holes and you could see them just by moving the bottles, how the thing ever passed the BSS I don't know, the tester is pretty well known on the Broads but now if I see his name on a certificate I double check everything, and I certainly would never use him, Frank,,,