azureknowles
New Member
I'm having a bow rail fabricated to replace the non-existent one on my E-29. I was just wondering if anyone knew the original specs, including deck angle of the E29 bow rail.
E29 Bow Rail
- Thread starter azureknowles
- Start date
Unless you have access to the detail drawings that Ericson provided to the welding shop over three decades ago, and the chance of that paperwork surviving is slim and none, you are going to have to start over.
Having said that, I have seen local fabricators build bow and stern rails from a basic dimension drawing, and then take the tubing down to the boat and set it on the deck (use some protective cardboard) and measure the angle for the round feet. Some bring a small welder with them and tack-weld the parts and then head back to the shop for the rest of the welding and polishing.
Note that they will need not only the angle athwartship for the crown of the deck for the feet, but also the fore-n-aft angle resulting from the shear line for the top rail. Otherwise the top rail will not look right compared to the deck shear line.
IMHO: Good SS fabricators are both artisans and engineers, with or without formal education and certificates... :nerd:
Having watched some at work, I was mightily impressed by the craftsmanship on display.
Side Bar-- as to how Ericson and other production builders cope with this -- I know of one builder in the Seattle area that once provided a molded-out piece of the deck of his most popular sailboat design to his dodger and canvas company so that their product would be a perfect fit on that model, hundreds of boats down the road! I'll bet he did the same thing for the railing fab company also.
Good luck on your project,
LB
Having said that, I have seen local fabricators build bow and stern rails from a basic dimension drawing, and then take the tubing down to the boat and set it on the deck (use some protective cardboard) and measure the angle for the round feet. Some bring a small welder with them and tack-weld the parts and then head back to the shop for the rest of the welding and polishing.
Note that they will need not only the angle athwartship for the crown of the deck for the feet, but also the fore-n-aft angle resulting from the shear line for the top rail. Otherwise the top rail will not look right compared to the deck shear line.
IMHO: Good SS fabricators are both artisans and engineers, with or without formal education and certificates... :nerd:
Having watched some at work, I was mightily impressed by the craftsmanship on display.
Side Bar-- as to how Ericson and other production builders cope with this -- I know of one builder in the Seattle area that once provided a molded-out piece of the deck of his most popular sailboat design to his dodger and canvas company so that their product would be a perfect fit on that model, hundreds of boats down the road! I'll bet he did the same thing for the railing fab company also.
Good luck on your project,
LB
Last edited:
azureknowles
New Member
Thank you for the reply! What you said makes sense. I'm in a bit of a bind, my fabricator is in Maine and my boat is in Rhode Island. I guess I was hoping that I could find someone with the same boat as mine and they could provide me with measurements from an existing rail so my fabricator would have something to go off of. My rail was yanked off by the p/o, so I don't have "any" idea what the dimensions were. Wow, now I'm nervous that this is going to end up looking hideous.
I understand some on the forum have used Railmakers for their replacement parts. I contacted them and they have the data they need to fabricate a replacement bow rail for my boat. I was trying to save a few bucks by going with someone I know...maybe I should just go with Railmakers. Thanks!
I understand some on the forum have used Railmakers for their replacement parts. I contacted them and they have the data they need to fabricate a replacement bow rail for my boat. I was trying to save a few bucks by going with someone I know...maybe I should just go with Railmakers. Thanks!