Toe rail and stanchions

[Cav975]

Hi everyone, new here to the forum and with a quick browse there seems to be a wealth of information.
I have an old Cavalier32 that I had leaking bolts on the toe rails, the toe rails themselves are old and corroded where the stanchions bolt on, I am having trouble sourcing rail and stanchions the same or similar and I wanted to ask if I removed the aluminium toe rail would it have any effect on the structural integrity of the hull or join between deck and hull?

[ItDepends]

NO! You (almost certainly) can not remove the toe rail and its bolts!!!!

I am not familiar with the construction details of your boat, but on MOST boats the toenail bolts are what hold the hull and deck together. Usually, the deck and hull are tacked together with rivets to keep them lined up during the build process. But the bolts are the structural elements that tie everything together. On some boats, if you remove all the bolts, the hull deforms, and you can’t get them back in again.

Not a job for someone who doesn’t have a good idea how these things might work. This is a job for somebody who knows all the various way boats might be assembled and can go from there.

[Fore and Aft]

Cav975 I surveyed a Cav975 in Bundaberg last week and the toe rail still looked really good for a 43-year-old yacht.
I have removed a toe rail and then glassed the exterior and interior deck/hull join on a 24-foot yacht. Unlike the couple below I used plastic PVC pipe for the toe rail and just glassed it on the deck. I didn't even separate the deck I just I surmised the layers of fiberglass would be strong enough. It's a messy job but well worth doing. Last I heard that yacht is still going strong with no deck/hull leaks.
If I remember correctly the inside join was chop strand and one-layer of450gm double bias and the outside was just two layers of 450gm double bias. I missed the layer of chop strand on the outside as I could get the join a lot smoother/fairer than I could on the inside. I used polyester resin then faired the exterior with epoxy filler and painted the inside with flow coat.
This couple below removed their toe rail.
Cheers

https://sailingdawntreader.com/2015/08/09/deck-joint/

[nuku34]

hello to the OP:
I have a New Zealand built Cav 32. 1973 from Salthouse in Auckland.

I'm not familiar with the Ozzie Cav 32's, but here is how the hull and deck of NZ boats were done:
"The Cavalier 32 was one of the early pioneers of cored fiberglass construction. The hull is built incredibly strong with hand-laid GRP and end-grain balsa coring.The layup from the exterior moving inwards starts with the gel coat which is reinforced by 1oz mat, then followed by 10oz cloth and two layers of 2oz mat. The balsa coring is 19mm thick in the bilge and 13mm thick above the waterline. Then comes 2oz mat and 24oz woven roving which forms a strong impact resistant layer.The deck/cabin has the same layup as the topsides. All through-deck fittings are backed by glassed-over wood. The hull-deck join is epoxy glued, then pop riveted with monel rivets every 6 inches and stainless steel bolts every 12 inches. The join is glassed over forming an interior gusset equal to the hull thickness."
The deck edge has a 50mm upstand which is bonded to the hull, that creates a real gunnel. (see photo)

On all the NZ Cav 32's, there was a 3 piece teak toe rail over that gunnel; its purely cosmetic. My 40 year-old teak was completely useless, cracked, and worn down by 2-3mm over the years. I tore it off and replaced it with a 6mm thick "L" shaped alloy extrusion. (see photo)

Your Ozzie boat may have a totally different hull/deck join. Good luck

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