Finishing ends of aluminium toerail

[Boony]

Just looking for ideas on how to nicely finish the end of my toe rails. As you can see my boat has been repainted and I need to deal with the ugly and dangerous ends of the toe rails. After I'll get them powder coated/hardcoated/Line-X/not sure yet.

The easiest may be to cut about 10cm but then I'd lose the protection the toe rail would offer there.

Sorry; the photos rotated sideways when uploaded for some reason.

[tkeithlu]

Nice work, Boony.

Do you plan any sort of pulpit or rail at the bow? How are you going to route the anchor(s)? Usually there is enough "stuff" at the bow to eliminate the need for a toe rail there, and yes, it will look better if you back up a bit before finishing the ends.

How abut doing a complete drawing of the bow as rigged? Start with the forestay - do you have roller reefing for the jib? Add in the anchor. I think you'll find that backing off a bit with the toe rails will look good and not compromise safety, because the bow will be crowded with plenty of things to grab before falling overboard.

You are reminding me of the only time I have ever gotten seasick - sitting on the bow pulpit, legs looped around the rails, changing a jib while going out the Fort Lauderdale inlet, 1962.

[Bill O]

Possibly manufacture end caps of delrin or starboard. This should give you a more finished look, protect the ends and be maintenance free.
As suggested in the previous post, how will the bow rail fit in to the toerail? If it butts up to it, then that should finish off the forward end of the rail and no need for an end cap.

[Boony]

Wow thanks for the quick suggestions.

I don't plan to have a pulpit though will have lifelines attached to a frame starting about 40cm back from the bow. I'll have an anchor roller but it may be removable one one. Hank on headsail. Cleats will be attached to the toerai which will eliminate the need for a fairlead. It will be fairly uncluttered bow area.

[Searles]

The toe rail is commonly the rail fitting on the deck edge ,I think wot you are referring to is the belting or fendering ,a decent bow fitting of twin rollers plus fore stay fitting will Finnish it off nicely.⚓️⛵️

[coopec43]

I think I agree with Bill O when he says "Possibly manufacture end caps of delrin or starboard".

I have Nylon sheet ½ in. thickthat I could use to make smart endings. It would be quite easy to make up a fiberglass "cowling" also

[David B]

Originally Posted by Boony

Just looking for ideas on how to nicely finish the end of my toe rails. As you can see my boat has been repainted and I need to deal with the ugly and dangerous ends of the toe rails. After I'll get them powder coated/hardcoated/Line-X/not sure yet.

The easiest may be to cut about 10cm but then I'd lose the protection the toe rail would offer there.

Sorry; the photos rotated sideways when uploaded for some reason.
Attachment 237939
Attachment 237940
Attachment 237941

I would fashion a strip that wraps around the bow and overlaps or perhaps butts to the ends. It could be stainless, black anodised aluminium, or a carefully shaped piece of starboard, as thick as the toe rail.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by Searles

The toe rail is commonly the rail fitting on the deck edge ,I think wot you are referring to is the belting or fendering ,a decent bow fitting of twin rollers plus fore stay fitting will Finnish it off nicely.⚓️⛵️

Another term would be rubrail. A cap that curved around the bow and covered the exposed ends would be a good idea. Imagine a bow line catching on the exposed edge as you pull away from the dock. It would rip the whole thing right off and turn it into a pretzel. Toerails stick up, so your toes can hook on to them when the deck starts to heel over.

[Boony]

Thank you for your replies.

There's bean mention of starboard material so i looked it up and saw you can buy it in sheets. But how would I go about shaping a piece of starboard with all the angles I'm going to encounter?

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Boony

Thank you for your replies.

There's bean mention of starboard material so i looked it up and saw you can buy it in sheets. But how would I go about shaping a piece of starboard with all the angles I'm going to encounter?

You probably need chunks (vs. sheets) to shape down into caps unless some how you can laminate Starboard into a thicker piece. Can't really do it w/Delrin, but haven't worked w/Starboard enough to know how a laminate of it would stay together long term.
Do you have any companies near you that work w/plastics? They may have left over chunks/drops from other jobs to sell you vs. buying a large sheet.
Not certain what tools you have to work w/to make your caps, but if you are not familiar how to cut it down would try it w/a block of pine/soft wood before purchasing the plastic to do experimental cutting.
If you don't have tools to cut down the chunks and have a machine shop near you, maybe they could make it for you in plastic. Either take in a drawing of your pieces or attempt to use modeling clay to give them an idea of what you need.