Synthetic teak caprail (and pics)

[sailndoug]

Almost finished with my synthetic caprail project.... here are a few pics... 1" thick and a 50 year warranty.

[sailndoug]

The teak caprail on my 37 year old CSY 44 had been refinished so many times that there was nothing left to finish again. I have been dealing with a few minor leaks over time and decided a permanent solution was needed. Most owners of my model chose to remove the teak and fiberglass over the caprail and finish the hull to deck joint with a slotted toe rail.
I wanted to keep the aesthetic of wood without the hassle of maintain it in the south Florida sun. After much deliberation, I went with a 1" solid PVC deck product with a 50 year warranty. It is expensive but the results are very nice. The product is from Azek decking in the cypress color which appears to the eye like real wod, grain and all. They also have a fastening system using 316 SS screws that imbed below the surface and comes with matching plugs. This makes the screws invisible. There isn't the option for a gloss finish like a nicely varnished teak caprail, but I couldn't keep that look for long and I've tried everything over the years.

[rbk]

I looked at that stuff a few years ago. Looks great! I’m planning on getting some for some smaller projects to test it out. Will be interesting to see how it holds up.

[Orion Jim]

What’s the reason for the elaborate jig? I would understand steam bending wood but this has me wondering.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

What’s the reason for the elaborate jig? I would understand steam bending wood but this has me wondering.

Pre bend with heat.

[mvweebles]

Caprails on my 1970 Willard 36 Trawler were shot. The 5/4ths x 6"-8" mahogany had some rot. About 20 years ago, some higher end trawlers started to replace teak caprails with fiberglass encapsulated caprails Awlgripped to a contrasting color which I thought looked great. As part of a larger paint job, I'm having that done to eliminate all exterior wood. Attached Pic is after 3 layers of glass and a couple coats of hi-build primer. Final finishing is underway. Paint job is expensive, but adding the encapsulated caprails was not much more.

[Rowglide]

How does the composite machine? I am thinking about making gratings for my cockpit sole with some. Is it a full 1” thick?

[DanCan]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Caprails on my 1970 Willard 36 Trawler were shot. The 5/4ths x 6"-8" mahogany had some rot. About 20 years ago, some higher end trawlers started to replace teak caprails with fiberglass encapsulated caprails Awlgripped to a contrasting color which I thought looked great. As part of a larger paint job, I'm having that done to eliminate all exterior wood. Attached Pic is after 3 layers of glass and a couple coats of hi-build primer. Final finishing is underway. Paint job is expensive, but adding the encapsulated caprails was not much more.Attachment 209925

It looks like an awesome work! Looking forward to see it finished )

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by sailndoug

The teak caprail on my 37 year old CSY 44 had been refinished so many times that there was nothing left to finish again. I have been dealing with a few minor leaks over time and decided a permanent solution was needed. Most owners of my model chose to remove the teak and fiberglass over the caprail and finish the hull to deck joint with a slotted toe rail.
I wanted to keep the aesthetic of wood without the hassle of maintain it in the south Florida sun. After much deliberation, I went with a 1" solid PVC deck product with a 50 year warranty. It is expensive but the results are very nice. The product is from Azek decking in the cypress color which appears to the eye like real wod, grain and all. They also have a fastening system using 316 SS screws that imbed below the surface and comes with matching plugs. This makes the screws invisible. There isn't the option for a gloss finish like a nicely varnished teak caprail, but I couldn't keep that look for long and I've tried everything over the years.

Hi: been deciding to go this route on my 1983 Dickerson. Can we have a chat via messenger?