R21 Classic Bow Rail Question

[tuggertoy]

I think I know the answer to my issue but to be fair I am asking for input from other R21 Classic owners.

For the past several winter storage seasons, while my boat has been in storage in a barn that is secured and only ever visited by others while the owner of the building is present, the forward section of my stainless steel safety rail has mysteriously lost the 2 rivets that hold it in place and the v-shaped piece that connects the 2 long side sections of railing has come loose. This v-shaped railing section at the bow has two 2" long stubs welded into each end and these stubs are then fit inside the port and starboard railing sections and a rivet at each joint holds it all together, completing the forward safety rail. On two occasions not only have the rivets gone missing but this v-shaped section has been completely disconnected from the side rails. When I have picked the boat up in the spring and discovered this issue, the owner of the barn has no explanation for the mysterious damage to my railing just stating that the cold winters here in Pennsylvania must be causing this to happen. Upon getting my boat home, I have had to work carefully but with great effort and often a ratchet strap to reengage these stubs into the side rails and then replace the rivets. The geometry of how these pieces fit together and the snug tolerances involved makes it hard for me to believe this is an expansion and contraction issue caused by cold weather. Also, the boat is subject to greater stresses while underway and certainly while trailering and I have never had this railing section come loose or even sheared off one or both of the rivets.

So with that being said, have any R21 Classic owners ever had an issue with the rivets shearing off or this railing section becoming disconnected from the side rails? Thanks in advance for your input.

In conclusion, I do have strong reason to believe that this is malicious vandalism and I think I know the culprit but without proof I will be looking for other winter storage options at the end of this year.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R21 Classic

 

[SlackwaterJack]

Hi Eric,
It has happened to me once... and it actually happened when I was looking at it from maybe 15 feet away!

I heard what sounded like 2 champagne corks popping in unison and I turned in time to see the rail section land about 2 feet from the boat after clanging off of the trailer tongue.

I'm fairly sure I know why it popped because there were 2 perfect 2.5" long cylinders of ice protruding from each rail on the boat. Somehow enough water must have been able to migrate past the joint and filled the rail. When it froze it expanded enough to "blow" the small section of bow rail off. The pressure must have been huge to cause the rivets to fail by compressed ice.....but if it can split a copper pipe....

 

[tuggertoy]

Hi Alex,

The storage scenario we are in gave me a lot of reason to suspect vandalism and still does but your observations do shed light on a possible explanation. It has been Artic cold here this winter and the 2 other winters that this was an issue were cold as well. The only winter we didn't notice any issue it stayed in the 40's and 50's all winter long.

I will still feel better if I can find another storage option but this makes me feel a little less like a victim so thank you for your insight.

Moria says hi and we both hope you are having a good start to the year.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R-21 Classic

 

[Don Cardinal]

I too had a similar situation. After buying my used 1992 21-R a couple of years ago, I noticed that at the bend on the aft end of the port bow rail, there was an approximately one inch long split in the 1 inch stainless tubing. The tubing at the split had also stretched outward about an eighth of an inch. I knew that this could only be caused by internal force. (ice) I drilled a one sixteenth dia. hole at the base just above the weld. When I pulled the drill out of the hole I was sprayed with water. I stood aside and the water shot out about 3 feet from the boat. I drilled the same size hole in the same area on the starboard side. It was dry. Now if any water gets in it can drain out before causing a problem. I found it hard to believe that the water was able to get in at the joint at the bow and especialy only flow down the port rail. The boat when I bought it at 20 years old had only 95 hours on it. It was under cover most of its life and hadn't been in the water somewhere between the last 6 and 9 years. I considered the possibility that the railing may have had water in it prior to being installed on the boat. Perhaps outside storage and or transportation of the rails to the factory. Each rail would have to have been deliberately tipped with the open end down to drain any water out.
I hope this helps, Please let us know what you find out.
Don.

 

[tuggertoy]

Hi Don,

Thanks for your reply. The more I think about it the more this makes sense. I was already thinking of drilling some holes in the railing to see if any water drains out and to provide a place for any future water to exit the railing before it has a chance to do any damage.

I have not seen the boat yet this year. The owner of the facility where it is stored called me on Friday to tell me that the bow section of the railing was found on the floor in front of the boat. While I first suspected foul play, this fits the scenario that Alex relayed above. I just hope the railing has not split as you have described but it might have due to the extremely cold temperatures we have endured here this winter.

I will post to this thread in a couple of weeks when I have retrieved the boat from storage. If the weather cooperates I would like to get it out before the end of this month.

Thanks again for your reply.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R-21 Classic

 

[tlkenyon]

The previous owner of my boat inserted set screws to hold the bow section in place. Water had leaked into the rail and the lower section had burst from ice. We now have weep holes. He covered the burst section with zip tied black hose. It does not look the best, but works to cover the burst areas. Kind of a poor design if you ask me.

 

[tuggertoy]

Thanks for adding your experience. I have not seen my boat yet this year but I do have concerns about the potential for the railing to have burst due to freezing of the water that I now believe to be contained inside. If it has not burst yet I will be drilling some strategically placed drain holes in the lowest point of the continuous forward rails.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R-21 Classic

 

[Andrew Custis]

Could any of you post some photos of your railing? Since this was before my time at the company, I am not familiar with that setup.

Thank you!

Andrew Custis

 

[tlkenyon]

Maybe this weekend if it warms up enough and enough of the snow is gone.....right now I would have to dig my way in.....

 

[RonGinger]

That happened to me as well, but only one side popped out. I had my boat outside under a tarp with some wood frame to hold the tarp. I had tied the wood frame to the rails in several places to hold it up. I assumed the pull of these lines caused the separation. It was hard to push back together, and in fact I never did get the joint tight.

I did not see any sign of rivets in the joint.

My boat is now in a Shelter Logic temporary shed so nothing is tied to the rails. I will have a look at the rail joint next time I am by the shed. I also stow my snow blower in the shed, so I may be out there later today.

I hope this winter ends someday. But tomorrow is the Maine Boatbuilders show which is always my logical start of spring