Advice for Rebedding and Aluminium Toerail

[nickhughes]

Water is seeping under the aluminum toerail of my Compass Easterly 30 and staining the topsides and doing god knows what to the inside of the the hull.
I am therefore planning to remove, repaint and replace the toerail.

My current thinking is, once removed, to fill in the current screw holes with epoxy and then drill a small guide hole. Then re-bed the rail using new self-tapping screws and Butyl tape as a seal between the underside of the rail and the deck.

My main concerns are:

i) Is filling the current holes with epoxy and reusing them to re-bed the rail a viable approach?

ii) Is the Butyl tape enough to keep water out of from under the rail and in the screw holes in itself or do I need to use anything in addition?

iii) Not all the holes are accessible from inside the boat, but should I consider using bolts for those that are?

Any additional advice / dire warnings appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick

[sailingdog]

Is the deck cored in that area? If so, making sure you've properly potted each of the fastener holes is key to preventing long-term damage.

Yes, butyl tape should keep the water out without anything else. Follow Maine Sail's guide to using Butyl Tape.

Through bolt what you can. Through-bolting is usually stronger than screws, especially in fiberglass.

Originally Posted by nickhughes

My main concerns are:

i) Is filling the current holes with epoxy and reusing them to re-bed the rail a viable approach?

ii) Is the Butyl tape enough to keep water out of from under the rail and in the screw holes in itself or do I need to use anything in addition?

iii) Not all the holes are accessible from inside the boat, but should I consider using bolts for those that are?

Any additional advice / dire warnings appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick