Railings or grab bars?

[Marin]

Personally I prefer railings AND grab rails. When it's roughish I like having a solid grab rail to hang onto. The railings are great to help maintain balance but they tend not to be as strong as a substantial grab rail. And when hand and grab rails are augmented by a full walkaround deck, then you've got something. We will never own a cruising boat without a full, one level walkaround deck. In this area, at least, it's the only configuration that makes sense to us. Yes, one can certainly get along without a walkaround deck, or with a full-width aft cabin that forces one higher up in the back of the boat. But our attitude is that since there are plenty off boat types with full, single level walkaround decks, why "learn to live" with something that doesn't have them?

 

[markpierce]

...While under way nobody is allowed on the ... roof.

Ditto.

 

[Northern Spy]

Wouldn't it be more convenient loading groceries through the gate near the rear of the saloon?

Nope. It actually isn't on our boat. Straight pass from the dock to a person in the pilothouse. No one has to board/alight or enter/exit cabin.

 

[Rusty]

I would prefer grabrails. While I would like to think our handrails would keep us from falling overboard, they are positioned a bit low to make using them comfortable. Additionally, using the handrails causes me to lean away from the boat. With grabrails, I am leaning toward the boat. I like to think that if I were to loose my balance in rough water, leaning toward the boat might be better than leaning away.

 

[psneeld]

If you guys wanna be safe in real sea...crawl on your hands and knees and use tethers...everything else is dangerous and just a whim of real safety.

If you think you are gonna grab a handrail, lifeline or grabrail 100% of the time when you need to....good luck...rescue guys love that attitude.

Sure...put them all over the place...but in the long run...it's all about sea sense and survival instincts.

At the dock or in millpond conditions...almost anything works fine except for those with bad balance....

Come to think of it...99 percent of the people I know that have gone in the water either went in from the dock or getting on or off a boat...so handrails and grabrails didn't help there either.

 

[Steve]

Ditto.

Mark, look! someone took a P off your boat.

 

[Marin]

Nope. It actually isn't on our boat. Straight pass from the dock to a person in the pilothouse. No one has to board/alight or enter/exit cabin.

That's what we do, too. Right from the dock cart to one of us in the main cabin doorway. Same thing when leaving the boat. Out the door to a person on the dock and into the cart.

 

[MurrayM]

Mark, look! someone took a P off your boat.

R, R, R, R, R

 

[markpierce]

Mark, look! someone took a P off your boat.

I know, I know. Actually, it was delivered that way. Worker wasn't fluent in English. ... It's a good conversation piece, so I've left it alone.

 

[C lectric]

As you come out of the pilothouse doors there is little to grab close to the entry. The nearest grab is a LOOOOONG way with one off balance somewhat having to duck out.

Sturdy grab rails of SS tubing and fittings will be better than the teak. Teak must be varnished and looked after a lot more than SS. Just get good SS including the fittings.

Don't be chintzy with the number of standoffs and go for the biggest diameter tubing. If you ever need the handholds you want enough strength and rigidity that it can take a heavy jerk and pull without bending.

 

[Anode]

My bow rail extend back further than yours...I believe. I have no problem exiting my 6' 4" frame and reaching the rail. After 4 years of moving about the narrow deck in the driveway it's become second nature..... and yes you learn to hold on as it's a long way to the asphalt.

 

[FF]

"Our plan is to not make any major changes in the first year, so that 'improvements' will be made with actual experience to back them up.

Always a great idea.

"Make a List , Check it Twice ",

You will be surprised how many change list items from the first months get crossed off before the year is over.