Need your advice on this

Some of my side posts (for lack of knowing the proper term) are rotten and I will replace them all in the fall. I don't think they have any structural function, just decorative. Am I right? Has anyone ever replaced them on their boat?

*

I have often heard them referred to as "fashion boards." The main function is to channel the water that is leaking into your top deck inside the fashion boards so that they can rot inside. Actually they do help support the upper deck on most boats.

I would think they all support to the bridge deck. I have one on each side of my boat. They are fiberglass and I was thinking of adding a second one on each side for more support.
I have a davit mounted aft on the bridge deck and I was thinking one of these posts would be helpful located near the davit.

How about SS tube Stanchions about 2" in diameter cut to the same angle as those boards with a base plate on each end?
Steve W.

My boat has the SS tube stanchions and the two aft ones act as drains for the top deck. I am planning on enclosing the aft portion of the boat from the hand rails down to the deck. Primarily to keep the dog onboard. I was thinking of replacing the forward most SS stanchion with a fiberglass stanchion. Mine are channel shaped. I planned to remove one of the old ones to use to make a mold for laying up new ones.
Might be more trouble than it's worth.

Eric:* The KK42s have 2 fashion plates on either side and they are not structural.* Heres a picture of the inside of a fashion plate from another KK42.* The outside is fiberglass with plywood and plywood pieces used on the inside.* They were removed and rebuilt.

They are called fashion boards or plates. On some boats they are structural others not. I redesigned them on our last boat a Marine Trader Sedan because I didn't like the way they looked or where they were located. I built the new ones out of 1"MDO with a 5"x3/4" wood strip running up the center on the back side. Even though the MDO is waterproof and will last outside forever, because I had to treat the wood stiffener I painted on two coats of epoxy then primed and painted. They turned out great and made a huge difference in the way the boat looked and the sight lines from the interior. The final picture is primed one coat before sanding. Go for it!



-- Edited by Daddyo on Sunday 11th of September 2011 07:41:40 PM


-- Edited by Daddyo on Sunday 11th of September 2011 07:45:25 PM

Our surveyor called them "fancies"!

Daddyo:* Very nice.* Great job!

Larry,

Thanks! It was a very satisfying project.

Thanks Daddyo. Very nice job. Why is the base made with a different and bigger piece of wood?

The term I have heard is hurricane boards. On many vessels they are placed so that a sheet of plywood can be affixed to keep wind, flying debris*and water from breaking side windows. On the DF 48 like Daddyo and I own, they are*built and designed as*a structural item. I note them on*various GBs and other Europas too.

The base for mine I built out of a solid piece of teak. I made a mortise in the teak and a tenon in the style bar. The style bar/board/plate sits in the mortise and is screwed and teak plugged horizontally. The teak base plate is screwed and plugged vertically.

Daddyo wrote:
The base for mine I built out of a solid piece of teak. I made a mortise in the teak and a tenon in the style bar. The style bar/board/plate sits in the mortise and is screwed and teak plugged horizontally. The teak base plate is screwed and plugged vertically.

Click to expand...

What is the rationale for this method? Easier to install? I like the look. I might do the same but for technical reasons. The height of my board*is 4'2". So I would have to use the long side of a 4x8 sheet and waste a lot of wood. I figure if I use the short side of the sheet and compensate the missing 2" with a base like yours I would save a lot of money on wood. But I'm still in the design stage.

Keep in mind if your base is teak like mine then you can forget about saving money. I did mine this way so I could attach everything to the cap rail and glass below without visible brackets, etc.

I always called them "Struts"...

fotoman
If you ask your wood store for Baltic Birch, or Russian Birch, you will be shown a piece of 5'x5' plywood that has no voids and thinner individual plys. Ideal for that application.