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Hello everyone,

I just bought my first boat, a Montauk 17, and stumbled upon this site. This site is very helpful.

I had a question about putting the rails on. The person who owned the boat first put those screws that pop out when they get through the hole, like you use on dry wall. I know this can't be right. The holes are a little bigger than they should be. What is the best way to install the rail?

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Hello GentryG and welcome to WhalerCentral.

There are different ways of doing this but here is one idea that many people use.

Start off with a clean hole, meaning you may have to drill it out slightly.
If you end up with a 3/8" hole, then use a 3/8" wood plug to fill that hole, or whatever size hole you end up with etc...
Then, epoxy that wood plug into place. Try to get a coating of epoxy over the top of the wood plug to help stop slight water intrusion. You will also use a good sealant later when installing the screws for the rail bases or stanchions.

Someone else here may give you another idea.

Enjoy your new to you Montauk and congratulations.

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thanks that sounds like a better way to install the rail. i was worried about water getting into the boat. i also read about filling the hole with marine tex. is that an option.

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Gentry First Congrats on the boat and welcome to the site! Sorry to here about the rail. We had the same problem on our old 15' super sport and Montauk. Here is how I fixed it. you should first completely remove the railing and clean up and refill the holes with epoxy and cabosil. Then redrill the holes and add a dab of 3M 5200 into the hole before screwing in the new stainless hardware. If you could take some pictures it would help to us to see the problem areas and maybe add some tips.

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thanks Jeff, does west marine sell epoxy and cabosil. the problem is the whole front railing and the bimini mount. i'm thinking about a new mount for the bimini also. the one in there now mounts to the side and i like the one on the top rail that can slide. i am also not computer savy so pics will take some time.

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gentry

west marine sells west systems epoxy and that I what I would recommend. Some stores also sell the cabosil but not every one will have it. Cabosil is a ultra finely chopped glass fibers and help bind and strengthen the cured epoxy. When added to epoxy it will keep the epoxy from cracking.

http://www.eagerplastics.com/cab.htmom/cab.htm

Here are a couple other things you might want to do to the railing.

We added a thru-bolt backing plate to the last railing upright. The middle upright had one however in the last never did. By adding that extra stanchion it greatly reduced the amount of screw stripping and racking in heavy seas. We bought these from our local BW Dealer and I think they were about $50 for the pair. Contact Sue Lodel at twin cities marine, she will be of great help sourcing these and might be able to get a better price.

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Then also we had a local canvas shop go through the entire railing and replace the screws in the t-fittings with stainless rivets. Once that was done the railing was as good as a welded railing. For the 5 years we owned the boat after this was done it never showed any fatigueing.

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thanks for the advice. i ended up going with marine tex. the guy at the boat store said it was awsome stuff. i still need to get the stanchions and a new bracket for the front pole.