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After much self debate, I have decided to replace the fiberglass gunwales on my 1987 18' Outrage with teak. I like the low maintenance and practicality of the fiberglass, but the boat is just not right without that splash of teak back there. I have the whole thing pretty much figured out, except for some details. I was hoping to get a hold of the original working drawings, but they are long gone.

What I need is either access to a boat close to Westerly, RI, to take a couple of photos and some final measurements, or a good photo of the detail at the stern end, where the coaming dies into the gunwale board. I also need to know how deep the rabbet that the gunwale board fits into is, as well as the screw spacing of the fasteners that hold the gunwale in that rabbet. I need to confirm the width of the coaming board, as well as a detail of the cut that allows it to sit on the splashwell.

I know a number of Outrage owners would like to do what I am about to do. Hopefully, when I complete this project, I will have all the information available to help others tackle the project.

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Check out my personal page pics. The Rabbet is only 1/8 inche deep. I ended up with 1 inch thick gunwales and 7/8 inch coaming board. The originals were 3/4 each by my measurements. I used one piece instead of 2 on the gunwale boards and it worked out fine. There is a little hand fitting with the angles and edging. I can send you some more pics that I took while doing this.

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Thanks Eri, that helps. So it looks like the coaming board runs all the way back with the gunwale board, and is cut cross grain at 45 degrees, continuing the edge of the gunwale board. I assume the coaming board is not glued to the gunwale, only screwed? I still need to see the shape the original coaming board is cut to where it dies into the gunwale. Is it a curve or angle? Also it looks like you made your coaming board higher than the original, thus making it flush with the rest of the boats coaming. I am guessing the original was maybe 3 1/2", and yours is maybe 4 1/4"? Your work you did on your boat is just excellent. Any more photos from you or anyone else would be great. Oh, how about the screw spacing on the coaming board?

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Walter,

My coaming board is 3 5/8 inches tall.
The spacing of the screws is around 8 1/4 inches and some vary slightly.

The top of the rabbit joint is 3/4 of an inch down from the top of the coaming board.

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Anyone who has put teak on top of their gunwhales on the older Outrages? Was this ever an option?

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Gunwale options........In 1981-1985 the gunwales were capped with teak boards.
Beginning in 1986 all-laminated gunwales were
available as an option to the standard teak,
and required an up-charge of about $390.
In c.1989 the laminated/teak option flipped,
and the laminated gunwales became the standard
configuration. Until c.1991 teak gunwales were
offered as an option at an additional cost
(of about $300). In 1992 the teak option was
no longer available.

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Thanks Joe, that helps. What would really help, would be a close-up photo of the stern portion of the gunwales, where the coaming board ends, just before the gunwales terminate. Thanks to some help from you and others, I have just about all the details I will need, except for the pocket full of money for the teak.

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Walt, I'll take some pictures of my Gunwhales for you. Where do you want me to send the pics?

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Thanks Kevin, that would be great. Send to blackduckgallery@verizon.net And I hope you have a great Christmas!
Walter

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Walter - Just by coinicidence, if you look at this video and use the pause button, as the camera pans, you can see a clear detail of the stern portion of the Outrage 18 coaming board.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v42...I_0422.flv

And here is a still shot that shows both stern corners: click on photo to enlarge full size

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v42...G_0454.jpg

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My 1987 Outrage 18 has the fiberglass gunnels. They are finished with a strip of teak so as to form the combing board that the teak gunnels have. I have not yet refinished them so they have a weathered gray appearance. See http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w2...02/165.jpg . I believe that these were a factory option and are necessary if you have a full Mills canvas enclosure as my Outrage has.

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Walter,

Take a look here for some pics that might be helpful: http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/...rage%2018/ They're pics from an '87 Outrage 18 that I did some pretty extensive work to last winter. I'll have to add some pics of the boat when it was finished. It turned out great.

- Chris

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Walter,
I own a 22 Outrage and am located in Wakefield RI. You can come see it if you like. Also, I was at Gary F. Burdick on Rte 216 in Bradford about a month ago and they had an 18 with teak gunwale boards that they were doing engine work on. Best of all, it was inside.

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Dave,

Thank you for the information. I called Gary's, and I guess the 18 went home. I would like to see your boat and take a couple of pictures, and maybe a couple of measurements. I am available just about anytime, so let me know what will work for you as far as a time. You can email me at blackduckgallery@verizon.net or call me at 348-6500.

Walter

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Walt sent the pics.

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Chris,

Yes, your photos do help clear up a few things, confuse me more on others. Boat is looking real good. Thanks for you help.

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Got the photos. Perfect, just what I needed.

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NP, glad to help Walt.

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I'm glad you find the pics helpful. What is it that's confusing? Maybe pics from others will help clarify. I'm quite sure the gunwales on that '87 are original. A few things had been added/changed over the years though. I don't think those small cleats are factory, although they are useful for attaching fenders. I think there use to be some hooks on it's gunwales for it's Mills enclosure, but they've been removed and there were some holes I had to fill. Other then that the gunwales are original. I added a pic to the album showing the gunwale caps removed.

- Chris

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As to the cracks in the gunwhales, what is the best way to repair any cracks?

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Chris,

Nothing on your gunwales looks wrong, they are to factory specs, as far as I can see. My confusion was as to how the coaming board and gunwale board intercept at the stern. Kevin was kind enough to send me some detailed photos of the area, including one with the end cap off. The coaming board runs all the way to the end of the gunwale board and is cut to match the profile of the top board. The confusion was that I, as a want-a-be cabinet maker, retired builder, custom picture framer, would have done in another way. Did not mean to imply that anything was odd with your boat.

By the way, your new photo confirms the above, thanks again.

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No worries Walt, I didn't think you thought something was wrong, I just wanted to give you an idea of what I knew was original and what was not on that '87. I'm glad the pics have helped. The boat is currently sitting in a temporary winter garage beside my shop right now so I can take additional detail pics if you need them. I will have it in the shop over the winter putting some maintenance coats of varnish on the wood. The owner also wants the seats reupholstered and a few other things. Anyway, if you feel like making some details different for your teak gunwales, then why not? If it works, and you like it better, then I say go for it.

- Chris

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Kevin,

Someone else may have a better answer for this, but the '87 I worked on had some minor cracks and small holes in the gunwales when I refinished them. I wasn't going for perfection, but I wanted them to look good. Once we had stripped all the varnish, I coated the gunwales with a couple coats of West System 105/207 epoxy and really let it soak into the cracks. I recall there being one part that I clamped together allowing the epoxy to cure and bond. You can still see some of the cracks if you look closely, but they're water tight and the varnish over top is smooth. There are other ways to deal with it, but that's what I did and it held up fine this past summer.

- Chris

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Chris, there is one split in the port side gunwale that goes from the end of the board forward about 4"-5". The crack is about 1/16" at it's widest. I was hoping to repair the board rather than replacing it.

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Hi Kevin,

Hmmmm... That's pretty wide. You may have to remove the board in order to repair it and make it look good. If you put epoxy (or possibly wood glue) in the crack and clamped it together to cure, it should turn out fine. That's providing upon reinstallation it doesn't get forced apart again by a screw or bung, etc. Do you have any pictures of the crack?

- Chris

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Kevin,
The best way (as mentioned above) would probably be remove it, epoxy it, clamp it, sand it, re-install it. put a finish on it... the 6 "it's" lol
There is another way for the time & budget minded.

Sand it down real good & keep the teak dust handy.
Blow out the crack real good with an air hose.
Wipe a damp rag of acetone over the crack allowing some to go down into the crack. (don't drench itl) let it dry for a couple of minutes so it doesn't look wet.
The surface should not feal oily at this point.
Take blue masking tape & tape along the sides of the crack so only the crack is exposed.
Mix west system 105 & 205 together....mix teak dust into the epoxy. Add enough dust to create a past color the same as the teak boad you are filling
Push the teak dust filled epoxy into the cracks until full.
Smooth the top of the epoxy to the level of the blue tape.
Remove tape after the glue has st up a little. Do not leave the tape on over night for the epoxy to dry to it. It creats a mess.
Next day, sand it & its ready to finish.
In some cases i've used stain over the repaired area to make a closer match. making the filled crack look more like grain or blended to make it virtually unnoticeable.

Hope this helps.
Mike

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Thanks Chris and Mike I will give it a try. I have nothing to lose.