Had a SS hand rail fitted and its crap...now what?

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Rang a local stainless fabricator who have a big workshop and make a lot of bespoke stuff for factories and commercial units. Asked if they could make a handrail for the console with marine SSteel and showed them pics of other boats. Standard M shape with two side vertical struts meeting over the windscreen and a centre strut to meet in the middle from the front centre of the console.

They quoted £275 and £10 to fit. Fair enough, didn't sound too unreasonable.
They came to fit it when my old man (owns the boat with me) was there as I was at work. He looked at it and thought it looked ok so paid them.

It looks exactly like the ones in the photos.....but when i got on the boat and pulled on it.... it isn't solid! If you pull on it, the rail moves/flexes a good inch or so and hits the screen. Old man has paid for it now.

Obviously first port of call is to phone them in the morning, but where do i stand. I don't think it is fit for purpose. The other hand rail on the console in front of the jockey is solid as. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Im taking the boat down to N Wales for the season on Sunday. So angry.

[biffer]

back it, they may be reasonable about it, stainless for ribs is different than yaghty stuff just by the nature of what we do with them, good luck!

[PeterR]

I would check to see if on the pictures you gave them.1.the size of tube they used compared to the photos.If different its reasonable to expect as they are the experts they should have used large enough tube the photos were for design and quality.I beleive even if you are unhappy with a job the law says you have to pay for it and then fight in court. So in a way your dad has done right.but probably wont make you feel any better.Dont rant when you speak to them cos that wont help

[PeterR]

Do you know if the ones in the photos you gave flex the same as yours .If they dont you have a case but if not ?.Good luck let us know what the outcome is

[Hightower]

My over screen rail is a bit flimsy too. It's made from 1" 316, but it's more to do with the design than the build materials.

I stuffed the RIB a couple of years ago and used it to help brace me during the impact. Basically when I got home and started to wash down I noticed it had bent slightly, was fairly easy to bend back, but to be honest it's fine for just helping me and crew to get around the RIB so acting as a grab rail to prevent crew from falling overboard, which was what it was intended for. It's also a safety measure to stop people from burying their head into the top of the screen too.

Mines the one on the left.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

Originally Posted by Hightower

My over screen rail is a bit flimsy too. It's made from 1" 316, but it's more to do with the design than the build materials.

I stuffed the RIB a couple of years ago and used it to help brace me during the impact. Basically when I got home and started to wash down I noticed it had bent slightly, was fairly easy to bend back, but to be honest it's fine for just helping me and crew to get around the RIB so acting as a grab rail to prevent crew from falling overboard, which was what it was intended for. It's also a safety measure to stop people from burying their head into the top of the screen too.

Mines the one on the left.

Nice boat! The rail on Jono gartons Humber was solid, that's what I expected. Trouble is where it is fixed to the boat, it's an insert in to the tube screwed to the boat, rather than a flange shaped end to the steel screwed to the boat. See what they say tomorrow.

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

Nice boat! The rail on Jono gartons Humber was solid, that's what I expected. Trouble is where it is fixed to the boat, it's an insert in to the tube screwed to the boat, rather than a flange shaped end to the steel screwed to the boat. See what they say tomorrow.

I would hazard a guess that they might change the insert for a fully welded flange then. My Handrail uses studs welded in the ends of the tubes. These go right though the fiberglass into the console and have spacer tubes, washers and nylocs on to give a neater finish.

[Ian M]

Originally Posted by Hightower

My over screen rail is a bit flimsy too. It's made from 1" 316, but it's more to do with the design than the build materials.

I stuffed the RIB a couple of years ago and used it to help brace me during the impact. Basically when I got home and started to wash down I noticed it had bent slightly, was fairly easy to bend back, but to be honest it's fine for just helping me and crew to get around the RIB so acting as a grab rail to prevent crew from falling overboard, which was what it was intended for. It's also a safety measure to stop people from burying their head into the top of the screen too.

Mines the one on the left.

And mines the one on the right
I've got flanged ends to my screen surround - seems pretty solid to me, although there is a lot less of me than there is of Andy

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by Ian M

And mines the one on the right
I've got flanged ends to my screen surround - seems pretty solid to me, although there is a lot less of me than there is of Andy

Oi! What are you trying to say......

[biffer]

there is a couple of thickness's when it comes to 316 stainless, one's like a bean can and the other one ain't, also the console might need backing up on the inside to make it more rigid, the other golden rule is, and this is for all boats, NEVER SCREW SOMETHING YOU CAN BOLT, no rude comments that one is important