I have the standard aluminium toerails with holes (scuppers?) in them that do not go down to deck level and so retain plenty of water on deck, leaving turning blocks sitting in water and making it difficult to get dirt overboard when cleaning.

Has anyone done anything similar to this? (this is a bit drastic - I think just lowering a few of the holes to the horizontal plane level would be enough).

not a bad idea (the pic) but anywhere the water trails off will leave a mark on the gel coat over time.

Dont think the holes are intended as drains, but rather weight saving and facility to shackle things onto. The hole you have drilled will seriously weaken the rail. You would be better off grinding a groove in the vertical holes, but keep a large radius. You will still retain some water, but not weaken the rail as much. Most boats have some slope on the decks to drain along the side deck.

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Yara said..
Dont think the holes are intended as drains, but rather weight saving and facility to shackle things onto. The hole you have drilled will seriously weaken the rail. You would be better off grinding a groove in the vertical holes, but keep a large radius. You will still retain some water, but not weaken the rail as much. Most boats have some slope on the decks to drain along the side deck.

I agree with Yarra be very careful doing such a thing . That will eventually crack and break

Depending on what loads are placed on the rail at that location, noting that the extra hole has been drilled between two screws it may be possible to completely remove that section of rail.

@ Saltiest: 'will leave a mark on the gel coat' - noted

@Yara: Sorry for the confusion; I haven't done this. This is a pic of a hole someone else drilled on their boat.

'seriously weaken the rail' - what do you mean by this? Do you mean that as the boat flexes it will snap?

'better off grinding a groove in the vertical holes, but keep a large radius' - yeah, that's one option I thought of.

'Most boats have some slope on the decks to drain along the side deck.' Maybe, but on mine it don't work like that.

However, I'm interested in LooseChange's option which I'd also considered because it would be most effective. I'm thinking if it were between bolts like this, not too near a stanchion, and I didn't load the adjacent holes I could remove a section. Would it matter? Is it necessary to have a toe rail running continuously along the deck edge? Any other opinions on this?

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DrRog said..
Is it necessary to have a toe rail running continuously along the deck edge? Any other opinions on this?

Quick answer is no, many boats have discontinuous toe rails or even none at all.

Another option could be to raise the toe rail by placing a hardwood spacer under it with the required gaps and using longer bolts to compensate.

Cheers, Loose.

Toe rails are required forward of the mast for Cat 1 to Cat 4.

Our yacht has a gap in the toe rail with a fitting where spring lines etc can be run. Lots of water over the deck goes out there, though it does still have a small lip.

My boat has exactly the same thing. I don't think it would structurally weaken the boat as it's main structural purpose is to provide a seat for the bolts that attach the deck to the hull.

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andy59 said..
Its main structural purpose is to provide a seat for the bolts that attach the deck to the hull.

Correct, it is also somewhere to brace feet and toes if need be and to stop stuff falling over the side.
Toe rails, especially the alloy ones with the holes punched in them were never designed to be used to attach any kind of rigging lines to, even though lots of boaters do just that.

Hmmm. Thanks FreeRadical - i don't have any spring line cleats so maybe a judiciously placed cleat might be an option.

And thanks all, as usual.

Does anyone know where to buy new toe rail?

If it is causing problems, one does not use his boat properly.
Sail boat meant to be sailed!
So when you tip it over on the wind it is going to drain in seconds.

What the heck is wrong with water on deck anyway?

If it is causing problems, one does not use his boat properly.
Sail boat meant to be sailed!
So when you tip it over on the wind it is going to drain in seconds.

What the heck is wrong with water on deck anyway?