开云体育

Here are some edited versions of messages I posted on the S2 Yahoo site a few years ago. Although I had an S2 7.3 back then, I hope that my experience will be of value.

On my (old) S2 7.3, I also had to deal with the rotted wood dowels that were inside the stainless steel stand-off tubes. Years of neglect by the PO led to water infiltration, which rotted the wood dowels inside the tubes (nearly all of them!) I found a dowel rod (broom handle, actually) that was the exact O.D. as the stand-off tube's I.D, cut them to length (note, one end was NOT flush cut, rather angled slightly), drilled them, sealed them with WEST, including the inside of the newly-drilled bolt hole, then re-bedded properly during the re-installation. The installation was a two person job, with one of us outside and one inside. Keep in mind that the handrails are "bent" into place...start at one end, and press the rail down as you work toward the other end. Another note: keep track of which stand-off tube goes where. Mine were not all identical lengths/angles. The angled end of the stainless steel stand-off tubes fits on the deck to compensate for the slope of the deck, with the acute angle oriented "out and down" when looked at from the side. I used 4200 as sealant, since it remains flexible and is way easier to remove than 5200. Allow the 4200 to cure for 24 hours prior to snugging down the rails tightly. Don't allow the bolt to turn when you do this, or you'll break the 4200 seal--only turn the nut on the inside!

And yes, the bolts on my 7.3 came in different lengths, too, so I kept track of which one went where.

After removing the handrails and before installation, I sanded the handrails, then treated them with Starbright Teak Brightener, allowed them to dry, then re-sanded. Used four coats of Cetol Light on the handrails, followed-up with two coats of Cetol Gloss. During the three weeks that the handrails were off the boat, I used a small piece of duct tape over each hole in the deck to keep the rain out. I also checked the deck core around each hole for rot, reamed out the rot where necessary, filled those with thickened epoxy, and re-drilled.

OK. Now the PO of my 27 did the same job on my boat, but he filled the standoff tubes with thickened epoxy, then drilled out the bolt holes on a drill press. IMHO, this is a better fix for the long term, although my WEST "dowel job" will serve the new owner of my old 7.3 for years to come.

Sorry that this post was a bit windy, but I hope these comments are of some value.

Dave S.
1987 S2 27
Hull #80