Grass Rails

SCOTT SALZER

SCOTT SALZER

Active member
I have oak grass rails on my Chuck Huff BBSB. After only one year I can see they are beginning go deteriorate. Is it a bad idea to coat them in epoxy resin to try to protect them? My concern is that when I try to bend them while reinstalling the epoxy will crack.
 
Bankes Boat quoted me in the past75 a piece for an 8 foot section I believe. Much more durable then wood. You can try to make your own out of trek decking as well.
 
Scott,

I have had wooden grassing rails on two different boats. One set was built with Mahogany and the other with Oak. I have in the past treated the rails with boiled linseed oil rather than try to encapsulate them with epoxy. The linseed oil has done a very good job of penetrating and preserving the wood.

I have the same Oak rails on my Chuck Huff and they either need replaced or reworked after the second season of use. I personally am not impressed with the workmanship of the original rails. For me, I will replace them with Mahogany rails and once again use the boiled linseed oil treatment. I feel the oil does a better job of preserving the wood verses an epoxy finish. No worries about the flexing issue if you choose the oil treatment, as it will flex with the wood.

Not the best angle but the only picture I could find at the moment.

IMG_0202.jpg

 
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I used "TREX" type composite decking rails on my boat with mixed results.

I made them about three seasons ago. Seems to be strong enough. Is holding up very well. Good color. (I used a gray). Very machineable. I cut them out, then used a round-over bit in the router to round-over all of the edges. They look good.

BUT

I couldn't bend them around the arc of the bow. They would snap and break. They split easily. I had to drill and carefully run the screws in. If I went a little too far in countersinkung the screw head, the material would split.

They're a little heavy.

My experiences...

Jon
 
With the boiled linseed oil, do you apply it while it's boiling? Or let it cool first? I am not familiar with working with it. Thanks in advance-Scott
 
Scott,
if they are red oak they will not last if stored outside. Red has pores or cells with no end walls and wicks water like crazy and then rots.
White oak is very good at resisting movement of water. Douglas Fir is also good. Think 2x4. Pick a lumber pile for a clear pair with tight grain and saw a way. A little work with a router and you have new ones for short money.

Bob
 
Scott, You don't boil it your self. You buy it at any paint store in gallon cans like paint thinner. Here is an old indian trick. Mix one part of boiled linseed oil to 3 or 4 parts minerial spirits and you have your own wood preservitive. Apply 5-6 coats or untill the wood won't asorb any more and you will have to replace the boat before the grass rails go bad again.
 
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With the boiled linseed oil, do you apply it while it's boiling? Or let it cool first? I am not familiar with working with it. Thanks in advance-Scott
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Scott,

"boiled" is just a descriptive term used on the label of the can of linseed oil. Has to do with the level of refinement. That said the oil itself will be thinner and soak into the wood better if both the oil and the wood are "warm". Take that to mean a nice sunny warm summer day is better than a cold fall day for application purposes.

Typically when applying linseed oil to fine furniture or a gun stock, it is rubbed in using a rag for application. The applicator rag is rubbed back and forth over and over to apply the oil. The heat generated by the friction is enough to thin the oil and promote penetration. After the first application you can go back a few days later and give it another coat. Each succeeding coat will leave a [/font][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]thin layer.

I usually apply the first coat rather liberally, then go back over it with a second rag to rub it in and remove the excess. At this point you don't want a surface film, it should all soak in. The following coats are rubbed in as I go and it takes about three or four coats the first time depending on just how porous the surface is.

I'll try to give it a fresh coat or two before each season. Not absolutely needed but good maintenance. Like I said before, because it penetrates the surface so well, some minor scuffing or scratching of the rail, will not compromise the protection.

PS. Years ago I made a set of untreated wood 2x4 saw horses to support my pick-up camper over the winter months when it wasn't on the truck. I lived in a trailer court at the time and these saw horses sat outside 24-7-365 days of the year. Only protection I ever gave them was the initial linseed oil. They lasted about fifteen years in spite of no annual treatments. Linseed oil is good stuff.
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Linseed oil, or oil from the seed of the flax plant, when raw, has a lot of water in it. Most of the time when you find it at the store it has been boiled expelling most of the water making it a better wood preservative. If allowed to dry over time it will produce a hard finish. I used it to protect the inside of some cedar boxes I made for my wife for her garden. Those boxes are filled with dirt and they haven't rotted after 2 years (although they do have a few termites in them, but not too many!). I've never used it in boat building and only would worry about the interface between the rails and the boat. I guess you could use bedding compound to seat them?

Howard I didn't know the Indians used mineral spirits?

Ed.
 
OK. I've got it now. How hard do you think it will be for me to find mahogany? Will a good lumber yard carry that kind of wood?
 
Scott,

Mahogany is pretty common at a full service lumberyard. I used Eric's method but altered the dimensions somewhat. I changed dimension "D" to 1.5 inch for a bit longer base.

You may wish or need to alter the 12 inch spacing if you wish to match the new rails to the original bolt spacing for mounting the rails. The only trouble this may present it that using the method Eric has detailed, produces identical rails for each side. The spacing for your original rails may not be the same side to side. I know the rails mounting bolt spacing on my Chuck Huff is inconsistent not only side to side and also between individual stations on the same rail. It is not a lot but enough that the holes will not match up.

You will want to check yours before deciding on just how you wish to approach building new rails, if that is what you choose to do.
 
Ed, they used it in spirit ceromonies. It's an old Indian trick I learned from an old indian.
 
Its good stuff for weaterproofing wood. I use it on shovels wheelbarrow handles , my outdoor workbench and decoys and boats. I use a mixture of linseed oil,turpentine and jap drier in a old metal pot and put it on a camp stove and heat it a little. Only do this outside and dont get it boiling or theres going to be a big problem. Ive been doing it this way for over 20 years. The finish on some of my older blocks is intact to the credit of this sealer. The fumes are bad but disipate over time. bob
 
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