Dave Hoyt, #537, Overdraft
To install non-curved feet on a curved deck:
Cut a nice set of wooden
pieces from one inch mahogany or teak. Attach the pieces temporarily to
the feet (hint: pay attention to the orientation of the grain!) with *short*
wood screws that don't go
through the wood.
Twist/tweek/stretch the rail so that all of the wood pieces "sit" where
you want them on the deck without any applied pressure. Mark the
footprints on the deck and prep the surface to
receive bonding.
Remove any wood core material where the bolts will penetrate the deck,
and fill with epoxy. "Goop" the bottom of the wood pieces with 5200
or Marine-Tex. Set the rail in place and
restrain to prevent
movement during curing. Remove excess goop before it dries.
After the bonding cures, remove the wood screws (which should not have
penetrated the Marine-Tex!) and drill for
thru-bolting.
Apply your preferred wood finish. Bolt the rail down, stand back
and admire!
I fitted my wood "foot-pads"
with a flat side on each to match the molded cap at the Triton's deck-edge.
My one mistake was forgetting to allow for drainage. Now I have catch-waters
aft of the side feet on the stern rail. If I were doing it again,
I think I'd save a few polyethylene straws and use one under each foot
to form a drainage tunnel at the outboard edge. Use a length of appropriately
sized
wire through each
straw to prevent it from getting crushed during installation.