CP16 cockpit rails

[Salty19]

One of the forum members asked me about the cockpit rails I had on our CP16.   Here are a few pics of the teak plank rails with long genoa tracks and cleats installed.

They were pretty useful--gave a little more back support, were a handhold while climbing aboard and during healing, nice place to mount the genoa tracks and just looked good on the boat. 

[81compac16]

Those look great! What did you use to make the stanchions of the railings?

[Salty19]

It's just large round brass stock (about 2" diameter) with SS rod in the middle holding it down. 
I used long aluminum bar stock underneath to act as a compression bar against the foam under the coaming and barrel nuts on top to secure the rod to the teak plank.
I had cut out some thick vinyl to use as gaskets and added a little sealant to the base of the brass too.

This was actually already on the boat when I bought it, I just improved the mounting,added the tracks and cleats and refinished it.

[ameysails]

81compac16
so here is our solution
not quite as beautiful as the teak...awesome job and look tho!
SS does not require the same attention
it does require a  midship stanchion, and the woven nylon hose from a BIC box
the stanchion can be found at a boat graveyard or Hutchins

[philb Junkie19]

Salty, that's a good looking mainsheet swivel and cam cleat set up. I'm guesing you can release the sheet from about anywhere in the cockpit. The mainsheet on my '83 feeds though the block to an upside down cam cleat. To release it requires one reach low and close to yank it down, not a great arrangement when its gusty and you're not right at the starboard stern. When it is gusty I sometimes hold the sheet with a half wrap around a coaming cleat but that is awkward and gets old especially if I am pushing it a little with my single sail. I want to be able to give yank to release the sheet quickly. I don't know if there is a way around the high cost of the harken and Ronstst swivel bases that don't even come with a matching block. I don't know if how many 19's were set up like mine and what others may have done.
Phil

[Salty19]

Hi Phil--That pic is my old CP16 actually (sold in 2010) and I did add that swiveling setup.  The stock setup didn't pay out the line smoothly or easily, and with the 16 you had to be a lot quicker to tend the sheet than the 19, especially in gusty or stronger conditions (which I love to go out in).  There were a few times--OK more than a few,  where I shipped water aboard on the 16 during hard heeling, usually followed by sucking my thumb while fetal positioned in the footwell.  So being able to release the sheet with one hand (the other was still thumb sucking) and from anywhere in the cockpit was nice.

Contrast with the 19...going on the 9th season now and haven't shipped a drop of water yet.  But Com-pac did equip her with a nice Ronstan swiveling block/cleat so she is easy to handle --thank god...I can't get in the back of the coaming to install one.  At least on the 16 I could shimmy my carcass back all the way to transom, but the 19 lockers won't allow that. 

Amey--your setup is pretty nice too!  It was always so hard to climb aboard from the ladder, and that aft rail would be a huge different as a handhold.  Also it looks like it would "feel" more secure and definitely give you something to hold onto or clip onto.  And of course the no maintenance factor!

[UpNorth1122]

Just purchased an ?89 16/3 and this is exactly what I am looking to do to mine, thank you so much for sharing the pics!

Charles

[Garyandjoanlee]

THAT IS AWESOM Salty! 
I would love to see a drawing or plan for that. Love that I would not need to take my life in my hands every time I stepped out of my  CP 16. I WANT to do this!!! So should Hutch. Coolest / Classiest modification I've seen. No problem reaching under the center post? Use the inspection hatch for the rears? Does the sheet or halyard get caught up on the forward end?  Do you have a reinforcement plate under the stantion base?  Thanks for posting and for even considering a reply to all this.    Gary