Bow rail removal

Grimm · 06-14-2017, 01:24 AM

I bought my 91 MX20 last fall and always hated the look of the tall bow rail that was installed by a previous owner. Also, I truly don't see the benefit of having such a large bow rail either.

While driving the boat this past weekend, I got tired of staring at the rail while sitting in the cockpit, it made the boat feel like the bow was pointing up at the sky all the time. I finally came to the conclusion that the rail had to come off.

A little knuckle busting here and there and the rail popped right off. I capped the holes with silicone and white push darts, not perfect, but it looks pretty good. Plus, if I later decide to reinstall the old bow rail, that option is always there. In the future, I might install a low profile bow rail, or maybe a pair that run parallel to each other mounted on each side of the cuddy hatch.

Here's a pair of before and after pics. Let me know what you think.

iced98lx · 06-14-2017, 01:26 AM

Good choice!! Looks good

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Firestone · 06-14-2017, 01:50 AM

I like it as well. Has a clean look to it.

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chuse927 · 06-14-2017, 10:53 AM

Much better. I agree a low profile rail would look better.

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bibleg2015 · 06-16-2017, 11:07 PM

Looks good, clean and smooth.

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***GaryDoug*** · 06-18-2017, 02:01 AM

You probably already know this... but from now until you reinstall a new bow rail, you must not allow anyone to ride on the front of the boat while it is motion. It is a federal offense to allow any one to ride on the front unless there is a recessed area for seating or a bow rail. Even dropping or retrieving an anchor while moving is forbidden. There are workarounds for that case, like having a retrieval line from the anchor line to the cockpit. I was ignorantly guilty of that infraction many years back and was lectured by a federal law officer on the subject.

p.s. I don't see that bow rail as being very high. The one on my sailboat is much higher. Also, I think that a bow rail was standard equipment.

More: After searching online I can't find any information on the federal laws on this. But it looks like the states may have taken over the responsibilities. In Florida for example, even a bow rail isn't enough to allow bow riding. You may want to check your state's laws on this.

Grimm · 06-18-2017, 01:02 PM

Appreciate the advice GaryDoug. I will look into the legality issue of riding on top. I'm not against installing a low profile bow rail, just that this one was too high for my liking. In fact, while polishing my boat after the removal of the rail, I came across a couple of patched holes where the original bow rail was mounted. I thought that it was odd that I never could find a pic of my bow rail in the original documentation and now I know why.

Grimm · 06-22-2017, 01:07 AM

Looking at constructing a new set of bow rails, I realized the expense of new rails are quite costly. I considered an alternative was a pair of safety grab bars for a bathroom. I came across a smoking deal on Amazon for a stainless pair for only $40. I did know ahead of the game that the bar diameter was 1 1/4", but in reality it was 1 1/2". After dry fitting them, I feel that the bars are too fat to look decent, so I'll hold out until I come across a deal on a real set of rails with 7/8" diameter.

Here's what the large bars would have looked like. Again, I'm not going to install these.