Spray rail production.
 

I recently picked up some nice rails from Caymanboy.
3rdday stopped by last night and we talked about making a mold for production. PVC and mountable with or without screws. Methylmethacrylate is used for the install without screws.

All who I have asked through the years have emphatically endorsed the major benefits they provide no matter the hull.

I called the folks at Smartrail in Dec. and they wanted 1200 clams for a set. :eek: I finally stopped laughing and he negotiated for a while to no avail.

I still need to talk to a few locals in the plastic biz to get an idea of cost.

So my question to SeaCraft nation is would you want a set at a reasonable price point?

I will post a pic next week.
GFS

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Count me in!

Re: Spray rail production.
 

I bought two sets of smart rails a few years back, they were having a boat show promotion and were buy one pair get one pair free. That said they were about 300.00 a pair (If i remember correctly) and with the promotion, they ended up being 150.00 a set, which is where I feel they should be priced. They work great and have stayed on so far, so I decided to add another two sets up top just below my gunnel, but I was shocked to find the price had doubled and there was no more promotion during the boat show. So for what I paid 300.00 for a few years back, I would have had to spend 1200.00. I would be interested if you make a few sets, I think you could sell a ton of them. I bought the ones from Hamilton Marine, but they would not work where I needed them, so they are still in my garage. They are also too heavy and not flexible enough. I almost considered doing the same thing you did, just because of the attitude from smart rail. I even talked to the guy who molds the smart-rail up here in Mass. I decided I had enough projects at the time, but I hope you pull it off. All you have to do is invest in a mold and hope to sell enough sets.

Good luck,

Dan

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Sandy,
I want a percentage of what you make!!!
Ha Ha!!!!!
OP :D

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Tarpun that`s a heck of a price. Curious profile though. I was hoping to come in under Taco ,but have no idea of cost yet.
OP,
Hopefully your resto customers will want some as an option.

Hope to find a softer material for molding. They are a little stiff.
Unlike most of my Flintstone ideas, this might go somewhere.
Lets find out! :D
GFS

Re: Spray rail production.
 

http://www.barbourcorp.com/In_Stock_...ipment_Etc.htm

$130 (20ft section) doesn't seem bad if you can get away with 10ft on each side.

look at where they are located.

1001 North Montello Street Brockton, MA 02301

That's a rough neighborhood!!


is 2" too much??? would 1 3/8" be a better choice? Only $75 for 20ft.

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Club pricing done properly.

Big,
Didn`t Hagler hail and train from close by?
Thanks for the info on their "clubhouse".

Kernel,

I agree with you about the flexibility for install, although they are quite beeefy and stiff, which would become more integral in my minds eye. I just can`t seem to wrap a decent clamping system in my mind yet. What are the thoughts on harder vinyl vs. pvc?

Cheers,
GFS

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Im IN... Cant wait for pics.. Hopefully good price...
Chris

Re: Spray rail production.
 

You can request samples from these folks and they will send out.

Re: Spray rail production.
 

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...an/alex101.jpg

Here is the profile. 2 1/8 " w X 1 3/8" w X 10 ft l.
You can see the slight downward taper on the trailing edge of the bottom, which I like.

The downslope from the top also looks like it wont "catch" as much water while drifting as some designs I`ve seen .

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...an/alex102.jpg


Here is the shape of the bow. These are pvc and it will take some doing to pull them in as Dan noted.

Capo Boatworks LLC has provided perhaps a much better material.

I went to see a local plastic guy for help with the flexibility of the pvc and was not satisfied.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...an/alex103.jpg

The leading edge looks like it was profiled with a Surform. The look is Down East. I might do a straight taper like NoBones for the pointy end of the boat.

A big factor me is how to make it so easy to install that even a Cave Couple can do it.


http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...an--6243-1.jpg

Now onto some neat videos I found for free online for mold making and such.

Cheers,
GFS

Re: Spray rail production.
 

They look Awesome, Cant wait.

Nice job, I have been wanting a pair for years to lazy till found this site...
Chris

Re: Spray rail production.
 

GFS,

In my opinion there are too many hard PVC spray rails already available, like the ones I bought at Hamilton Marine (But never installed), to make it worth the effort.

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/brow...------160440/4,12529.html

With that said, I think there may be a market for a well designed soft one. If you went with the softer one, then using the high tech adhesives is the way to go. The softer ones are much lighter, much easier to ship and you can probably design a shipping system that does not require special trucking. On top of that they are easier to mold to the hull. If you went with the harder type, then bolting through would be my choice with lots of 5200 to prevent leaks. I think there are applications where both are needed. Cape Island Boats only uses the Hamilton Marine rails, and bolts them on (They finish Duffy's). They say Hamilton is cheaper than going to the manufacturer in Mass because Hamilton buys in such volume. In my opinion I would like to see a rugged, soft, durable and light design that I can glue on and paint to match if needed. I have nothing against the Smart-Rail except they are way over priced, but they can argue there is nothing else like it and they are correct. If you did make one similar to the Smart Rail, but different enough to avoid a lawsuit, I can assure you the Smart Rail price would plummet, so that is another thing to consider.

Good Luck,

Dan

Re: Spray rail production.
 

I noticed the Barbour Prices have come way down since I checked them last, they seem tough to beat. I believe they make the Hamilton Marine rails and they make the Smart-Rail, but are not allowed to sell the smart rail direct. If you search the THT you fill find lots of inf

Re: Spray rail production.
 

Kernel,
Nice boat you have.

We think alike.
I don`t know how light I can make them yet, but my main concern is ease of install. I was at a plastic shop Mon and he was pushing me to pvc. Pass. Big heavy boats like a Duffy or Beal or Wesmac etc. need them. We don`t. Spoke w the UPS guy today and he thought 10 ` rails would ship.

3rdday has me on what I think is the right track. Thx Brian!

My learning curve is pretty steep right now which is encouraging. PVA and other release techniques , mold making, mold sealing, silicone vs urethane, gassing the load, pressure loading, void avoidance, and words I`m still having trouble pronouncing. Methyl Metha wh. Methyl math create. Took a week.

The rail profile is like many others so I think Im ok there.

GFS

Re: Spray rail production.
 

I couldn't resist............













And for the obama fan...........

Re: Spray rail production.
 

I`m eagerly awaiting material samples, I have decided to go with a glass mold. Silicone is only good for 20 - 30 pops, so I`ll make it as perfect as I can once. I`m gonna use the pvc for plugs. I need to fill holes and fair them.

What can I use that won`t get burned by the poly?

Talked to a glass guy who said I can back off 50% on the MEK and not burn the pvc so that`s good.

The mold will be 2 piece. I am thinking of brushing 1 coat of poly on the top of the pvc 1st for a smooth surface and then the lay up.

GFS