[deepsushi]

SGI--

I just removed the bow rail off my 78 18' so here is what I found. I removed the port gunwale covering board by removing the screws and running a utility knife down the caulked seam so that I could replace the fuel fill and vent hose. The covering board is a "U" shaped insert with a plywood core that gets screwed and sealed with caulk. On my boat both the stanchions and cleats were all through bolted. The outboard bolts on the stanchions were just barely catching the plywood core and were a little iffy. I was able to remove all the bolts except the most forward stanchion mount on the covering board without removal. I drilled out the heads on the starboard stanchion as I did not feel like removing the whole section to simply get at 3 bolts.

IMO the bowrail is unnecessary and really detracts from the lines of the boat. The only place they are truly "usable" is when you are standing on the bow casting platform. If you choose to go with the bow rail make sure that you properly seal the bolts as they are a great place for water to enter your core.

p.s Some 18's have a low profile rail that is a much cleaner look than the high bow rail. If I was to re add the bowrail I would have some low profile ones done by an aluminum fabricator.