Bow rails loose on my 311 ....
 

Hey guys ,

Does anyone have any ideas or solutions to the bow rails on these 311s to be tightened. In the vberth you can get to a couple of the bolts but as far as I can see you basically have tear down the head liner to do this ..... which sucks for me there isn't a mark in my interior it still looks freak'in new.
If someone could help me that would be great.

Jeff

Jeff, there's really no other good way to do it. If there was some way positively locate the nuts from inside, you could do a little "slit" to get at them. But, I beleive they are under (or over as it were) the trim pieces AND the headliner.

I've got a few I'd like to tighten also. But, no way am I tearing all that out of there.

That is what I suspected ..... i thought of the same thing with regards to doing the little slit thing. This really sucks ....
Now I know why Outerlimits and others doesn't use them.
Only about 600 large and me from getting one of those. lol lol

Jeff

Two of my friends have the exact same thing with the 311's they own. If your a small man, you can get the back ones through the side compartments. We're going to have to try something on their boats as well. If you find something that works, please post it. I will do the same.

Cut the rail on each side of the "T" where it goes thru the hull ...Turn the "T" A cpl of turns and weld em back in place ........:D

Geez Mike, you've been away from your boat too long. :D How is yours doing?

Like the Guiness commercilas with the two guys....."BRILLIANT"......:D

Fortunately for me, I didn't have any loosen up on the 292 while I had it. The 311's you guys are dealing with seem to be within about a 3 year timeframe from one another. Anyone else have a similar problem with other size boats in the same timeframe, late 80's early 90's?

things are fine .... still chasing minor gremlins .... one motor has always indicated 190-200* with a thermostat ...Finally figured out today that the sender was wrong .. I couldn't tell you how many told me to check the gauge or sender ....but what do they know? ... we'll get there .....m

Just removed the bow rails and re-installed them on my friends 1987 311 Formula. Some previous owner thought it looked good to paint them white to match the hull. Its not too bad to do actually, and all the little holes you put in the head-liner to access the screws are completely hidden. The only one that REALLY sucks to get at is the one behind the stereo and sink on the port side. You have to remove the refrigerator and crawl in through the hole to access that one.

Nick

Thanks Spazboz ,

I spoke to Darral @ Formula and he said basically the same thing with one more problem in the head area. But other than that it is really the only way.
He had mentioned something about some kind of plate or board the head liner is mounted to before you get to the actual bolts/screws. Does make any sense to you? I am just wondering what I am getting into before I attack this, this spring.
If you got any pictures please put them online .... that would be great. Send us some pictures of the painted bow rails.... I am curious what they look like.

Thanks again .....

Jeff

I wonder if you could use a hole saw to access the nuts in the cabin and then take a 1x4 and cover it with fabric and attach it over the headiner ? The full length of the cabin?

It may be different in the newer years, but all I found between me and the screw heads was just the carpet head liner. I know exactly what Darral is saying about the one in the head area. Two points there. 1.I never fit in the bathroom of a 311 to begin with. 2.There a support to give the upper deck more rigidity that runs from about where the bed begins in the v-berth to the helm. its tapered and gets larger as it runs further toward the rear of the boat. In the bathroom (designed for small children) its about 4 inches tall, and you have to reach behind it and access the screw head by feel. The only other thing I suggest is get a really good #1 Phillips Driver bit for the job. I'll be back there tomorrow (Monday) and will take some pics for you guys. Unfortunately the bow rails are restored back to there original polished stainless, so ican't get any pics of them in white. The rear ones come off tomorrow, I'll get some pics of those in White for you guys.

Nick

Hey Mike,

Apparently they used a board .... like a kick plate for trim on a wall to cover the bolts then they covered it with the headliner. I think that is what I understood from the conversation I had with Formula.
I will tell you this ... If I could I would weld these freak'in things once i get my hands on them so I don't have to go through this again.

Jeff

311 Bow rail highlights.
 

Hey guys, here's the pics. Only in the V-berth did I encounter more than just the carpet separating me from the heads.

Attachment 333796

Picture #1 Illustrates typical bolt location for the bolts in the "couch" area.

Attachment 333797

As you move toward the front of the vessel, you will have to use a ratchet and #1 bit due to the angle of the hull sides.

Attachment 333798

Picture #3 illustrates thee location of the forward most bolt in the "anchor-bay" area.

Cont.
 

In the V-berth area, you must remove the canvas wrapped "batton" that covers the seam between the head-liner and side-walls. bolts are more easily accessed due to the absence of the vertical support strut for the bow.

Attachment 333808

This the most difficult of all to access.

Attachment 333809

These are pictures from behind the bar-counsel. Access is gained by removing the refrigerator and crawling through the hole.

Attachment 333810

Additionally, the screw parallel to the port seat can be easily gained at this point also.

Any other questions guys, just let me know!
Nick

Those are some nice pictures. Probably a good idea to put atleast blue, if not red loctite on the screws I would imagine.

Strizzy ,

Good idea .... like I said earlier i would weld the Freak'in things if I could.

Jeff

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a/IMG_0195.jpg

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/k...a/IMG_0196.jpg

Got to give a shout out to Spazboz for all the hard work...that was my boat he was working on.
I posted some pics of the bowrails painted white. In the pics you can't see how bad the paint was chipping and cracked. Now that they are polished stainless again, the boat looks much better.
Good luck with your bow rails guys and thanks Spazboz!

Those are great pics !!! a lot of information .... Makes me feel better if I have to remove the Rails ... Port side has a bump in the rail (near the winshield) .... Its on the list !!!!

Casper II .... what are the graphics on the side of your 311 ? I like the deck ......m

I second that...and tell us more about the rubrail...painted original or replacement white?

thanks for the pictures ....
 

Spazboz,

Thanks for the pictures these will help out alot .....
Now that you know how to do it do you want to come up north to Rochester NY ..... I have a 311 waiting for your expertise .... LOL...LOL...

Thanks again ....

Jeff

Hey Jeff, I have been looking for a road-trip this summer, you offering rides on the bay for this summer??? :D If the beer is cold enough..... you JUST may persuade me!!!! :drink:

The rails were painted in Imron white when the rest of the boat was painted. I'm the third owner, the guy that I bought it from in Missouri didn't seem to know exactly when it was re-done in white from it's original red/gray/black.
The graphix on the bow are basically the only thing on the boat as far as color. The sides are all white aside from the Formula emblems and birds.
The original silent thunder is gone and has been replaced with a tubular swim platform. It's painted yellow.
I want to do something on the sides of the boat but can't quite decide what I want to do yet- I'll surely be paying attention to other boats this summer to get some ideas.
Thanks for the interest guys, and good luck

Absolutely ..... and the beer is always cold .... might even find the odd magnum of Captain's in the cooler .....

Let me know if you want to come on over to other side of Lake Ontario .....

Jeff

CasperToo,

I think you should paint those skylights white, heres a picture showing my 292 SR1 with the skylight painted white. And on the plexiglass I just put some "see-through" white vinyl. (vinyl with lots of holes in it). I think it would look great on your boat!

Thanks for the pic Freddan...The deck of your boat looks sweet- maybe I'll look into painting my skylights.
Handfulz28, I missed your question earlier. The rubrail is replacement white- was on the boat when I bought it.
Spazboz and I took the rails off the back of the boat today and stripped the paint. Need to get them polished before I can put them back on.