John MacDougall, Annie Laurie, #26
Well, I got a couple of e-mails asking me about the handholds/handrails I've installed below decks.......
Since I installed them 3 years ago, and use them often, I sort of forgot that they are NOT factory issue.....
So, here are some photos and descriptions....
I located all of these additional handrails where they are easily used and effective, without getting in the way of anything / anybody........and I USE them ALL the time
They are VERY strong, and after 3 years, have held up better than if they were factory installed......
I hope these photos help....
(Click on picture for full size)
In the Main Salon, since I do NOT have a dinette table, I added a long varnished teak handrail on the port side, above the dinette settee, which is VERY handy...... This handrail is thru-bolted, and the screwheads are covered by teak plugs and varnished....
I also added a varnished teak handrail, on the Main Salon forward bulkhead, immediately to port of the forward cabin doorway...... This handrail is attached from the rear with some big #12 screws and big washers....
It is in the aft cabin that Catalina seems to have forgotten handrails altogether.....and I noticed this oversight the 2nd day I owned the boat and was sailing a 300+ mile passage / 20 - 25 kt beam reach......so I added some.... In the aft cabin, I installed a varnished teak handrail on the forward bulkhead, immediately port of the cabin doorway (between the door frame and the bulkhead mirror)...... I also installed another varnished teak handrail in the aft cabin, on the aft head bulkhead..... Both of these are secured from the rear, with big #12 screws and washers........
In the aft head, my 470 does have a nice stainless rail all the way along the front of the vanity/countertop, as well as one stainless handrail on the shower bulkhead.....but, it didn't have any hand holds IN the shower stall.....so I added one...... I installed a big stainless handrail in the aft shower stall, just a few inches starboard of the shower door.....it is thru-bolted with big washers......and I used 1/4-20 "cap nuts" on the backside, so that there's nothing sharp sticking out anywhere....
In the forward cabin, the mast compression post and the handrails along the starboard side are great, but I added another hand hold.... I installed a varnished teak handrail on the forward bulkhead, a few inches to port of the forward head doorway, allowing you to hang-on whether climbing into/out-of the bunk OR going forward into the head...... It is secured from the rear, with big #12 screws and washers.......
In the forward head, there wasn't any where to hang-on......unless you wanted to grab a towel bar....so I added 2 stainless handrails in the head (one port and one starboard), and another stainless handrail in the forward shower itself..... They are all thru-bolted with big washers as well...... And I used 1/4-20 "cap nuts" on the back side of the handrails, as I did for the one stainless rail I added in the aft cabin, so that there are no sharp edges to get caught on.....
