Need good stainless pulpit repair person

[Bill Goldsmith]

After a beautiful Father's Day sail this afternoon, I was sitting down below chatting with my family in my slip, when I heard screaming from outside. It was my slip neighbor (Catalina 25), who had just pulled out of his slip and somehow lost control of the boat under power going pretty fast. Before I could jump into the cockpit to fend him off, his bow pulpit smashed into my stern pushpit, bending it, breaking a weld and bending one of the base flanges.

My slip neighbor is a bit of a novice, but an incredibly nice guy, and felt awful. No one was hurt, and I told him it could be fixed, but he was pretty mortified.

I advised him not to beat himself up, but to learn a lesson: always try to have a crew member with a boat hook on or near the bow to fend off while in the marina. In any case, his insurance will pay for the repair.

Any recommendations for the best way to proceed with this repair? There are not too many yards on the lower Hudson River, and I would prefer to hire someone to come to me to oversee the repair. Should I demand a new pushpit, or be satisfied with a repair of the existing? The taffrail was damaged a little, too, so I will also need to replace that. Any specific referrals would be appreciated, as I want this to be a first-class repair.

[Kurt]

Bill,
There's an expert stainless steel fabricator in Marysville Michigan...would you be interested in shipping your rail that far for a repair? I've seen this guys work...and it's very professional. If you're interested I can get his name and address.
Kurt

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi Bill,

I don't know if they'll come to you (probably not) but Lockwood Boat Works (the yard where we keep our boat) in Morgan, NJ repairs old and makes new railings. They are the manufacturer of the new railings used on Steiger Craft boats. But I gotta warn you, it probably won't be cheap.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Russell]

I would call some of the closest shops that deal with SS and see who has time. Likely if yards are not nearby you are going to be best off removing the pushput yourself and taking it someplace for the job to be done. I would certainly call the fellow who hit you to come lend you a hand in the removal (and make sure he is the one inside the lockers with the wrench and you are topside with the screwdriver!).

The unfortunate thing is, once SS is bent, its hard to get it perfect again. Most shops marine SS shops who deal with these sorts of things will recommend that if you want it perfectly even again that you will want to have a new one made. If an insurance company is involved and picking up the bill, why not find a guy willing to come to the boat, tell him its an insurance job and perhaps he will be happy to? I dunno.

[Duncan Maio]

Bill:


A shop in Fall River, MA just did a new stern rail for my CD27 (same story as yours, except on a mooring and we weren't there).

I don't have contact info, as the work was done through the boat yard, but can get it for you if you think you would ship the old one that far (or pay for a mobile rig to come to you).

If you think the damage is repairable, though, I would recommend looking for a welding shop or machine shop that does stainless steel locally. They might be a good resource in the future, and would be able to tell you if the railing had to be replaced (and would know where to go if they couldn't do it).

[Bill Goldsmith]

Thanks everyone. I will ask around locally first. There must be some good stainless shops in the NY area.

On the bright side, I have to hand it to Cape Dory, that stern rail assembly really held up well considering the Catalina 25 was under a decent head of steam when it crashed into me. Had the rail been flimsy, it would have broken away and probably allowed some hull damage or at least significant damage to the taffrail. The railing really took the brunt of it and served its purpose.