1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
BuddyRoeaux
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Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:45 am

1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby BuddyRoeaux » Fri Jan 01, 2021 5:57 pm

I need to replace the broken bow railing for [1978 REVENGE 21].

Would a 17-foot classic bow railing [attach to the hull of a 1978 REVENGE 21 ] in the same mounting locations?

Or, is the 17-foot replacement bow railing too narrow?

Where can I best find replacement railings for a 1978 Revenge 21?

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby jimh » Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:46 pm

The vertical stanchions of the bow railing for a 1978 REVENGE 21 attach to the outboard side of gunwale of the hull the widest points. The beam of the hull is listed as 7-feet 4-inches.

The vertical stanchions of the bow railing for a 17-foot hull--there are many models of 17-footer hull but most of them share a common foredeck arrangement--attach to the hull on the inboard side of the gunwale and to a lip on in the cockpit molding. The beam of the hull is listed as 6-feet 2-inches, and the railing is at least three or four inches inboard on each side

BuddyRoeaux wrote:Would a [bow railing designed as a replacement for a] 17-foot classic bow railing [attach to the hull of a 1978 REVENGE 21 ] in the same mounting locations?

The bow railings attach at different places

BuddyRoeaux wrote:...is the 17-foot replacement bow railing too narrow [to fit on a REVENGE 21?

The hull of a REVENGE 21 has a beam that is 1-foot 2-inches greater, and the attachment point of the vertical stanchions are place farther outboard than on the 17-hull by perhaps six-inches. On the basis of the dimensions for the beam of hulls and the location of the vertical stanchions on the hull, the bow railing designed to fit a 17-foot hull would probably be be about 1-feet 8-inches narrower than the bow railing designed for a for a Revenge 21. Also, the number of vertical stanchions and their placement is different. The REVENGE 21 has eight vertical stanchions; the 17-foot hull railing has five vertical stanchions. Also the bow railing for the REVENGE 21 has a bulge outward at the bow centerline.

I suggest you take the broken bow railing to a marine fabricator and have it repaired or used for a pattern to fabricate a replacement. You could probably re-use many parts of the broken railing, such as the unusual bases for the vertical stanchions.

BuddyRoeaux wrote:Where can I best find replacement railings for a 1978 Revenge 21?

I doubt there is any vendor who has an inventory in stock of OEM replacement bow railings for a 1978 Boston Whaler REVENGE 21. It is not exactly a common replacement part. It would be rather odd to find a fabricator who keeps in stock parts for a boat that is 43-years old and was not exactly a best-seller when it was offered.

BuddyRoeaux
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Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:45 am

Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby BuddyRoeaux » Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:59 pm

That’s plenty to digest, thanks Jimh.
Is there any way of finding a OEM railing to replace the bow rails? Or will I be best to find a machine shop to bend stainless tubing?

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Don McIntyre - MI
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Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby Don McIntyre - MI » Sat Jan 02, 2021 7:18 pm

To expand on what Jim said, it's potentially even more complex. FWIR, the Revenge and the Outrage bow rail are the same.

In that era Outrage, two of the vertical rail supports and the rear of the rail, that bends vertical penetrate _through_ the upper deck area, and attach inside the _lower_ deck area with a stanchion. Attaching the rail by that method is extremely strong. Those through deck holes are cosmetically covered with a custom casting, and are rare.

I feel your pain. During one of my towing trips, someone stepped on my railing and bent it. Once home, I took it to a local very good stainless steel fabricator, who repaired it at their shop.

Regards - Don

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Phil T
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Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby Phil T » Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:35 pm

Buddy - Where are you located so we can offer local vendors.

If you add your location to your profile, members can give regional recommendations.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

BuddyRoeaux
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Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 9:45 am

Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby BuddyRoeaux » Sat Jan 02, 2021 10:11 pm

Thanks don and Phil. I’m located in Southeast Louisiana. I might have to take it to a fabrication shop for repair. I have not seen any Outrage/Revenge replacement bow rails anywhere for sale.

Qtrmeg
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Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 9:02 am
Location: New Hampshire

Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby Qtrmeg » Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:23 am

Will a bow rail from a 1974 Revenge 19 fit [a REVENGE 21]?

I have one in New Hampshire.

Ghost
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Joined: Tue Jul 30, 2019 12:51 am

Re: 1978 Revenge 21 Bow Railing

Postby Ghost » Sun Jan 03, 2021 11:36 pm

I recommend calling Sean at CMI in Massachusetts. I believe CMI has all the older Boston Whaler legacy OEM recipes for bow and console rails. And while I suspect shipping costs would likely be too high to justify having him fabricate one and send it to you, perhaps he could offer some advice that might assist.

[Contact information for CMI is given in the REFERENCE article on recommended vendors.]

Or, as someone noted earlier in the thread, having a good local shop do a repair would be most economical. I just had a console rail modified, and it was amazing what they are able to do. Something that might seem hopeless might not be far from being right again, especially using your original as a template.

Good luck with it---Mike.