Source for Dauntless 160 Bow Railing Replacement

[M SPEC]

Q1: where can a replacement bow railing be obtained for a 2000 160 DAUNTLESS?

BACKSTORY
I live in the Charleston, South Carolina area. I need a bow railing for a 2000 Dauntless 160. Boston Whaler no longer stocks them.

I am unable to find any aftermarket source with a presence on-line.

I have also looked for boat salvage resellers in my area and surprisingly am unable to find any.

Also, no one down here seems to do any custom stainless railing work.

[jimh]

Find out who was the OEM vendor for the railing. I doubt that Boston Whaler actually fabricated the railing themselves. The OEM vendor might still have the template from 25-years ago and possibly could make a new railing—but I think that is a longshot.

[M SPEC]

Thanks—a long shot indeed.

[Jefecinco]

Ultimately I expect the only source for a replacement railing will be a fabricator. That could be a good thing if you plan to mount a trolling motor to the bow. A railing fabricated to your specifications can be designed to facilitate the mounting and operation of a trolling motor from the helm.

[M SPEC]

Ultimately I expect the only source for a replacement railing will be a fabricator. That could be a good thing if you plan to mount a trolling motor to the bow. A railing fabricated to your specifications can be designed to facilitate the mounting and operation of a trolling motor from the helm.

Thanks.

Unfortunately as I stated in my original post, I have been unable to find a stainless [steel boat railing] fabricator in the area, which seems strange given I live where there are tons of boats.

[Tom Hemphill]

Martin Marine Design of Hardeeville, South Carolina, is a fabricator which has enjoyed a stellar reputation among owners of classic Boston Whalers, myself included. His website appears to be non-functional at this time, but is archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. It might be worth a phone call.

[jimh]

Today the state with probably the most boat builders and marine oriented allied tradesmen is Florida.

In terms of what element of a boat is likely to be damaged, bow railings should be near the top of the list. Artisans who work with stainless steel tubing for boats include boat canvas makers. Perhaps a local canvas shop could give you a lead to someone who knows how to bend and weld stainless steel tubing.

ANECDOTE
About 40 years ago I was tasked with building a C-band 25-foot diameter dish antenna for reception of satellite signals from a “kit” of materials supplied by the lowest bidder on the project. In the course of turning this crate of aluminum and steel into a working antenna, I needed some steel welded together in situ. I opened the Michigan Bell Yellow Pages and looked under “welders.” A very local fellow was advertising in the Yellow Pages doing business as “Elmer the Welder.” I gave him a call. He came over the next day and welded together (instead bolting together) the end plates to the beams for the steel support struts for this big antenna mount (to increase the rigidity of the structure).

The Yellow Pages were put out of business by the world wide web and Google search, but not every small shop or fabricator has a website.

FUNNY STORY
The antenna was always problematic. At that time the gold standard for antennas like this was Scientific Atlanta, but at ten times the price. The bean counters bought the cheapest bid, which was actually a product of a Cuban refugee living in Miami. We referred to the antenna as being a “Scientific Havana” brand.

[M SPEC]

Martin Marine Design of Hardeeville, South Carolina, is a fabricator which has enjoyed a stellar reputation among owners of classic Boston Whalers, myself included. His website appears to be non-functional at this time, but is archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. It might be worth a phone call.

Thanks Much! Will give it a try.

[M SPEC]

In terms of what element of a boat is likely to be damaged, bow railings should be near the top of the list. Artisans who work with stainless steel tubing for boats include boat canvas makers. Perhaps a local canvas shop could give you a lead to someone who knows how to bend and weld stainless steel tubing.

Thanks.