I noticed in the specs of the new boat that a teak toe rail is being
used. Similar to the 80's vintage J-24's, I assume. Much more
comfortable and gives some "crash buffer" although not as much as the
stamped, aluminum rail. It's definitely not as versatile as the
aluminum rail, either.
I took the mid-section off of my boat and have worried about it
since. We took a hit in the aft section this season and the toe rail
basically saved the deck. Comfort-wise, the PVC pipe option helps
somewhat, but a day could get pretty long on the rail, even with
that.
Has Norris considered the option of running the standard rail back to
the first staunchion and then going with T-track (ala a J/27 or
Soverel 27 from) there back? It adds a bit of weight, since you have
to add a car wherever you want a block, but it's stout, comfortable,
gives somewhat of a lip to brace your foot against and gives the same
rigging flexibility as the stamped rail. If I had to do it again, I'd
replace the toe rail with the genoa track...
::
::
:: The crew comfort issue can be solved for under $5 by
:: pop-riveting a piece of pvc pipe along the inside of the
:: toe rail, as many boats have done.