There are several problems with removing the toe rail. It was put there for several good reasons:

(1) To keep crew from falling overboard when they cross during a quick tack.

(2) To add strength to the hull.

(3) To provide some protection in T-bone collisions. I was hit by a much heavier boat and hate to think what the damage would have been without the toe rail. The damage to the bow of the boat that hit me was much worse than to my boat.

(4) To provide a place to attach a snatch block for jib reaching, twing blocks.

(4) To keep tools from rolling into the water when you are working on your boat at the dock (especially for wet sailed boats, not so important for dry sailed ones).

In my opinion, the class made a mistake in not probibiting the removal of the toe rail. The crew comfort problem can be easily solved by pop-riveting or fastening with electrical ties a piece of PVC pipe on the inside of the toe rail where the crew sits when hiking. See Flying Circus at Richmond YC. We copied theirs.