I removed the toe rail on Maximus (now Moxie) last year primarily for crew comfort. We left the front third on back to the first stancion as the foredeck does rely on the toe rail for footing. When we took the rail off we counter sunk the holes for the bolts and replaced them then placed grip tape over the top. The through bolts may or may not help in a collision and the grip tape helps for better footing when the boat is NOT HEELED over. If you plan to race in the ocean a lot, keep them on as the risk of going overboard is much higher, obviously.

Crew does hike more effectively now, and we had the PVC wrapped pads on prior to removng the toe rail.

Josh