Upgraded Stern Rails and Lifelines

We recently completed upgrades to the aft lifelines of Alembic. Our goal was to add a mounting place for solar panels as well as to increase safety and security. First we added a stanchion just aft of the mizzen shrouds. We then added top and mid rails using 1″ SS tube and associated fittings. We connected these rails to the stern pulpit using hinged connectors (see photo).  After locking everything together with the mechanical set screws at the fitting joints, we took the stanchion and rail assemblies to a local welder to weld solid all the joints between tube and fittings.  The overall stern railings and pulpit are comprised of 3 sections.  There are the two aft quarter sections that are the stanchion and rails as a welded assembly and the original stern pulpit.  The side rails connect to the stern pulpit at the hinged connectors shown in the photos.  The rail sections on the aft quarters provide an excellent place to mount solar panels on hinged mounts.

 

 

We terminated the rail sections with anchor points to support the attachment of lifelines.  We replaced the wire lifelines with Dyneema line. Finally, we added a section of 1″ SS tube along the cockpit exit for additional security when entering and exiting the cockpit. This is a fairly easy installation using “90 deg T fittings” placed on top of existing stanchions to connect the 1” SS tube.  The Dyneema line extends through the center of this tubing section for added security.  A key fitting in this assembly is the “90 deg T fitting with anchor” (see photo) to support the connection of the lifeline gate.  This particular fitting is supplied by Sea-dog and was a special order item at my local marine store.

The upgraded stern rails and lifelines enhance the  safety and security of Alembic.  Support solar panel mounting was also very important to us.  With our mizzen mast, adding an arch to hold solar panels is not a simple installation.  We also have a canvas bimini so adding panels over the cockpit is also not an easy solution.  Given these constraints, the stern rail mount is a great option.