Ben, You are absolutely right on about not having to cap the whole length of the rail.
I didn't SEE that until you mentioned it. But niow it's mine!
I screwed up the front third of the rails. so a wooden cap could be applied from the front to the chainplates.
The chain plates cut into the rail. I feel I have to cap that area of the rail but I will wait until the mast is rigged to see where the plates end up.
Might fatten the rail up where the three plates dig in and make up a wider cap to dress it.
So the capping could end there. Aft of that could have T-bar for the gennies.
Need help with that. I've read discussions where choices are mentioned:
Track on the rail.
Track on deck beside the rail.
Track curved.
Track straight.
Track on the deck by the cabin.
Track at a slant pointing at the stemhead.
These tracks will take tremendous loads and have to be in the right place.
It will be a PITA to nut the bolts in the aft part of the boat. Smoke and mirrors.
I've salivated for years at Herreschoff inspired inrail hardware. Especially dapped in mid rail chocks for leading the spring lines. Or skene chocks at the bow and stern.
There's no way around it, I'd have to make models of what I believe is correct for leading lines off the boat. - with the idea of getting them cast. The bronze in-rail chock I've seen has sharp edges.
Catalog skene chocks are completely stupid to me unless the warp is led from directly ahead.
And ofcourse lines at the bow come aboard at all angles. Even Davies chocks (see the catalog at greenboatstuff) and chock/cleats are not correct imco. All this hardware available has hard abrupt edges that will saw through nylon in a blow.
The only bronze skenes I've seen that Litlgull could wear are the ones Tim Lackey has on his Triton 381. Aren't available anymore.
Have to see this stuff from the chaffing gear point of view and the illogical angles that rope comes aboard a boat.
The position of chocks on our rounded transom also presents a potential chaffing problem because of cleat location. Could use skenes here but you'd immediately have 'sharp' edge problems.
Some of the original Pearson cast aluminum cleats (chocks?) have a nice plump character and might be translated to hollow bronze castings with soft corners.... Dreamer.
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