Bestway 14x48 Camo Pool - Bent Top Rail

[TripleJackInGA]

So just when I get the pool how I want it (sand filter, skimmer installed), and in it's 2nd season, it seems that the kids have been using the top rail that the ladder goes over as an extra step/seat/jumping-off point. So it is bent just off-center from the middle.
I had planned already to start building a small deck/platform to enter/exit the pool, but hadn't done it yet.

I think I already know the answer to this, but how much water do I have to get out of it, before I attempt to replace that rail section? I'm thinking Dang near all of it, to get the weight off of it, but hoping not.
If I am somehow able to get that one section out with water still in it, will the remaining frame structure still hold up the pool with a fair amount of water in it, or will it immediately fall apart, which I suspect?

Lastly, if I go ahead and build my platform/deck for ingress/egress, and prevent any more damage to the rail, what are the chances it fails while in use, and if it does, will the pool completely collapse and empty?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

I'd be grounding some kids until it's fixed!

All you can do is get a replacement rail, dang near drain it, and put the new one in. It won't stay standing if it's removed with the full weight of water in it. Even with your deck, I wouldn't leave it like that. Weak point, and with the kids acting the fool in the pool, it won't last long.

And I have the same pool! Isn't it cool looking?

 

[TripleJackInGA]

Yeah, your assessment is pretty much in line with what I figured.
I think the problem is going to be getting one from Bestway anytime this century.
I ordered some pins from them to replace broken ones when I set it up this season, and they took *forever*, to the point that I figured out my broken ones were actually usable.
Is there any place other than Bestway to get the rails?
Yeah, I do like the looks of the pool. Got mine at a thrift store that sells Walmart.com returns in Winter 2018 for $150, lol!
As for the kids, I agree, but we have so many neighborhood kids in and out of ours, it's impossible to figure out who the culprit was. My two are painfully aware of how ****** I was.

 

[TripleJackInGA]

Called Bestway.
The top rail is on backorder, and they don't know when they're getting them.
Also, they aren't even actually taking orders until sometime next week, presumably because of the Coronavirus, short staffing, etc..
I really need to find one of these things somewhere else.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

What if you got a piece of pipe the same length and diameter? You'd have to take it to a machine shop to have the ends narrowed so they fit in the t-joints...

 

[TripleJackInGA]

The problem, which you mentioned, is the piece is oval. There's not a thickness of pipe that could be machined to that shape on one end, and even if you could, it would be a weakness in the pipe. The uniform shape surely is part of the rigidity. Also, machining anything is not cheap at all.
One idea I have is possibly taking a length of pipe or angle steel/aluminum, and strapping it alongside the bent piece with stainless clamps, until an actual replacement is available.