Rub Rail Replacement

[GorillaToast]

I have leakage around my rub rail that finds its way into the bilge. I need to remove the vinyl rub rail to get a look at, and probably re-bed the aluminum extrusion. The vinyl on my boat is hard as a rock, and I'm afraid it is going to come out in chunks, forcing me to by new vinyl.

My question is: How hard is this vinyl rub rail supposed to be, and how hard is it to work it into the extrusion? Does it have to be slid in from one end and worked down the entire length, or is new vinyl flexible enough to work it in as I go?

Thanks.
Bill

 

[Ken]

rubrail

You don't say which rubrail you have..... Yep there is two, a small one and a large... I replaced the small rubrail on the oldstyle boat I had, the insert was as hard as heck but it came out in one continious piece. You will most certainly NOT be putting the old insert back though...
Catalina Direct has the replacement you need...

You are 100% sure that the water is coming in through a screw hole?

 

[GorillaToast]

You are 100% sure that the water is coming in through a screw hole?

Well, I took a garden hose and held it up under the rail along the port side about where the foreward dinette locker is, and a line of water trickled down inside of the hull.

I'd like to get away with just chipping out the old caulk and adding a new bead as I don't intend to keep this boat longer than 2 years.

 

[Ken]

Hull/Deck joint

I think you'll find it's NOT the rub-rail then, but the hull/deck joint. This is one of those rare times that 3M 5200 is used and called for. Your correct in your thinking digging out all of the loose sealant you can, then replace it with the 3M 5200. I've seen this in a couple other boats....

That's the reason I added the pictures of the rub-rail in the previous post. I found the factory did not seal the holes where screws were removed (if they were removed) when I removed the old rail, I found a large number were simply broken off then ground to the glass.

If the insert is in good shape I would leave it alone, unless of course you just want to upgrade it. When I did the one I did CD would only sell the full length rails if one bought enough to do five hulls. That is still there policy.

 

[mklein@iowatelecom.net]

BE CAREFULL! Last time I used 5200 on my rub rail, it dripped about a hour after applying. It was terrible to clean up. It was HOT though. Watch this process carefully. I ended up using another product to finish the job. I think a vulcanizing sealant.

 

[jfrench]

http://www.catalinayachts.com/deck_joints_look.cfm


Here's a close-up of the joint. I think ours is the one shown in the middle.

 

[GorillaToast]

Cr*p!

And I thought just caulking it was going to be a tough enough job. I'd love to get in there and re-bed all the bolts holding the extrusion on, but that just seems like too big a job for a temporary boat. If I was gonna sail it the rest of my life...

At least I won't have to worry about dripping 3M 5200. It'll be winter soon and my garage is barely heated to 50*. I'll be warming tubes of adhesive just to get them to flow. I once had to do that on a house framing job in
-20* weather, YUK!!

Thanks for all your help. I'll let you know how it goes (with pics, too) after I get done inspecting the keel pivot and hangers.

Bill

 

[jfrench]

OK, suppose you make up an adapter to fit on the tip of tube of caulk. I'm thinking a piece of aluminum tube in an 'S' shape that will sneak up behind the edge of the deck liner and allow you to apply a caulk bead to the inside of the joint. If you have a thin, somewhat runny sealant, all the better -it will tend to run into the joint (see pic). If a wire conduit really sits in there like the pic shows, it would be in the way. But if you can get past that, you should be able to caulk all the way around the boat in one day. Just a thought.

 

[GorillaToast]

Actually, I pulled out the 4 pieces of teak deck liner and saw that some PO had haphazardly squirted some clear silicone in that space. I was thinking of caulking that whole area on the port beam where it's leaking, with 3M 5200. But, I'm afraid I'd be disguising the real problem, and water would saturate the plywood sandwiched in the hull (if it hasn't already. ) I'd probably better bite the bullet, and replace the vinyl rub rail, removing and re-bedding the extrusion bolts as well.

 

[Ken]

You'll find NO bolts in the rub-rail, you will find something like 250+screws. But before you rip out the insert you'll want to take a close look under it, because the metal only has a small lip on the bottom. That lip does not extend to the hull one can easily place the tip of a caulk tube there. Many have fixed this joint without removing the rub-rail.

Sounds like the PO may have done you no favors and caused you a bit more work... All that silicon will have to come out...

 

[GorillaToast]

You'll find NO bolts in the rub-rail, you will find something like 250+screws. But before you rip out the insert you'll want to take a close look under it, because the metal only has a small lip on the bottom. That lip does not extend to the hull one can easily place the tip of a caulk tube there. Many have fixed this joint without removing the rub-rail.

Upon much closer inspection with a flashlight and hook scraper, it appears that most of the port side caulking is intact. However, in some places the extrusion is against or within a sixteenth of the hull. Other places the bead is as wide a 1/4". Going around the bow the caulk bead grows to 5/16ths or 3/8ths. There are several small (1/8") holes in the caulking on the port side near the dinette, where the leaking is occurring.

Sounds like the PO may have done you no favors and caused you a bit more work... All that silicon will have to come out...

That silicone is on the inside of the boat, where the wiring runs (no conduit). If I re-caulk the outside, why would the silicone need to come out (I HATE removing silicone!)?

 

[Ken]

It wouldn't in fact if I were doing it I'd just leave that along... I would however dig as much of the loose caulking out from outside and when re-caulking I'd try to force as much as I could in the joint. Everyone I know who has done this have done it from the outside, none have had any further leaks.

You might want to consider adding the newer wider rub-rail.. Sure makes a huge difference in the looks of the boat.

 

[GorillaToast]

It wouldn't in fact if I were doing it I'd just leave that along... I would however dig as much of the loose caulking out from outside and when re-caulking I'd try to force as much as I could in the joint. Everyone I know who has done this have done it from the outside, none have had any further leaks.

5200?

You might want to consider adding the newer wider rub-rail.. Sure makes a huge difference in the looks of the boat.

I would, if I were planning to keep the boat for more than 1 or 2 more seasons. I just want to get it watertight as possible, so I can do less sponging-up and more sailing next year.

Thanks for your valuable advice, Ken.

Bill

 

[Ken]

Yes this is just one of the times I would advise using 5200, in fact it is what I'm told Catalina uses for this... (the other being when Battery trays are installed)


Indeed then I would try even harder not to have to remove that insert....