rub rails
The Catalina rub rail system should have been discontinued years ago. Just walk through any marina where there are Cats and you'll often see dirty vinyl squeezing out of dented lightweight aluminun extrusions that pass for rubrails. Slide along any piling and its just natural that the wood will grab the vinyl and scar it and likely pull it out.I had the incredibly good luck to have purchased my 42 from a gentleman who got disgusted with the thin toy rubrail and replaced it with a heavy duty aluminum rail which protrudes about an inch and a half and tapers from about 2" at the hull to about 3/4" at the striking surface. It is thru bolted and backed with s.s.washers and aircraft lock nuts. It is strong, good looking,and gives great confidence when you have to put the bow on a piling to pivot off a dock in strong current conditions. I'd say it is one of the best pieces of cruising equipment you could add. These extrusions are available from most marine catalogues . Its a bit of a project but it will save your boat from all kinds of abuse and it will be much longer before you need to have the Awl Grip discussion. GJH, ACADIA Ft. Lauderdale
