Rub rails

[whisper 92]

I picked up an 1982 S2 9.2 that needs a lot of work. One area I would like to clean up it the rub rail. It's in pretty rough shape and I'm not sure how to restore the color back to black. First of all, what is the rub rail made of, aluminum? Secondly, what would you recommend for cleaning/polishing it? Right now its streaky white and black. Thanks.

 

[Mark Maulden]

We tried Meguires products, Mothers products, and some others I don't remember....Acetone worked the best with a coat of wax after..

 

[BobM]

Do you mean the toe rail? The rub rail is the rubber bumper that goes around the boat. The toe rail is the slotted aluminum edging. The rub rail is best cleaned with acetone followed by a protectant. The toe is black anodizing. Not too much to do except clean it avoiding abrasives. Some report luck with a couple of thin coats of Penetrol, sold in the paint aisle of your local hardware store. Don't over do it as too much results in a sticky dirt grabbing film. Lime away was recommended as a precleaner and for removal. Saw it on a Hobie site. Others recommend just oiling it after cleaning it with dish soap and a white scotch brite pad. Dormond is sold to clean black anodized Calphalon pans, so you might try that, but i have some and must say it doesn't seem very effective on pans.

 

[whisper 92]

Acetone along with a wax protectant worked great on the rub rails and Penetrol worked great on cleaning up the toe kick. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Doons60]

My rub rails are almost white with oxidation.. We're yours that bad and did the acetone get the rubber back to black..
Thanks

 

[BobM]

The acetone will take them back to black from all white.

 

[Doons60]

Just did this over the weekend, it did the trick. They look like new...

 

[BobM]

I'd follow it up with protectant.