Damager rub rail aft starboard side

[Glory]

I have a damaged rub rail, some may call it a spray rail. Never trust guest, even other skippers, to handle fender duties. The forward hardware, likely 4, are buried behind the chest of drawers and behind the muffler. I can cut it off, but still need to reinstall.

Any suggestions?

'73 58 YF, athwart ship queen.

Thanks

 

[kelpy]

You can't put full blame on the person(s) doing fender work. It sounds like the helmsman may have momentarily lost control of the boat.

Those fasteners are almost impossible to reach and are most likely corroded after 47 years. Find someone small and skinny.

 

[whoover]

Hello, have you removed the the stainless trim yet? When I had mine off I found that it was held on with nuts sitting in counterbores. If yours is the same you may get lucky and be able to get it off with some gentle prying once the nuts are removed.
Good luck.

Walt Hoover

 

[dsharp]

After the stainless trim is removed you may be able to scarf a section in and not have to unbolt the entire rail. You may have to chisel the damaged section off around the fasteners then cut the fasteners. It’s not a job that you want to attempt while the boat is in the water. I have no opinion about responsibility for the damage.

 

[Photolomy]

What is the rail around the top edge of the deck called? I thought that was the rub rail.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I think it is. But there is also stainless molding on the quarter-fenders, which are those rails at the back of the boat, down near the waterline, and I've heard those called rubrails, too.

 

[Nonchalant1]

My rub rail, a stainless steel rail that goes all the way forward to aft at the widest point high up the hull, was held on by screws into the fiberglass. The quarter fenders stick out at the aft waterline to provide a base for a lower stainless rub rail where the hull is more narrow at the waterline than above, so the high and low rub rails are roughly equal distance from a seawall or lock wall. My quarter fenders were held on by nuts on a bolt which were accessed by removing the stainless rail on top of the wood fenders. The stainless rail was held on by large wood screws.

 

[Glory]

You can't put full blame on the person(s) doing fender work. It sounds like the helmsman may have momentarily lost control of the boat.

Those fasteners are almost impossible to reach and are most likely corroded after 47 years. Find someone small and skinny.

Thanks for doubting my skill, the damage occurred long after making fast to the dock

 

[Glory]

Well the rub rail I s off, 5 3/8 carrige bolts. Likely going fill the front holes and redrill.

Next, get to work reproducing the rub rail, some 12' long.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[whoover]

Did it come off reasonably easily or did you have to resort to cutting?

Walt Hoover

 

[Glory]

It came off fairly easy, the damage was caused by the rail being shoved into the upper dock face board. That contact cracked the bottom of the rail full length. That weakened the adhesive.

 

[dsharp]

What type of material are you making the replacement out of? If wood are you going to have to laminate the pieces?

 

[jim rosenthal]

If the balance of the wooden rail is not rotted, you can probably find a shop to either machine you a new rail, or a section to match what you have. If you replace the entire rail, with a wooden one, give it a few coats of epoxy before you paint it, and it will probably outlast all of us.

 

[JCG-PR]

When we purchased our 45C, the bottom "rub rail" part had been ripped out of the starboard side. This was part of some hurricane damage the boat sustained and that part, including its stainless steel rail, were both lost.

We had a new rail made from a solid block of mahogany, formed following dimensions from the port side rub rail, which was still intact. This was a lengthy process, as the part has many curves and must meet the hull curvature as well. The stainless steel rail, we were able to cut out from a longer rail, recycled from boats that were destroyed during the Hurricane. We cut to our required length and bent it as needed.

Before installation, the wooden piece was sealed up I'm not sure with what.

The previous part had been held on with carriage bolts, from the inside of the hull, as mentioned before. Accessing these bolts would have been impossible for us so we used stainless steel self tapping screws, countersunk into the part. Used a liberal amount of 5200 on the screws and between the part and the hull. Paint was "easy", since we were already painting the whole boat.

Good luck,
JCG

 

[Glory]

What type of material are you making the replacement out of? If wood are you going to have to laminate the pieces?

I was thinking oak. Mostly for the strength.

 

[whoover]

So is all work beimg done from the outside or did you have to get behind furniture on the inside?

Walt Hoover

 

[Glory]

So far just outboard, let's see the trix going together that are needed.

 

[TGarth]

How did you get dimensions for manufacturing the new rail?

How did the reinstallation go?

My rails are in bad shape and it is looking like someone filled it with bondo in the past so trying to learn from your experience.