economic rubrail

[Smeag]

we'll i ripped my old rubrail off, it was in pretty sorry shape. the aluminum strip was missing in a long section, and pretty well dented up and dinged all around. i've been brainstorming and looking up prices for new ones -- 250-300$$ for most of the kits is just absurd. so i did some research on here and didn't find much concerning them. so i've been brainstorming on alternatives to the kits. i came up with the idea to use just a straight rubber strip, aproxx 2" x 1" shaped in a half circle.i think i can drill recessed holes to hold screws or what not. i've been emailing rubber fabricators across the states. i have had luck with one so far, it will cost about 125$ for 50' of this but just a 2" x 1" strip in a rectangular type strip. i have exchanged emails with a few others but havn't gotten any solid quotes on the price yet.

i was curious if anyone has done something similar and had satisfactory results? i'll keep ya'll posted with what i come up with. it seems rubrails are a tough piece to replace.

or does anyone have a better way of getting a decent looking rubrail for a fraction of the cost of the kits?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: economic rubrail

I have seen many people use rope as a rubrail. Some have used nylon and some used hemp..... we are talking 1" or 1 1/4" diameter. Attached with an occasional screw in place of the rubber. I tried to find an example of how it looks but no luck....... I think you get the idea.

 

[dlngr]

Re: economic rubrail

Just an idea- go to an autobody supply store. Ask to see some examples of body side protectors. they come in rolls,different lengths and widths,and have a 3M adhesive backing.

 

[Mark42]

Re: economic rubrail

You can use the solid vinyl body side molding for cars and trucks that come in a roll. Peel and stick, and much cheaper than replacement aluminum. Check out places like jcwhitney, walmart, ect.

Edit: dlngr beat me to the post my a minute!

 

[capri1600]

Re: economic rubrail

What is your time worth? I know in general we are not restoring a boat because it's cheap to do labor wise but at some point you have to draw the line. Spending several hour trying to track down some not so suitable standin for the proper marine rubrail doesnt make sense to me. I'd order the correct product and spend my labor somewhere else on the boat.

 

[Mark42]

Re: economic rubrail

What is your time worth? I know in general we are not restoring a boat because it's cheap to do labor wise but at some point you have to draw the line. Spending several hour trying to track down some not so suitable standin for the proper marine rubrail doesnt make sense to me. I'd order the correct product and spend my labor somewhere else on the boat.

The problem with aluminum rub rail is that it is sold in 12' lengths. Shipping costs are prohibitive, and even if it is ordered and shipped, the chances of damage are high. The alternative is to have the rail cut into 6' lengths for shipping, but then the boat ends up with seams ever 6 feet, and that just does not look good, especially considering the cost of the aluminum rail. I priced out new aluminum for the 14' MFG and it came to over $400 in 2002.

The most practical alternative is a plastic rail that can be shipped in one length as a coil to save shipping.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: economic rubrail

Yeah, if you're looking to go cheap, I'd suggest vinyl rubrail, comes as a coil.

On composite boats, wood or laminated wood strips gets used sometimes too. I've seen rope used too, usually in a channel of some sort, made of wood or metal.

All you really need is something there that A) Looks decent and B) Protects your hull against abrasion and dings.

You could even use some of the "wrap-around" type fenders permanently mounted if you like, although that would look funny to have on all the time.

Erik

 

[Smeag]

Re: economic rubrail

What is your time worth? I know in general we are not restoring a boat because it's cheap to do labor wise but at some point you have to draw the line. Spending several hour trying to track down some not so suitable standin for the proper marine rubrail doesnt make sense to me. I'd order the correct product and spend my labor somewhere else on the boat.

not only are the kits expensive, then are very time consumng to install, and when it comes to saving 2 - 300 $ when i have a budget of around 2,000$ , i just can't swing that much money for something. i have already found one that i stated, not exactly what i want but it will do. i'm just spending my off time searching for alternatives before i take the plunge and order it.

thanx mark and dlngr i'll have to go poke around today or tomorrow to see what i find. and bob, i have to cover roughly a 1.5 inch area for the seems of my cap so i would need an awefully big rope . but i was staying away from the rope because i've heard of them turning green and holding dirt and such after 1 - 2 seasons of use.

 

[Jan_eva]

Re: economic rubrail

Not sure what "look" your trying for or if it's more for functionality... have you ever thought about using some "Trex" decking? It's fairly cheap, comes in different colors, can be cut, bent, drilled, shaped with a router, is pretty flexible, durable as hell. Take a 20' piece, rip it in thirds, hit it with a router, drill it for mounting, voila...60' of rub rail. I don't know...just a thought, let me know what you think

 

[capri1600]

Re: economic rubrail

Now THAT would be interesting. Rip some Trex and then run it through a shaper to route a profile into it. You could countersink something like that.

 

[Jan_eva]

Re: economic rubrail

You could even get a plug cutter and make some little plugs to cover your holes. Gentle bends are not a problem but radiuses might be a little tougher, you can heat it up though and get some pretty sick bends.

 

[PFalcon]

Re: economic rubrail

Not sure what "look" your trying for or if it's more for functionality... have you ever thought about using some "Trex" decking? It's fairly cheap, comes in different colors, can be cut, bent, drilled, shaped with a router, is pretty flexible, durable as hell. Take a 20' piece, rip it in thirds, hit it with a router, drill it for mounting, viola...60' of rub rail. I don't know...just a thought, let me know what you think

FANTASTIC Idea! nuff said!

PF

 

[Smeag]

Re: economic rubrail

Not sure what "look" your trying for or if it's more for functionality... have you ever thought about using some "Trex" decking? It's fairly cheap, comes in different colors, can be cut, bent, drilled, shaped with a router, is pretty flexible, durable as hell. Take a 20' piece, rip it in thirds, hit it with a router, drill it for mounting, voila...60' of rub rail. I don't know...just a thought, let me know what you think

yeah i'm looking for functionality, but i don't want it to be an eyesore either. i've never heard of this trex stuff. i'm gonna have to do some research thanx

 

[Mark42]

Re: economic rubrail

Check out the body molding at carparts.com (no shipping charges!) These run $38 - $59 for a 23 -30 ft roll.

http://www.carparts.com/Body-Molding/600023004.car

 

[Jan_eva]

Re: economic rubrail

yeah i'm looking for functionality, but i don't want it to be an eyesore either. i've never heard of this trex stuff. i'm gonna have to do some research thanx

Trex is a composite decking material...readily available at most home improvment stores. It comes in 20' lengths can be easily ripped, routered, and bent within reason. I think it's about $1.50 a foot or so, comes 5 1/2" wide, some of it even has wood grain on the face. Take a piece, rip into the desired width, take a 1/4" roundover bit, hit the face, drill for mounting, it sands, cuts (for shaping or smoothing joints) easily, blah blah blah. Go to (insert big box store name here) pick up a short piece, and see what you can do with it... If it works, great...if not, forget I ever said anything! You can really work with this stuff, use a rasp, a razor knife, sandpaper, etc. it's made from recycled milk jugs or something so you'll even reduce your "carbon footprint" if your a tree huggin kind of guy!

 

[Smeag]

Re: economic rubrail

yeah i went to the trex website and it just looked like wood molding to me-hard to really judge from there. i'll head to lowes tomorrow and see if i can get a feel for it and see if they have anything that will serve my purpose.

 

[Jan_eva]

Re: economic rubrail

Hope it works for you, like I said, if it's functionality your looking for this should work. Buy 8-10' rip it, and it should be easy to bend and work with. I think it will be the cheap solution to your problem but without pics I don't know.

 

[wguttrid]

Re: economic rubrail

Hey guys, no this is an old post but was curious if anyone (Smeag) used some of the above mentioned ideas for a cheap rub rail (sold vinyle, automotive side molding off roll, or this trex decking material).

Curious is all, maybe some pictures if at all possible of alternative rub rails.

Thanks again.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: economic rubrail

White Oak and T-Molding

http://www.t-molding.com/store/home.php?cat=21

T Molding comes in a variety of colors, very durable. Used to edge furniture to keep it from being damaged. 50 cents a foot. You can get 250 ft rolls.

Make a strip of white oak 1" wide by 3/4" thick. White oak will steam bend to conform to the curvature of the boat quite easily with hot water soaked towels. Cut a 1/8" groove down the center. Stain and seal with epoxy. Attach to the Boat with rivets or screws. Epoxy the T-molding to the groove. Voila' rub rail. Cost for a 16' boat. Less than $50.00.

Rough idea of how it should look

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: economic rubrail

Interesting thread. A good idea from Woodonglass. The T-moulding might be a good substitute for the currently sold rub rail insert material, especially if your existing aluminmum part is salvagable.