RUB RAIL REMOVAL

[tezam]

This is one problem I would wish on no one. After noticing numerous brown rustlike streaks running down the sides of my gel coat hull from under my rub rail, I assume that something under the rub rail is rusting from salt water spray. I have a 2000 Wellcraft Fisherman 180 with a gray rubber insert force fit into a white vinyl strip. I think this rust streak is strange since I make it a policy to wash off the boat and trailer with fresh water after each outing into the Chesapeake Bay. At first I thought it must be non-stainless screws under the rubber insert rusting. But today I used my heat gun to soften and pry up just the ends of the rubber insert at the transom where they join under the engine bracket (not a simple task in itself). Since this shows two shiny screw heads holding the vinyl strip to the transom (imbedded in 5200), I assume that the screws are stainless all around. But now I can’t imagine what it could be and wonder if anyone has had experience with this condition from under their rub rail.

 

[navigator336]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

Unfortunately, all stainless rusts. 316 is much more corrosion resistant that 303 or 304, but it is much harder to find screws made from 316, and when you do, they are more expensive. I suspect most boat builders do not use 316. I don't know about your rub rail, but many are not sealed underneath and only clamped against the fiberglass with the screws. If there is a gap somewhere (and there almost always is) the salt water is driven up under as you are running. Hosing it off doesn't get it all out and rust happens. <br /><br />And yes, I have those annoying rust streaks on my boat too. Fortunately its easy to clean off.

 

[ThomWV]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

Yeah, sometimes they used cheap screws and you are the one that gets screwed. I pulled our rub rail off in the fall, but I was doing a lot of other work on the hull anyway. Rather than replace the screws with high quality stainless (Jamestown Supply will have everything you need in 316) I just went ahead and bought stainless machine screws, fender washers, and nylock nuts. We drilled out every hole (104 of othem on our 23 foot walkaround) and countersunk it. Then I got on the inside and my wife got on the outside and we went around the whole boat putting in the bolts. I had already pulled out all of the old calking, washed out the space, where there was any, with acetone, and recalked it with 5200 before the drilling and bolting took place. <br /><br />I'm just going to go ahead and put a new rub rail on mine, with everything new. It will be screwed down and I'll go back to Jamestown Supply for the screws for that too rather than use the ones that come with the kit from Taco. Its not that I think Taco will have bad screws in their kit, its just that I will KNOW I've got 316 if I buy them myself - plus I can get larger and longer screws.<br /><br />Thom

 

[tezam]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

Thanks for the responses. Tomorrow, I'll remove one of the visible screws to see if it's rusting inside.

 

[tezam]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

Thom/Nav; The two screws removed from my transom are stainless and not rusted. I may wait till Summer to remove entire rub rail to see what's going on. I guess that it is possible that some gaps under the rub rail exist, thereby allowing water in...and dirty bilge water back out in rough seas.

 

[ThomWV]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

What you have to remember is that when they built the boat they first attached the hull liner to the hull. They may have done that with screws, bolts, or rivits. That, or those, is what is rusting, not the screws that are holding the rub rail. The rub rail covers the attachment fastners, whatever they may be. And even if they did use 316 screws its still possible that one or two screws of some inferior metal got mixed in, it happens all the time, or one of them had the bit driver's screwdriver bit spin an scratch the screw head. That will allow rest to begin even on 316 material. One way or another if you want to address the problem that rub rail has to come off. You have to decide if its worth the effort, which will be considerable.<br /><br />Thom

 

[flashback]

Re: RUB RAIL REMOVAL

kinda lean toward Thom's idea. the rusting fasteners may be the ones used to secure the deck to the hull. I believe wellcraft uses the shoebox lid design for fitting the deck to the hull then secureing it with screws......