rub rail repair

[Jim Hardesty]

Had a docking issue getting fuel.  Got a partial cut in my rub rail.  Has anyone done a repair to the rubber?  Mine is grey.
Thanks,
Jim

[patrice]

Hi,

New one aren't cheap

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm/product/1341/rubrail-c-34-c-42-grey-vinyl.cfm

Hope you'll find a way to fix.
How bad is it ???

[Andrew Harvey]

I replaced my rubrail a couple of years ago. switched from brown to grey.
Have a little left over.
How big of a section do you need ?

[Jim Hardesty]

Andrew,
Thanks for the offer.  Don't need to replace, yet.  Was thinking about some rubber like calking.  Here is a picture to better explain.
Jim

[Ron Hill]

Jim : Don't know of anyway that the vinyl rub rail can be repaired. 

You might try some electric glue to see if it might hold?

A thought

[Bill Asbury]

jim, I'm wondering if you might cut out the damaged area and just push the two ends together
which might make it look okay to anyone other than yourself. I lean a wee bit too much on
the pilings backing into my slip sometimes and get a bow in the rubrail but no big deal, just pound it
back in with me trusty mallet.  Might be scruffy but ain't about to spend the boat bucks to replace.
Bill

[KWKloeber]

Jim,

If you clean it up well and cut away loose/protruding material, you might try some Dow 795 to fill in missing rubber.  it comes in gray and also a 'limestone' color gray.

If there's any abrasion I don't think it would stay there long -- but cosmetically it might be better.

If you replace the sections could shrink, and advise a screw thru the 'exposed' ends so a gaposis doesn't develop.

I have something similar from 15 yrs ago but never replaced it.  I was beside myself one spring trying to figure out what I hit the season before that chewed up her port rub rail/channel near the spreaders???     And where my grill went that was on my stern rail.  I couldn't remember taking it home for repair or clean or whatever, and it wasn't in the lazarette where I usually stowed in on the hard.  I figured I had left it on the rail and it grew legs over the winter.   

That is, until I splashed -- and saw the rub rail/channel damage lined up perfectly with a rough weld down the steel piling wall of the travel lift slip.   The (former) yard had left her tied in the slip unprotected -- probably in a Nov blow -- and the weld beat the hell out of the boat.     
And the top steel cap on the piling lined up perfectly with the top of the stern rail.  I didn't bother hiring a diver to find my grill in the bottom muck. 

Ken K

[Ron Hill]

Jim : if you cut out that section and try joining them together - you will stretch both sections. 

This stretching will decrease the height/width (edges) of the vinyl rub rail. These edges are what holds the vinyl in the aluminum holder.  You'll just make thing worse!!

a thought