Aluminum Rub Rail Corrosion

[Mizerita]

I searched the forum and found a few threads, but haven't seen any updates. I also couldn't find Capt Pat's painting schedule / recommendations. I'm starting to see some corrosion around the cap / rub rails. Also, is anyone selling a PVC replacement? Seems this is an ongoing issue but couldn't find a ton of info on it.

[Amberjack]

My guards came off several years ago due to some corrosion. It's a project involving lots of fasteners, both screws and bolts. The midships sections are under some load so be aware of that when removing the fasteners and be sure to label them for port and starboard. Its impossible to tell them apart when time to re-assemble.

I wire brushed the salt corrosion that occurred behind the faster holes where the salt water never got rinsed off, then washed them. In retrospect I should have washed them with a light acid solution to really get all the salt deposits off. Then I pre-treated the aluminum with an awful, toxic green surface prep that Boeing uses on airplane hulls, something-chloride, and finished up with brushed on aluminum tint HammerTite. It's been several years, I haven't seen any sign of new corrosion and the HammerTite is easy to touch up.

The vinyl guards are easy to install and probably look cleaner but I really like the heavy aluminum guards. They hold up well against the bare concrete walls in the Hiram Chittenden locks if a fender slips and most importantly distribute the load in event of a heavy impact. Last summer we were T-boned by a charter boat while tied to the dock at Ganges Harbour. They hit right in the center of the long mid-ship section of the guard which spread the impact over about 8' so no harm, no foul. I think a vinyl guard would have allowed some hull damage. So, my two cents.

[Amberjack]

My guards came off several years ago due to some corrosion.

Let me rephrase that to read--"I took my guards off...."

[Pete Fallon]

Amberjack,
I was going to replace my rub rail with vinyl but after removing it completely it was in pretty good shape. I removed all the thru bolts at the bow(5-1/4-20) and the aft corners (3 or 4 1/4-20) on each section. The rest of the rails were held in place with #12 SS pan head 1-1/4" screws. Most of the screws came off with just a little prying under the edges. The old screws were either broken or rotted off and the heads were frozen to the aluminum rail. I used a punch and hammer to get the old screw heads from the rail, I filled all the old screw and bolt holes on the boat with epoxy, re-drilled and redid the broken pop rivets. I filled the entire flange seam with thickened epoxy to prevent water intrusion.
Then I sanded both inside and out of the rub rail with 80 grit, then 120 grit, re-counter sunk the holes to accept 1/4- 20 Phillips head thru bolts and 1" fender washers in the inside of the boat. Fixed any deep gouges with J B Weld, then primed with alodine primer, then 2 coats of regular gray automotive primer and painted it satin black with Carhart black automotive trim. (4 coats of black paint)
I did it by myself using 4 sets of vise grip pliers( 4 thru bolts at a time on the inside of the boat). It would go a lot easier and faster with 2 people. I used black life caulk for interior sealant behind the fender washers. Make sure you mark which piece where it came from, they were all different lengths. I did it back in 2010 and after 4 years it still looked like new when I sold the boat.
I took about a box and a half of 1/4-20 x 2-1/2" bolts, a half dozen 3" bolts on corners, nuts, washers and 1" fender washers and a tube of 4200 Boat Life caulk, plenty of acetone and rags.
The thru bolts and fender washers are overkill but I never figured I would never have to do it again. It looked like new and I didn't want the #12 screws to pop out and I wanted a strong rail for any impacts along the way. It was time consuming and getting into the hanging lockers was a pain but I had most of the boats interior apart already after redoing the 110 volt and 12 volt electric wiring. The V berth overhead has to be removed and the galley cabinet and ice box have to be opened up.
Good luck with redoing the rail whether you use a new vinyl or re-using the old rub rail.
Pete Fallon

[Pete Fallon]

Amberjack,
I forgot to mention that after the rail was back on the boat you should run a bead of caulking along the top and bottom edges of the rails to prevent the dirt and black streaks coming down the hull sides.
Pete Fallon