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E35-3 rubrail

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
I did a search and found a lot of posts about rubrail availability but I am trying to figure out if we have an original rubrail, and do people have a source for replacement? Ours was a two piece rail of what appears to be vinyl and then a rubber insert. Most posts on here seem to have some sort of aluminum rail. Do people know if this is original, and more importantly can anyone point me to a replacement? Our boat was hit by another boat and we are trying to get it repaired but the repair yard is struggling to find a replacement and it is keeping us from moving forward. I have added a few pictures from my phone, but I believe these don’t appear correctly. I will replace them with fixed photos when I can get to a computer. Thanks for the help!

D3006DF5-B783-49FE-8F2A-1865BF5F22CF.jpg
 

Pat C.

Member III
I have a 35-3 of the same year model as yours, all mine has is a simple aluminum strip with exposed screws driven into the hull to deck joint. I wouldn't call mine a rubrail at all, just cosmetic with screws waiting to be driven further into the hull joint during the first hard "rub".

Someone posted an upgrade pic of a 38 that they replaced that strip with a real rubrail that I thought looked very nice, in addition to now being a real rubrail. Not sure who it was, maybe they will see this and repost. I remember Taco Marine being a source for rubrails...one of the things on my ever expanding to do list...
 

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
By '84 the E381 and by '85 the E32-3 had proprietary polished aluminum rub rail extrusions (which are no longer available, meaning the entire rub rail has to be replaced with a Taco alternative product).

So it does seem like a change was made.
 
Under the Rubrail - Yuck!

So what did you guys decide to do? I am in midst of replacing my insert in a 1979 E30. Was freeing up one end so I could confirm profile. But it came out so easy... just pulled it out. Then noticed rub rail was coming off too. On insert: looks like Wefco #4107. But they ain't making white for 4 weeks (if you can trust them) and it's $3.50 a foot. Black you can have quick. Also if you have good orig rubrails they say you need to use adhesive to keep it from falling out. Is it really the right size? Anybody used $4107 in orig rail? I think $4107 replaced #788. Anyone tried Taco V12-4144 in orig rail? Seems cheaper and available at various marine suppliers

Now for under the rubrail: the rail was pulling off with the insert. Went back pulled a few screws.... behind the rail and between the flanges were 3/4" x 3/4" wood filler strips the length of the boat. The wood did not appear to be glued or caulked in place. Instead the pan head slotted sheet metal screws went all the way thru the wood into the glass hull to deck joint. lots of the wood was rotten. Thinking about going back in with epoxy coated wood held in w 4200 and dedicated screws, then use shorter screws to attach rail to wood. Or do same with fiberglass strips - like Bluewater 26 by Coosa, or fill w epoxy and filler etc. I am not just going to grind flush and paint.... seen that but seems like a lot a work. Plus I do rub now and then.

Here are a few pics. Sorry some how they rotated on insertion. If you open in new tab they rotate back and are clearer. Oh well. Happy to hear what you guys are doing!

IMG_8407.JPGIMG_8391.JPG


IMG_8413.JPGIMG_8409.JPG

Fred
 

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
Hi Fred!

Others with older boats might have some different feedback, but our rail was not done with wood filler like that. On ours the entire gap between the hull and the rail was filled with some kind of elastomer or other soft rubbery caulk. The color actually looks like a urethane product. First picture is a piece of the rail showing all the urethane all over it, second shows how ours was fitted to the boat. Ours is attached so hard the only way to get it off is to remove the screws, cut the rail longitudinally in half then pry the two sections off the boat in like 2 foot peices.

Our insert doesn’t come out that easy, so I don’t know if yours has dried out or if there is another reason for it coming out so easy.

Like you said there is a 4 week lead time and we are waiting for the white, so can’t tell you about fitment. I’ll let you know once we get it. We are crushed as the availability of the rubrail is causing us to lose the entire rest of the Maine sailing season. So I hope it is only 4 weeks or we will be staring down winterization issues!
 

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Under the Rubrail

Thanks for the pics. I was thinking about doing something similar, i.e. filling the flange gap with some product out of a caulk gun. Anyway headed down to Fisheries Supply in Seattle today to see what my options are. They seem to have quite a bit of Taco rubrail product in stock.

As for losing the rest of your sailing season.... I don't know.... That rail is largely cosmetic.... if I were you... I'd just go anyway. Caulk up any screw holes that bother you and enjoy while you can!

Fred
 

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
Unfortunately the rubrail is part of a larger boondoggle with the insurance company, it has been a painful process that is still ongoing, but right now the boatyard still has the boat. We were hit by an uninsured boat that pulled its mooring while on our mooring about a week and a half after bringing it there for our first season with the new boat :mad:
 
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MarineCityBrian

Apprentice Tinkerer
I have a 35-3 of the same year model as yours, all mine has is a simple aluminum strip with exposed screws driven into the hull to deck joint. I wouldn't call mine a rubrail at all, just cosmetic with screws waiting to be driven further into the hull joint during the first hard "rub".

Someone posted an upgrade pic of a 38 that they replaced that strip with a real rubrail that I thought looked very nice, in addition to now being a real rubrail. Not sure who it was, maybe they will see this and repost. I remember Taco Marine being a source for rubrails...one of the things on my ever expanding to do list...

Myself likewise. I've got hull #119, really 1983.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have a theory about Ericson aluminum rub rail. It should be considered trim, because it is in no way a rub rail. It's more like chrome on a car.

In my local region, with deep water and no shallow bays, there are hardly any pilings not contained by a floating dock.

There's just nothing for a rub rail to hit. The hull hits first. Since Ericsons were made in SoCal, that may have entered thinking.

But in many waters, slips have exposed pilings covered in barnacles, and bumping one is inevitable.

One good contact damages the aluminum, and there is no way way to replace a section since the extrusion is no longer made.

If I lived among pilings, as in Florida or the Chesapeake, I would not replace with aluminum, but rather something designed to absorb a bump without damage.
 
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GrandpaSteve

Sustaining Member
I have a theory about Ericson aluminum rub rail. It should be considered trim, because it is in no way a rub rail. It's more like chrome on a car.

In my local region, with deep water and no shallow bays, there are hardly any pilings not contained by a floating dock.

There's just nothing for a rub rail to hit. The hull hits first. Since Ericsons were made in SoCal, that may have entered thinking.

But in many waters, slips have exposed pilings covered in barnacles, and bumping one is inevitable.

One good contact damages the aluminum, and there is no way way to replace a section since the extrusion is no longer made.

If I lived among pilings, as in Florida or the Chesapeake, I would not replace with aluminum, but rather something designed to absorb a bump without damage.

I agree. My boat has lived its whole life in the Chesapeake, and the Ericson "rub rails" show it, mostly at the widest beam of the boat. Otherwise they look pretty good. I like your Taco replacement Christian, but if I did that, they would look abused after a couple of seasons. I would like to replace the originals with a rubber insert model deep enough to cover the hull/deck joint flange, but the I have not seen a replacement yet.

Until then, the rub rails continue to add "character" to the boat. :egrin:
 

fool

Member III
Is the hull fabrication number embedded in the HIN on the transom? I would be interested to know what our hull number is compared to yours, but I have not found a hull number marked anywhere yet.

Look for the three numbers after ERY35 on your HIN (hull identification number), or lift up a floorboard or two to see what number is marked there in black marker...one in the same usually...

Max
 

bgary

Advanced Beginner
Blogs Author
Is the hull fabrication number embedded in the HIN on the transom?

In general, yes.

A HIN is nominally 12 which breaks down like this:

MMM LL HHH DDDD

MMM = a three-character manufacture code. For Ericson Yachts it is ERY. For Pacific Seacraft it is PSC

LL = a two-digit code for the model (usually the length)

HHH = a three digit code for the hull number

DDDD = the production date. There have been a couple of different formats, but in general the four digits represent the month and year construction started, and the model-year.

So, yeah, your hull number should be digits 6-8 in the HIN.

Note that they started the hull numbers at different points as the models changed. For example, the original Ericson-32 line started with hull #1; the Ericson 32-2 started with hull #101, and the Ericson 32-III line started with hull #601.

Bruce
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Is the hull fabrication number embedded in the HIN on the transom? I would be interested to know what our hull number is compared to yours, but I have not found a hull number marked anywhere yet.

It was embossed on the upper part of one side of the transom, IIRC.

If the transom was repainted or re-gel coated, a second rate yard might not have recreated the HIN. It's been known to happen.

It was also embossed inside of the boat in an out-of-plain-sight area. It might be on the fiberglass engine bed log molding, for instance.
 
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Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
Thanks guys!

The info I was missing was the way to decode #’s 4-8. So I now know we have hull #150 manufactured May ‘83.

Now the interesting question is when did Ericson swap over to the more sensible 2-peice rubrail from the aluminum strip? I would think with the right info of people’s manufacture dates / hull numbers and rail type we could find out.
 

Hagar2sail

Member III
Blogs Author
I agree. My boat has lived its whole life in the Chesapeake, and the Ericson "rub rails" show it, mostly at the widest beam of the boat. Otherwise they look pretty good. I like your Taco replacement Christian, but if I did that, they would look abused after a couple of seasons. I would like to replace the originals with a rubber insert model deep enough to cover the hull/deck joint flange, but the I have not seen a replacement yet.

Until then, the rub rails continue to add "character" to the boat. :egrin:

Of course this kind of puts a hole in the theory that it was just a manufacturing change. 4 years after ours was made and he has aluminum. Ours was most certainly delivered to the east coast when it was new, we have the CG documents to prove that. Could Ericson has installed different rails depending on delivery location? Seems very unlikely, but now I am really curious.
 
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