Repairing a rub rail

I had an unintended meeting with a small powerboat today. We drifted together and his bow pulpit pressed up against my port quarter rub rail. It wasn't a hard hit and there appears to be no structural damage. However, the rub rail got pressed in before we could fend off each other. It's about a 4-inch long depression, about half the depth of the rub rail. Not a major eyesore, but I'd like to get rid of it.

Questions: Has anyone had any experience repairing a rub rail? Will unscrewing the rub rail screws for a couple of feet above the dent allow me sufficient access to the underside of the rub rail? Once I do have access, I assume that the rail is not round, but is convex. If so, how can I pop out the dent without causing more damage?

Is this a bad idea all around, or is popping out a ding in a rub rail do-able?

Thanks in advance for your help. - Rob ('86 E-30+)

I had to completely replace my rub rails

I had to completely replace my rub rails on both sides of my e-27 as part of its restoration after I purchased it used. It looked like it had been banged around in the docks before I bought it. If you look under Docs & Specs on the Ericson Web site it has a pdf manual you can down load that explains the installation process.

I have two extra 15 foot sections of the plastic extrusions if you need them as well as a used 27 foot section of the rub rail it's self. I also have about 10 feet of new rub rail. Pacific Sea Craft will only sell you 40 foot lengths of both.

I don't think you will be able to get the dent out because it's solid rubber. It's quite a job to replace the whole thing. Took me about 10 hours by myself. It involved soap and a pry bar to get the rubber into the extrusion. Down load the manual and read on.

You might just decide to live with the dent after you do.

Jeff Asbury

Thanks for your note, Jeff. I have the aluminum rub rail on my E 30+ and while aluminum isn't the best metal to work with, I'm hoping that there might be some give to it. I could replace the rail with plastic and then a rubber insert, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that, since the new setup would be more expensive than I was hoping the project would run (the insert costs as much as the underlying plastic per foot, at least according to the Pacific Seacraft site).

As you can see from the attached photo, the aluminum rail has a hole for a screw every so often, so I'm *hoping* that I can just back off the old screw and put it back in after removing the rail. It sounds too simple to be the case, but if that's more-or-less it, I would definitely improve the look of the boat by getting rid of the worn and stained/corroded rail (not to mention the dent).

- Rob

Sorry Rob,

For assuming that all Ericson's had the same set up as I. The only other Ericson's I have seen 38' to 25's have the same as I. Good luck pounding that out. I might use a heat gun to soften it a little first.

Jeff

BTW, I sent an email today about the rub rail to Pacific Seacraft support. I was impressed when I received a reply later in the day. The rep. was very helpful, providing me with information about the rub rails they offer, and volunteering to send a sample or fax with dimensions. The only kicker here is that the shipping charges could run anywhere from under $100 to $500, depending upon distance, since the rails have to come on a truck with a 40' trailer.

She's getting me an estimate. However, my boat is in Rhode Island - a long way from California - so I'm not optimistic. I wish there were a cheaper way....

You could sail the boat to the West Coast by way of the Panama Canal. Just kidding.

You may want to consider the plastic extrusion and rubber insert because they bend the 40 foot extrusions into a big ring. The rubber inserts came in a medium sized box. Mine were delivered UPS on a much smaller truck. The expense was minimal because I live close to PSC.

Good Luck

Jeff

I had Pacific Seacraft ship me new aluminum rails for my 32-3 a couple of years ago and she found a way to ship them by air to NY for about $125.

The PO of my boat kept his 12' beam E-38 in a 13' 6" wide slip. After two seasons of this his aluminum rub rail was apparently banged up pretty good. Before selling the boat (to me) he had the yard replace the rail with the sort of plastic rail that has a small stainless steel strip as an insert. Initially I was a bit disappointed, as it didn't look quite like an Ericson. But after a close encounter or two with my own dock piles I now love the fact that this rail can't dent.

So unless you are a purist, I would suggest eventually replacing the whole thing with something similar, and more robust, than the original rub rail.

The plastic version seems like a good alternative, though it is twice as expensive - the extrusion is more per foot than aluminum (aluminum is $3.75 per foot and plastic is $4.95) and the rubber insert is $4.95 per foot as well. I'm also curious whether the plastic is predrilled for the screws and whether the screw holes line up with the existing holes that are in the wood strip behind the rail (though it's probably better if it isn't, since I wouldn't want to trust a 17 year old screw hole).

I like the rubber bumper idea, but I need to upgrade electronics, get a battery charger (I move to a slip next month from my mooring...another story - lose the seclusion in a pretty harbor, but gain more acceptance by my wife, who wants the convenience....)

I received a quote on shipping of about $150 today. That's not too bad, and probably worth it - not for a small dent, which is a psychological thing I need to just get over - but to spiff up an old-looking rail generally.

On a totally unrelated note, I have to say that I love my Compaq IPAQ 5455 with Maptech Pocket Navigator and the Bluetooth Emtac GPS receiver. How many high resolution color chartplotters offer ebooks, audio books, and MP3's, not to mention lists, schedules, Word, Excel, etc.?

- Rob
'86 E 30+
Whisper
E. Greenwich, RI

Rub Rail & PC

I found the IBM thinkpad 770 series will run most software and I can get them used for about $300.00
Getting my T-30 wet is an unappealing prospect.
I have dropped one HP and for Boating I would have a couple spare laptops than to lose my best.