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I’m wanting (needing) to replace my rub rail. My 13’ is a 1963. I attempted to take it off but the 54 year old glue was pulling off chunks of get coat instead. This photo is not my boat but this is the same rub rail that I have…
I’m considering putting the new rail over the old since it’s fairly low profile. Or is there a way to remove the old rail without tearing off gel coat?
I would like the new rail to be white like the original, but otherwise i'm ok with any style that looks good and actually protects the boat a little.
Doctor D,
Are you sure it is chunks of gel coat and not the original rub rail adhesive you are pulling off? In any case, my experience is more limited to classic whalers from 1978-thru 1993 when the rub rails are 2 or 3 pieces and fasten on with either screws or pop rivets necessitating the drilling of holes. They make different colors of the later model whaler rub rails including white, but they are not as low profile but offer much more protection from "dock rash". The kits can be bought online at Ebay or from Sue the B.W parts guru at Beacon Marine who I believe is listed in the sponsor section of this site. You can see what the different color rub rails look like by looking at the personal pages of members who have similar era 13 foot sports listed under the 'Members' Information dropdown box on the main page of Whaler Central. As for getting the old rub rail and glue off, try a heat gun. If you don't have one, but one as you will need it to install the new rub rail. If that doesn't work I would try some chemical paint stripper that will not hurt gel coat such as the West marine brand. Either way, it will not be an easy job but the transformation will be worth the effort. Instructions for installation and other rub rail tips can be found by doing a site search using the key words , "rub rail" under the , "Main" dropdown box of this sites homepage.
I had to replace the glued on single rubber white rub rail as well. I know what you mean about taking off pieces of gelcoat and even fiberglass in some spots. I was pretty careless when I removed mine and just ripped it off and filled what came off with some thickened epoxy. I replaced the old rub rail with a new three piece set and I assumed (incorrectly) that the new rubber guard that goes on first would cover the old rub rail spots (I didnt spend the time to remove all the old adhesive and re-gelcoat). I was rushing and it ended up costing me in the end. Once you take the old rub rail off, take the time to clean all the old adhesive, patch, and gelcoat. You can try some spectrum paste patch stuff (they sell it on iboat I think) and the whaler blue color match is pretty darn close (at least for their gelcoat thats what I used).
Maybe try some heat to warm up the adhesive to take off the old rub rail?
Thanks Rock and Jgort...both helpful. Thanks to y'all and Sue (she's awesome), i'm now certain i want the original L style rub back on my boat. it might be my imagination but this L rub appears slightly larger than my org.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?projector=1 (photo sent by Sue)
Maybe mine has shrunk over the half century...i hope so. My plan is to meticulously remove the old so that the new will completely cover any scars. I will try the heat for removal. i plan to work on my spider cracks this summer then the new rub will be the icing.
Thanks again for the help. Thanks also to you, Joe, for correcting my dastardly 2 digit year blunder. It won't happen again.
I'm on the same rub rail replacement for a same 13' Whaler Sport restoration as OP. The original rub rail was removed sometime in this craft's history and replaced a cheap rub rail anchored by some kind of adhesive that's like cold bubble gum. It's a pain to remove. Further:
I found I need to scrap this old adhesive off with a knife and then wipe down/clean with mineral spirit or acetone. Labor intensive.
I also noticed some sort of very hard & sharp, grey filler that was under the old rub rail that was never removed, smoothed or sanded out. There is also small areas of chipped and damaged gelcoat/fiberglass on the bow to repair. I plan to use West System to take care of this condition.
As described the project isn't all that expensive, but it's labor intensive. Fun. Sorta like fiddling and tinkering with a old Triumph or MGB. :-)
