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My Rub-Rail experience...
TransFueler
#1 Print Post
Posted on 11/19/17 - 6:38 PM
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When I bought Smirk, I knew there were a few things to do to bring her back to her original beauty.

First off, besides a good hull polish, was to replace the rub rail assembly. It was literally falling off in places, and basically done.

Purchased the kit from one of the site sponsors. It was as advertised, always a good start...

I began by putting the stiff receiver rail in the hot tub to soften a bit. I guess it became a touch more flexible, but man was it hard to work with. Using woodworking clamps was very difficult. They almost always slipped up and off the gunwales. One flew off and across the barn to my wife's Formula V race car, gouging it's brand new paint job. Oops honey...

I finally enlisted the help of my 24 year old studly son. Between the two of us, we eventually got the receiver rail wrapped all the way around the boat. One thing we did, which undoubtedly made the job all that harder, was to wrap the rail around the transom, instead of bevel cutting it as a separate piece.

We also tried using a Harbor Freight air riveter, which proved useless. It just didn't have the guts to pull the rivet center out enough to snap it off. So, we did most of the job with a basic hand riveter. For that, you definitely will want to find a strong 24 year old guy to pull those rivets. Really... Or I guess you could invest in a quality air riveter. That would help immensely...

To install the final black rub rail, I somehow got my wife to help. Considering I was doing this job in "her" barn, it makes sense. She wanted "my" boat out of there asap.

We got a system going of me feeding the plastic into the bottom of the receiver, she working the top part down with a screen tool, and me tapping with a mallet to seat it. I only whacked her hand a few times, and barely drew any blood at all. Really not much.

The bow light wiring had previously been routed under the rub rail, so we redid it as well. That included drilling a couple holes in the 'glass, so the wiring is totally invisible now. Always fun gauging the hull thickness so as not to drill though to the outer skin... But, I was successful, and am pretty, pretty, proud of that.

Naturally, one thing leads to another... Sadly, it didn't lead to a wild romp in the hay loft. It lead to my seeing the terribly corroded bow light assembly. Heaven's, no way that was staying clasped to my gorgeous new rub rail. So, now I either get it rechromed, our buy a new stainless steel assembly from one of this site's fine sponsors.

Next it to either get the Super Sport Limited's upholstery redone, or buy a new set from one of this site's fine sponsors...


Edited by TransFueler on 11/19/17 - 7:17 PM
Smirk is a 1987 Super Sport Limited 17 w/Johnson/Suzuki 90 EFI four-stroke
 
Phil T
#2 Print Post
Posted on 11/20/17 - 5:16 AM
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It is better to re-chrome the light as the replacements on the market are not the same quality and don't always line up correctly.

For upholstry, there is only one OEM source, Anderson's.
www.amfg.us


1992 Outrage 17 I
2019 E-TEC 90, Viper 17 2+
2018 Load Rite Elite 18280096VT
 
gchuba
#3 Print Post
Posted on 11/20/17 - 9:49 AM
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Nice story. I hope your wife did not comment about hot tubbing with boat plastic. When I did my rub rail and receiver (1979 22' Revenge) a member defined the receiver as working with "coiled concrete".....never a truer statement. I was advised to leave the original seem of the receiver at the bow of the boat. I never asked why but assumed it was for expansion and contraction with the changing temperatures. Maybe the same at the transom. I did miter my corner at the transom. Not an easy cut, a compound miter with one piece already installed. Fortunately I saved (at the time...wish I still had a couple of the insert pieces kicking around just in case) the original corners to act as a template. If your installation is "seem less" you might want to pop out the rub rail, add a couple more rivets. sawzall with a very fine blade (or a very sharp trim hand saw) the two corners and the bow if you have one continuous piece. It was Tom Clark who gave me the suggestion> I would hate to see any part of the insert piece pop out through flexing or temperature changes. The rub rail is very salvageable and can be removed and replaced without damage. I have my original black as back up intact. I also swapped out my original black replacement rub rail for a red one and sold the intact new black one to a fellow member. I was planning on doing the whole run seem less minus the transom corners. How on earth did you bend the corners of the insert on the transom????? Heat it with a torch.....more hot tubbing????? Sounds like you have a wonderful attitude and a forgiving and loving wife, both needed for restoring and owning a Whaler.

 
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