Rub Rail

[NaNa7]

Hi there, I'm new to the boat world in general and am in need of some advice on a couple of things.

1. When relocating to our new marina another boat hit us causing damage to the rub rail. Do I need to replace the entire rub rail or can we just replace the section that received the damage? We've checked for leaks and damage to the fiberglass and luckily there is none.

2. We need to reseal the acrylic hatch lenes to the aluminum frames. What is the best product to use? I've read a lot about this but would still appreciate any advice before I start the project.

3. New bottom paint coming next month! We currently have antifouling paint but we do not know the brand. Recommended products?

Thanks in advance for your time and help!

[markxengineerin]

For the anti-fouling, rub your hand against it and see if it comes off on your fingers. If it does, it's ablative, and you will want to put ablative paint on top, not "hard paint". If the paint on there is "hard", then you have the choice, for the most part, of putting whatever bottom paint you want over it.

For type recommendation, I have observed that "you get what you pay for", and you can probably get the best recommendation from local stores/local sailors, as the answer varies based on the local water.

For your hatch question, see here: https://hatchmasters.com/tonys-blog/

[Tin Tin]

If you don’t know what the existing paint is, I would recommend at least a moderate sanding then a primer recommended by the manufacturer of the paint you choose. Of the 4 boats we bought where the bottom paint was unknown we primed 3 of them. The other one paint started peeling and had lousy protection. All were premium paints.

[rls8r]

As far as the rub rail goes (I'm assuming that it is a wooden rub rail; can't help you without a photo if it's not) - as long as there's no significant damage - go ahead and scarf in a repair piece. I did mine (see photo) and it has held up very well. I used West System epoxy with 406 filler additive in the scarf joints. I cut out the damaged portion long enough to have three fastenings to the hull.

With respect to the hatch sealant ... I've heard good things about Sikaflex 295 UV. It's used with "organic glass" (aka plastic) ports. I have tempered glass in my ports, so I don't use it. I use the Total Boat Seal for my ports. In general, I'd advise staying away from any silicone sealant, but that's just me. I don't let silicone products on the boat since they're so difficult to remove.

markxengineerin gave you good advice regarding figuring out whether the current bottom paint is "hard" or "ablative." And I'll echo the advice about "you get what you pay for." One thing to consider is whether your waters promote soft growth/slime in addition to hard growth (e.g., barnacles). If slime is a problem - make sure that the bottom paint addresses it or else get an additive to control the slime. Once you decide on a paint "family" - call the representative and ask about options. I initially wanted to use Interlux Micron Extra SPC, but it doesn't come in red (it hasn't been approved by whatever government agency approves bottom paints - and each color requires its own approval). The Interlux representative told me that the "next best" paint (that came in red) would be Sea Hawk Biocop TF. Both Interlux and Sea Hawk are AkzoNobel lines. Finally - I'd suggest having the different coats of bottom paint be different colors, especially for ablative paints. That way, when the surface coat wears away it will expose the underlying different color so you can see when it's time to repaint.

[Nekton73]

It’s hard to tell from your picture but it appears a section of aluminum that houses the rubber has been torn away and is still hanging from the rubber. There seems to be some adhesive on the hull where the aluminum was, and possible fastener holes. Unable to tell whether the rubber has stretched, or has pulled slack through the housing from each end. If the rubber can be pulled back into place (a heat gun may help loosen it up) and the housing isn’t too badly bent or otherwise damaged, I’d try to re-seat it. Clean up the hull, repair fastener holes if they exist, and then stick the aluminum back on using any number of good quality adhesives. This is assuming such a repair would be cosmetically acceptable to you.

With regard to adhesives, whether for your hatch lens or re-bedding the rub rail, I’ll throw this product up for your review - DAP Pro Polyurethane construction sealant. https://dap.ca/products-projects/pro...urethane-slnt/ They have two types: Concrete/Fibreglass and Wood/Metal. I predominantly use the Concrete/Fibreglass type because one of the two surfaces I am mating most often is fibreglass and so far it has worked exceedingly well. Specific to acrylic, I used it when I replaced my salon and berth portlights after bedding with VHB tape. I’ve also used it to re-bed various deck hardware. For me it is available locally at about 1/4 the cost of commonly recommended marine sealants and adhesives, and no leaks or adhesion failures on anything so far. I’m not saying it’s superior to other products, or even what you should use it, just that I have had good success with it on projects similar to yours so you might want to check it out.

[CaptTom]

For 2), I'm no expert, and it seems everyone has a "favorite" product.

For my boat, I asked the shop which sold me the plexiglass material. If I understand correctly, different sealants are "best" for different materials. I recommend asking your local "glass" shop. It won't be cheap, but it's hard to put a price on not getting dripped on.

For the record, the sealant they sold me was called "RTV." The "glass" material I bought showed up on the receipt as "Plexi" but to be honest, I'm not chemist so I won't pretend to know what it's actually made of. But they knew, and RTV is what they recommended.