Rub rail caulking, which one?

[Lazy Daze]

The fiberglass guy at the local dealer told me that Sikaflex was the OEM supplier of caulk used by Sea Ray. Not sure if that's true but he used Sikaflex 295 UV on a couple of places on my boat and it has held up well. I tagged along on the install so I can do it myself henceforward and it seemed to be easy to work with. See http://usa.sika.com/en/automotive/automotive-transportation-home/01a006/01a006sa02.html.

Sikaflex is, indeed, a supplier to Sea Ray. But they're not the only one, either. Just an FYI!

 

[04cobra23]

To achieve a nice clean / neat caulk line - Something that worked well for me was using blue painters (masking) tape. I taped off the hull on one side and the rub rail itself on the other creating a 3/16" or so gap. Apply the sealer into the corner - smooth it out with a wet finger or wet cloth - let the sealer get tacky, go slow and pull the tape.

Taping off the boat is a fairly big job , but it goes quickly and applying and removing tape is a lot easier then cleaning up the sealer if you do not tape it.

Paul

That's what I did yesterday. The problem I encountered was that when removing the tape it pulled up the caulking and made it look like crap and once you apply silicone after a min or so you cannot touch it anymore.

 

[Paul_P]

I didn't use silicone - it may act differently . The surface needs to be clean and dry before applying anything. I wiped everything down with acetone before applying. This is a situation where more is not better when using the sealer , you want to use just enough.

 

[04cobra23]

I didn't use silicone - it may act differently . The surface needs to be clean and dry before applying anything. I wiped everything down with acetone before applying. This is a situation where more is not better when using the sealer , you want to use just enough.

What did you use?

 

[Paul_P]

On my boat I used 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant fast cure 4000 UV. I think it worked well. To me it looks like the right choice.

from the description :

3M™ Hybrid Adhesive Sealant Fast Cure 4000 UV is a one-part sealant that cures to form a firm, rubbery, waterproof seal.
Its flexibility allows for the dissipation of stress caused by shock, vibration, swelling or shrinking. Designed for marine applications above or below the waterline. Its superior UV resistance properties make this an ideal cosmetic sealant

 

[04cobra23]

On my boat I used 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant fast cure 4000 UV. I think it worked well.

How long roughly and did you do sections at a time or one side of the boat at a time? I may take another stab at it

 

[Paul_P]

I caulked one half of the boat , then removed the tape after letting it sit for a few minutes. Than I did the same on the other side.

I had taken my complete Rub-Rail off the boat, cleaned the boat really well using razor blades and a 3m eraser on a cordless drill , then wiped everything down with acetone. Same to the actual rub-rail.

I removed, sealed and replaced each screw in the hull - I had to replace a few and fix a few of the holes. I also caulked the seem between the deck and hull. As I replaced the Rub-Rail I sealed and replaced every other screw on each section of rub-rail and waited till I had all the screws in and everything was lined up , than tightened all the screws. I did this all by hand without a cordless screwdriver, I tightened everything down to what I call "Zero" you just want the screw to stop going in and then about another quarter turn - basically just seating the screw and everything having a slight load on it.

I taped and caulked the top of the rub-rail only. It is some work , but well worth it. I had some leaking in the bow pulpit and starboard side of the v-berth when I bought the boat , all is completely dry now. Glad I did this.