Rubrail damage, leave it or try to fix?

[poormonkey]

Well, yesterday we were going through some local small locks. They can fit about 4 big boats in it. We were the third boat to enter the locks and we had an a-hole in front of us who decided in the small space to stop short of moving all the way forward in the lock. We were coming up behind him slowly as directed by the lock operator, but we had to take a quick maneuver when he just stopped his boat and decided to just stop right there in the middle of the lock. At this point the starboard stern side was right at the locks door (all metal). So, I had to go in reverse quickly to prevent from running into the guys boat. So, the rub rail hit the metal lock door and made a small dent in the rub rail. It didn't do any damage to the boat, but the rub rail now has a nice small one inch small dent in it. It is there now, and it just drives me crazy now knowing it is there. Most people say that is what a rub rail is for, to protect the boat. So, do I just leave it because this will happen again? Or do I try to replace the damage part of the rub rail? Then on top of it the lock operator makes a comment about it, nice bounce of the door buddy. I was so pissed......... If it would of hit anything else but the metal door, things would of been fine.

 

[Skip]

I think the immediate concern will be the the integrity of the rail where it screws to the hull. I would very carefully examine the surfaces where the rail mates to the hull, as well as any mounting screws that are affected by the dent. What you do not want is water intrusion if the rail has been dislodged in any way. I just went through this where a ragboter backed into my bow--damaged the anchor, anchor davit, dinged the rub rail, and gelcoat on the bow. Fortunately, my rub rail is intact.
If you have any voids around this area, tape off the seam(s) and apply a good quality marine caulk, like lifecaulk, to prevent any water intrusion.
regards
Skip

 

[poormonkey]

Screws are ok, and the rail didn't pop out in any way. It is just compressed ever so slightly when you compare the look of that dent to the rest of the rub rail, and has few scratches in it now. It is kind of like when you get a door ding, there is no harm in it, but it drives ya crazy knowing and seeing it there.

 

[Dave S]

My 240SD used to regularly get it's rub rails damaged by the dry storage folks as they were putting the boat away in it's bunk.:smt021

I fixed several of these "prangs" myself but they also replaced the rails several times when damaged too badly. The rub rails are fairly easy to replace but usually it's a pretty big section. It might also be possible to remove it and reform the curved part if you know what you are doing. Usually any scratches or gouges can be sanded out with Emory Cloth and then repolished using a good metal polish like Mothers Metal Polish.

As Skip mentioned, check the integrity of the deck to hull joint and use a good sealant when replacing the screws.

 

[elreyos]

The factory supplies the rub rail in 20ft sections. If your are going to repair it you probabaly will want to replace an entire section. It sounds like it's a curved piece around the the transom. If thats the case you will need a heat gun to warm the new section to make the necessary curves. If it's the stainless insert thats got the dent you can replace it also. The factory supplies it in 12 and 20ft sections, hollow for curved pieces and solid for strait pieces. It's fairly easy to do, just requires a little patience. The method for replacing the stanless is to bend it as you attach one screw at a time. You will need a good saw and files.

 

[Asureyez]

Other than it just giving back nasty looks, if the boat is not actually injured, I'd let it go for the time being. I save up these "War Wounds" and take several on at one time.

Go boating while the weather is still friendly.

Do repairs in the lay up season.

 

[boatmailster]

it is up to you
you can buy few feet of stainless steel insert from your sea ray dealer
they comes in 12, 16 and 20 ft lengths or you can replace smaller section
but this will give you additional seam on your rail
if you never did it before, you need to be ready that your first time is not going to look
perfect (small gap on seam, not perfectly square cut, etc)

 

[Turtlesboat]

I vote to leave it. Put a kill decal on your boat and when people ask what it's for, you point to the dent and say you fended off pirates or whalers on a trans-atlantic voyage. After 3 or 4, then you can replace the rub rail.