rub rail

[jimdoesmo]

how does the black part of rub rail come off I think I have leak behind it cp 16 thanks

[skip1930]

Double sided sticky tape and/or also a few bolts, nuts, washers where the corners are.

Prise it off, just a little bit and look~see.
The hard part is not removing the rub rail but rather getting the sealing compound of choice in between the hull and deck seam.

skip.

[jimdoesmo]

thanks

[Cruzin]

So what is the correct product for the hull to deck joint? I have a 23 and have removed the old caulking and need to replace with something. Can I replace without removing the rivets? Can I simply apply the caulk to the joint and get good water protection? If I have to remove the rivets should I just remove a small area at a time and then caulk and re-revit? (A new word) Are the rivets a common available size aluminum rivet?
Thanks
Dale

[Bob23]

Whoa, Dale:
   That's a lot of questions for one post so we're gonna have to charge you for the answers unless you don't want correct answers!
   I think if you're going to that much trouble, drill out the rivets, recaulk (ge 5200) and revit. (love the new word.) I haven't done this project but I don't see why you couldn't do a section at a time. Might be messier that way, though. I'm sure the rivets are available. Maybe you could get stainless steel rivets or even better, bolt it.
   Any photos of your project?
bob23

[Cruzin]

Wow it is great to hear from the master of the 23s! I don't expect all correct answers just a few. I could con you with having a nice Florida contact with cold beer! I will do it  the right way and remove the rivets and bolt it back. No photos yet. I have so many projects I could write a book! My 23 is a 1981 model so she has a lot of needs. Thanks for the guidance!

[Bob23]

No problem...and no charge! You seem like a nice guy so you get the nice guy discount.
Just to clear the air, I'm the "Master BS Coordinator of the 23's."
Now about that cold beer......
bob23

[Smier]

I just re-caulked my 1980 CP16.  I used the 3M 5200 in white.  I did the entire job at once, and I didn't have to remove any of the rivets because the original caulking was so dry that it literally crumbled. I used a retractable razor knife, a screwdriver, and my cordless drill with a wire brush attachment to remove any stubborn areas of caulk.  I bought all new stainless nuts, bolts, and washers to reinstall the rub rail.  All my old bolts had bent from the shrinkage of the rub rail over the last 32 years.  I did mine in 2 stages, first I removed the rub rail, cleaned and prepped the joint, and then caulked.  I let it set up a couple of days, and then reinstalled the rub rail.  The only way I would drill and replace the factory rivets, is if I wanted to split the top deck from the hull, but that's just me.  It was really tempting to go all the way and separate the two, but I realized that once I did that I might as well just start on a complete rebuild of the boat...  I have yet to go inside and do the same to the inside of the joint, but I was able to get a good 1/4" to 1/2" bead of caulk into the exterior portion of the joint.  I highly doubt that it will leak anytime in the next 20 or 30 years!  I will however be redoing the inside in the next couple weeks to prep for interior paint before the Barnagat Bay Bash.  I bought 2 tubes, and it only took maybe 2/3's of a big tube to do the entire exterior of the 16, I highly recommend at least checking your bow eye and chain plates while you're at it.  I figure do it once and sleep well for years to come!  Just my $.02, oh and there are a couple pics of the joint in my  rescuing a 16 thread in the lounge that may help you!

[Smier]

Here's some pics of the joint with the rub rail removed:



Here's the joint caulked with the 5200, I think cure time on the 5200 is 24 hours to the touch, and one week to fully cure.





The last one is the boat before I put the rub rails back on.  I highly recommend getting yourself a box of latex gloves, it made smoothing the caulking into the joint easy and not so messy. 

[Salty19]

How does the rail come off?  Remove the 3 corner metal edge guards (stern port and starboard and bow).
Then apply heat (heat gun, not a torch) being careful to move the gun to avoid damaging the glass,  to the railing and peel it off like a rabid gorilla. Chances are good it will require a ton of sweat to get it off.  If not, well, you're lucky.

The area by the chainplate can leak...if that's the source just remove the plates, reseal/reinstall.

[Salty19]

BTW, I moved this thread from the DIY section.  That area is intended as a "show and tell" rather than asking questions on how to.

[Smier]

Hmmm, interesting that you mentioned using a heat gun to help get the rub rail off.  Mine was so old that once I pulled the stainless corner caps off, you could easily slide the actual rub rail right off with almost zero effort.  The only thing I found resembling double sided tape was a plastic strip that covered the joint, I assumed the factory had used it to speed up the assembly process, and keep a freshly assembled hull and deck joints caulking from sticking to the rub rail...  I did not reinstall anything in its place, which is why I mentioned giving whatever caulk/sealant you choose time to set up before reassembly, otherwise I could see an issue if you tried to remove the rub rail again for any other repairs.

[Salty19]

Smier-

Your assumption is correct, the tape is there to speed up the build process by allowing the rubrail to be installed while the 3M 5200 is curing in the hull-to-deck joint.  Since cure takes roughly 6-7 days, I can see why they do that.

The rubrail might come out no problem, or might need a large dose of cussing, sweat and tools.