Building a real rub rail for an A27

[JT48348]

FYI: I've found a source for a very beefy rubber rub rail encap for the hull/deck flange, but I need to know the thickness of the flange to get a quote. It would be helpful to know how thick the flange is and how wide the flange is so I can size accordingly.

[Sprig1]

Hi JT it looks like 7/16 thick 3/4 inch wide. That's on mine all are probably different.
Rick I'm going to buy the wood this week. Unless JT thinks something else up. It feels like I have a hundred projects going on at once.

[tego]

Joe, The flange varies from about 7/16 - 1/2"thick and is 3/4" deep. Ben

[JT48348]

Thanks guys. Now the only other thing we need to know is the exact length all the way around the rubrail...

In my quest for cheap extruded rubber, here's what I've found. There's several companies in China that make extruded rubber/PVC D-fender and gunwale guard that goes right on our type of hull/deck flange. I contacted them but the problem is you have to order 500-1000m. Lol

But I did find rubberonline.com.au which is in Australia and they ship worldwide. The gunwale guard attaches to the hull/deck flange with no glue no screws. The ribs in the extruded profile supposedly hold it in place. A27 owners would seal or epoxy the hull/deck flange with epoxy filler and slip on this new beefier rub rail.

They have gunwale 35 and gunwale 40. The gunwale 40 seems to be the one that fits our flange based on the inside dimensions and what they're telling me.

For 30 meters of gunwale 40 it's about $561 USD and that includes shipping and two corner endcaps. Payable by PayPal. I just guessed the length we'd need and shipping to Detroit. They sell by the meter, it's about $10 USD/ meter. The end caps are $9/ pair incidentally if you're looking for that. If we knew the exact length we needed, which must be less than 90ft, I bet the price is even less.

I tried finding a place in the US but it appears this profile extrusion is not in demand though I can't see why. Lots of boats with the flat hull/deck joint here.

I've ordered a sample so I can see what it looks like.

[Beta Don]

The new rubber rail would really dress up an old 27 and the price is quite reasonable (I agree you probably wouldn't need 90 feet, maybe more like 75) but if your goal is something to prevent damage from a hard strike on a piling or dock, it wouldn't offer much more rigidity than what came on the boat - A single point impact is still likely to break something

The weakest part is the molded toe rail on the deck just above the rub rail. With a single point impact, the hull flexes inward, the deck won't allow that so the glass breaks between the hull/deck joint and the toe rail. Because it's rigid and not flexible, Chris's wooden replacement would spread an impact laterally over a few feet of the hull/deck and make it much less likely that you would break something. It would probably cost less than a new rubber rail, but it would be lots more work - In the end though I think it would offer more protection than a rubber replacement. Depends on what your goal is I suppose

Don

[JT48348]

Here's some photos of my other options. I took some more measurements and am starting to rethink.

The PVC gunwale above is probably not much bigger than what's on there. I agree it's more of a cosmetic improvement if your missing or looking for a replacement rubrail.

The problem with my original PVC trim idea is the board is actually 1.5" x 1.5". Which means it doesn't stand proud of the current rub rail.

Then there's the D-fender extrusion. The D-75 is the way to go. It stands plenty proud of the rubrail and would keep anything off the sides of the boat. The problem is it cost like $800-900 for two 25' pieces. It has to be thru bolted every 12" or less which is a pain. There's not enough room to get right up under the rub rail so it's got to be below the engine room air vents. Because of the pan liner in the aft and extreme fwd cabin you'd have to drill through and bolts would be exposed. 25' would go from the aft end of the boat to about the forward cabin by the forward most portholes, which I could do but that's a lot of holes in the boat for a rubbing strake on each side.

It would be manly though.

[sail149]

JT
I like you ideas for a Heavier duty rail.
I take back what I though in a previous post it looks like the area under the existing rail stays almost vertical right up to the bow. This would allow adding approx. 2" high piece of material of you choice under the existing rail, installed. If it was 1-3/4" wide it would be level with or a little beyond the existing rubrail which sticks out from the hull anywhere from 1-1/2 to 1-3/4" depending on how the fiberglass joint under was cut.
This piece could be made from wood or wood strips if too hard to bend , PVC , solid or tube or even aluminum tubing the stronger the better to spread any load to the hull and the stronger it is the less fasteners it would need which will be the biggest problem. if you use a good glue like plexus or 5200 it should last forever!

FullSizeRender2.jpg

(this might be upsidedown double click and it might reverse!)
The advantage of this approach is that you can now ad almost any rail designed for a flat surface over the top, it will hide this reinforcing piece from sight.
since this piece is nice and thick all the screws for the rub rail will go into this piece and not the hull. I bet Pressure treated lumber would work just fine!

I like a 2-1/8" high product from 'Tessilmare from Mate USA' you can get thru Fisheriessupply.com but there are lots available. the top edge will overlap the old black rail slightly so the transition wont be obvious from the beach or casual dock walker . the entire 72' kit is only $556.00 which sounds like a bargain to me and the outer piece is made in one seamless piece and will go around a 1-5/8' radius
https://fisheriessupply.com/mate-usa-te ... kits-black

Mate rail.png

FullSizeRender.jpg

here is a rough sketch of the boat edge

rub rail reinforcement.png

you could probably end the extra rubrail before the bow bent gets to severe , somewhere past the cabin top end.

[JT48348]

Yes, BUT...

There is only a certain amount of space between the rub rail and the side vents. Double check this dimension and it might give you pause.

[sail149]

I agree there is a little less room for the air vent but that's minor. They are in a terrible place any way, my covers stick out beyond the rub rail anyway. The air vent is a minor issue. but you could also leave a little cutout in the wood or reinforcement to expose the top of the vents.
Cheers Warren

[JT48348]

Sample of the gunwale 40mm & 35mm arrived today. I can't see how this would work for our application. It's smaller than I expected and the material can be best be described as a hard plastic, not soft in any way. Bummer

[DCatSea]

I have always been an admirer of large rope rub rails and fenders (despite the weight issue when wet). DesertAlbin raises the issue of using rope rub rail on a 27FC, and per BetaDon's note, I wonder if a good solid 3-strand manila rope rub rail would help spread the inevitable impact for those of us without bow thrusters. Any ideas on that? I will say that rope can look a bit tatty after a while.

This may become a "project to think about", but I must say that my current OEM rail is in decent shape for now, so I have no immediate plans.

On docking with spouse - we are still learning, but have found that a long boathook is a good substitute. "Hook on and hang on - we'll take it from there"

[JT48348]

Rope is a good idea. But I've found no way to mount it to the rub rail, and if you did it still places impact forces on the hull/deck flange. Below the rub rail, you'd need 3strand rope that's at least 1 3/4" + in diameter to stand proud of the rub rail and flange.

[DCatSea]

I was thinking 2" Manilla. Researching fixing methods. Will keep forum posted.

[sail149]

If you see my post previously if you add wood to the 2" vertical surface under the existing small rub rail with glue and screws say ever12" -18" you will minimize the number of holes in your hull and have a wonderful flat surface to attach any rub rail or fendering , 2" rope what ever you like with as many screws as you like that won't go into the hull. For the curved area you don't have to bend the wood around you can cut it from wider boards to match the curve , over lap as required to get the strength you want. I would use good quality pressure treated . Warren

[DCatSea]

Coming back to this thread after a 4 year hiatus, and a couple of good whacks against errand dock pilings that just jumped out at us, and finally made the idea of replacing or strengthening the OEM rub rail a real probability.
I had thought about the wood strip per Warren's suggestion, and this is still a real possibility; however, there is a certain aesthetic/cometic goal here. My existing rail still does the job but is looking a bit worn. SO, I'm wondering if anyone has found a rail that might fit over the existing rail and secure to a new wood rail below the toe rail. (Hope this doesn't sound too crazy).

Please let me know if I am tilting at windmills.