Rub rail leak

[jsimmons248]

I noticed on the starboard interior side of my 2004 C- 22 that a bulge in the interior fiberglass that had a rivet attachment for the rub rail on the other side had cracked and water was leaking inside the boat. What is the best repair for this?

I have noticed these bulges all along the boat interior on both sides where the rub rail attachments are but so far none have cracked.

 

[Sunbeam]

The bulges are "original equipment." To explain...

The hull and deck are a butt joint that is fiberglassed on the inside. So that's all good.

But then they wanted to add a rubrail (covers the joint, for one thing). So they drilled many holes along the joint area, and then riveted the aluminum rail on. I think they may have used rivets with steel mandrels.

Then they covered up the inside of the rivet (in the boat) with a blob of, in my boat's case, polysulfide (seemed like it anyway). Then they gelcoated over the blobs.

******
As the boat is used, water can stay in the rail, especially amidships. Water/aluminum/steel (especially if you add salt) results in corrosion, and the rivet heads come off (they are under the black rubber on the outside of the boat). There is then movement, and the "blobs" can crack, and water can leak in.

Quite a few folks have fixed this. I read up via search, found some really good accounts of repairs, and then tackled mine. I wrote it up here.

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?p=267126#267126

The other accounts are very worth searching and reading up on, IMO. You could search something like "rub rail repair."

 

[jsimmons248]

Thanks for the fast response! Looks like you did a masterful job of rub rail repair! As I only have one area that is now leaking is there any way for me to address the leak from the inside with caulk and not go to the trouble of removing the rub rail at this time?
What would you suggest?

 

[Sunbeam]

Thanks for the fast response! Looks like you did a masterful job of rub rail repair! As I only have one area that is now leaking is there any way for me to address the leak from the inside with caulk and not go to the trouble of removing the rub rail at this time?
What would you suggest?

Well, I'd say "nix" on doing it from inside. That just never works, in my experience - and is one more thing you have to remove when you do fix it. If I wanted to get out boating prior to fixing it I guess I'd put big tape and absorbent "spot bandaids" on the inside or something like that. Or maybe make some butyl tape into a roll (worm shape) and lay it on above and below the rail, but that'd be a lot of butyl! It does clean up very easily with mineral spirits. But I hate this sort of fix (just a personality quirk).

OTOH, I didn't remove my rail either, because there were only two areas amidships on each side involving 6-8 rivets, plus one of the ends (port side) where it wraps around the transom and stops. The rest was still in good shape. I also wasn't in a good time/place to remove the entire rail on each side. The way I fixed it I think if/when the time comes to do the rest, I can leave the parts I did on as "anchors" and then "wing out" the forward and aft sections to do those (thus never having to manhandle the whole darned ~30' rail off the boat).

So as you can see, what I did was remove the black rubber insert as much as I needed to to get to the bad spots. Then I removed the bad rivets and planned and obtained the new fasteners and a tube of 3M4000. Then I cleaned and prepped (key!), and then put in the new fasteners. I "encouraged" the new caulk to fill in behind the rail extrusion on the outside of the boat (all taped off of course).

I didn't look at it as a band-aid type fix, but rather as the first sections of a repair (figuring at some point I may/will have to do other sections). To that end I did the best job I could. The "bad part" was just figuring out what to do and how to handle it, which fasteners to get, committing myself to it mentally, etc. The actual job was not that bad. I didn't have much choice as there was a gap between the rail and the boat where the rivets had let go. I keep it stored indoors, so no leaks, but I didn't plan on boating inside!

 

[SEA3PO]

I also had problems with those rivets coming loose... decided to fix it properly, like it should have been built.... with stainless steel screws, ss fender washers and ss lock nuts all from a bulk nut and bolt place...with a dab of 5200 to seal...

Only problem I had was that I ran out of stainless steel fender washers...and the local (Chester Ca.) Ace Hardware Store wanted over a dollar each for them....no way !.... what a crook.... I told the owner of that place before I bought any from him, I would drill holes in half dollars and that is what I did.... only needed about $9 in halves and ever time I look at them I smile... I used them in the cabin area where I can see em....

Joel
SEA3PO

 

[hardee]

I also had problems with those rivets coming loose... decided to fix it properly, like it should have been built.... with stainless steel screws, ss fender washers and ss lock nuts all from a bulk nut and bolt place...with a dab of 5200 to seal...

Only problem I had was that I ran out of stainless steel fender washers...and the local (Chester Ca.) Ace Hardware Store wanted over a dollar each for them....no way !.... what a crook.... I told the owner of that place before I bought any from him, I would drill holes in half dollars and that is what I did.... only needed about $9 in halves and ever time I look at them I smile... I used them in the cabin area where I can see em....

Joel
SEA3PO

Joel,

:lol: :lol: I just love innovative thinking.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[anchorout]

Just a suggestion: When I got my boat, I noticed the rub rail bulging in places along the port side. At that time I replaced the several popped rivets on that side. Now, two years later, all the rivets have broken along the other (stbd) side. I just replaced ALL of these, and in checking, found the port side again bulging, in areas I found ok two years earlier. Ended up replacing ALL on that side as well.

Point is, if you are going to do the repair, don't stop-gap and replace only the bad rivets, save yourself future problems and replace them all.

 

[Sunbeam]

I generally agree with you, anchorout.

OTOH, I did replace only around a dozen or fewer rivets, amidships, on each side of my boat. The reason was that I wasn't in a good time/place for completely removing both rails. And too, I could see that when the time comes to do the rest, I'll probably be able to leave the middle sections that I have already done, and then just "wing out" the forward and aft sections and do them one at a time. That will make it easier again as I won't have to remove and handle the whole, "loose" rail.

That's not to say there is anything wrong with just doing the whole rail - that's likely the best approach overall. But there might be some situations in which it makes sense to do it in sections (but you are right in that ultimately they are all likely to need replacing, especially in salt water).

And I always have such a hard time suppressing thoughts about how it would have been SO much easier to do it at the time of building the boat. Dernit!

Oh well, could be worse. Small boats; small problems.