F1C-U2519-00-00 INNER,GUNWALE / Rub Rail

[jdonalds]

Well another, much more logical, name is Rub Rail rather than Inner Gunwale. It's the black strip around the bond line that... well rubs against things!

We went out for six hours today, attending an event put on by our local Yamaha dealer (more on that in another thread later). We parked the boat in a slip that was too narrow for the boat. The boat was fine until they started putting on demonstrations right next to the covered slips, well within the no wake 5mph zone. Waves caused the boat to rub against some posts and ruined the Rub Rail.

The question I have is has anyone replaced their rub rail and if so did one piece go all the away around the boat? I just need to know if I need to order one or more than one.

 

[txav8r]

I have read threads about that John, I hope to see one of your full detailed install threads to follow! I think it is a one piece. The rub rails have changed over the years and like you said, yours is molded black rubber. They have been stainless steel on later boats, and that is kind of a bummer. They look good, but they get scratched and dinted easy. It looks to me like the only thing you need is the black molded rubber that you have the part number for. It is $85 at Yamahasportsplaza. If the gunwale got damaged, you may need that mounting base, which is the channel that screws to the boat that the black rubber rub rail mounts in. Here's a pic of the page!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

It's one piece that starts and stops at the middle of the aft under the cover.

 

[Glassman]

How bad is it? Got a picture of the damage?
fyi, also known as gunnel & bumper.

If the damage isn't too bad you might consider replacing just that section or repairing. I can tell you from experience, these are a pain in the butt to install sometimes. So if you plan on replacing all of it (probably around 60') it will require some time, patience and a helper to make it go smoothly.

Check the cross-section, it's probably a stock rubber bumper:
http://greatlakesskipper.com/boat-molding/rub-rail-inserts

 

[jdonalds]

Here's the end of the story for me.

I was able to purchase the rubber rub rail through my son who works at Yamaha so saved a bit on the cost. The new rub rail is at least 10' longer than needed for my boat, perhaps it is long enough for some of the larger Yamaha boats, or perhaps they just make sure you have enough.

The good news is the rail did it's job. It took the damage so other parts of the boat wouldn't be damaged. It isn't cheap but much less expensive than scratched gel coat. I could have just replaced sections but that would mean having a seam where there isn't one on a stock boat. I do like to keep things stock and in good condition.

Here are picks of the damaged rail I wanted to replace.

I was a bit concerned about the difficulty and time it would take to install the new rail. I tried a small section on the back of the boat by the swim step where the ends of the rail meet. It didn't seem too difficult. In the end it took me less than an hour, which would have been just a bit quicker if I had a second person to hold the loose end of the rub rail in place as I worked it into the slot.

All it took was placing the bottom of the new rail in the slot then, using a 2" putty knife, I pushed the top down and in until it slipped into place. I could do about 1 to 2 feet a minute. When it was done it looked good and it didn't seem like such a big project. I had to drill two holes through the new rail for the long screws that attach the rear keeper.

One thing that helped was to keep the rail in the sun so it was warmed up and softer. I suppose if you do this on a cold day the rail would be stiff and much more difficult to compress.

I didn't take a photo of the finished product. You should know what that looks like already!

 

[txav8r]

Excellent write up John, as usual! I am glad that it went quick and was more or less painless. Look forward to seeing the newly installed rub rail!

 

[Lspeedss]

Impressive.. You make easy work of that.

 

[Paul Edwards]

Thank you for this!