Rub rail adhesive

[Huey]

The rub rail around my playwood cruiser has rotted and I plan to make another out of white oak. I want to attach it with bronze screws and some kind of adhesive. Is 3M 5200 a product I could use to attach and caulk the assembly? Once it is fitted and in place, I can't think of a reason to ever take it back off.

Thanks
Huey

[N. Scheuer]

3M 52200 would be excellent. And if you ever want to remove it, that is not as difficult as many would have you believe.

Moby Nick

[ssor]

I put rub rails on my Islander last spring,bought green white oak at the sawmill, shaped it, and temporarily fastened it in place to bend it into shape. after about two weeks I pulled it off, did a final sanding on it and reinstalled it on small standoff bushings.

[Tom Robb]

5200 is more or less permament, ie, a pain in the ass to remove. Since the original rotted what's to keep this one from not ever needing replaced? Besides rubrails are sacrifical - they get beat up.
Why not make life easier for the next guy, and just bed it in Dolfinite or some such? ;)

[Bob Smalser]

If applied as a bedding compound over a painted surface, I don't find poly goo's like 5200 all that difficult to remove.

A little light heat gun action works wonders, and as a bedding it seems to last forever.

[Bill Perkins]

Huey I just got through installing mine on a 25 footer.After much debate I went with the Dolfinite .I 'm glad I did now because working alone I don't think I could have gotten the things properly installed and the mess wiped up befor an adhesive caulk would have kicked off .

I followed Chapelle's instructions on what used to be standard practice and gave mine their maximum width and thickness at the point of lowest freeboard , then tapered down in width and thickness toward the ends . The top edge is rounded over and the bottom left square . Because of the diminishing thickness it took three different roundover bits to work the top edge . The resulting steps were then faired together with a flexible long board .It's worth it I think for such a prominent piece .I also spiled the top edge to the shape of my boats strong sheer .I don't think I could have edgeset a straight piece of that stiff wood in my case .

[ 01-27-2005, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: Bill Perkins ]

[Mike Vogdes]

5200 takes a day or so to kick off, plenty of time to clean up, however I would mask the areas in question off befor applying goo to the surfaces, after you run your screws home you can run a (gloved) finger down the joint, then peel the masking tape away to achieve a nice looking caulk joint.

I would probably use Boatlife polly caulk for something like this...

[Billy Bones]

My rubstrake on the pooduck skiff is bedded in 5200 and nothing else. I was going to screw it as well, but decided to try without because I didn't want to deal with the holes. Works fine in the caribbean sun painted blue.

[qm]

Rub rails are expendible! They get crushed, hit and split, and on- I have had to replace some alright. And some of them were put on with 5200, and some of the windshield glass was put on with 5200! I like 5200 and readily use it, but do not use it with rub rails!!! Or with glass. The other products named herein are good one.