Sanding Rub Rail??????

[Boz]

Has anyone ever sanded rub rail and powder coated? If so, how did it turn out? Any pictures?

Boz

[LaserModVee]

Never sanded a rubrail and powdercoated.

It may be less expensive and less work to just replace.

Go to www.tacomarine.com for rubrails.
They have far more than they list online.

[Reese]

if your gonna go through all that work why don't you simple polish the aluminum and be done with it...powder coating something that long may be a problem...or you could always paint it with epoxy.

I've been told that powder coating is no more durable than epoxy paint...powder coating is just a different kind of paint. Main benefits are that the overspray is recoverable and spraying skill is not as important...You may want to check that out for yourself.

[Stoker100]

Also heard that you need to acid etch to get the powder coat to stay on. I vote replace

[Techno]

Polish
Adhesion promoter
Kandy paint of your color
Clear coat

Don't rub on the rub rail.

If you want to powder coat and have a gun just use catylized urethane, it's about the same as melted plastic. Thats what powder coating is. But now you need a heat lamp and keep moving it.

[Boz]

It's kind of chewed up from 10 years of docks; perhaps replacing is the only way to go? I'll check out pricing but thanks for the responses; much appreciated.

[halveb]

Boz,

If you have the original style rub rail (which I did) it is just a flat piece of aluminum curved in at the edges. If so they will get beat up no matter what.

I replaced mine this spring and it was a really easy job (although I must admit I did have some help - Balzy and Thumper). If you want I can find the TACO part number that I ordered. You get a much nicer aluminum rub rail with a rubber insert so no more banged up aluminum (depending on how hard you hit). It also sticks out significantly further so it protects much better.

Balzy even went into his woodworking shop (we did the replacement at the garagemahol) and cut a wood insert about 3 or 4 inches long that had the same shape as the rubber insert so we could form the new aluminum around the boat without fear of buggering up the aluminum. Tip remember to remove the wood insert before screwing in all the screws as ours wouldn't clear the screw heads. :D

The taco stuff is anodized aluminum and I originally was going to have it painted black after I had fit it to the boat. Once we got it on it looked pretty good against the black boat so I left it that way. Your boat color may dictate otherwise, I don't know.

Let me know if you need any advice but it was pretty easy to do and made a world of difference in the looks of the boat.

[Boz]

What's your e-mail address? I'll shoot you a picture of my current rub rail. It's a "j" shape. My HST is an 89' and is the Bruiser colors. (black w/ blue metal flake)
PS. thanks for you help!

[halveb]

Boz,

Just click on email and it will get you to me. I don't know if Greg has something that prohibits sending files through so just in case it is:

[email protected]

If you don't have a rubber insert you probably have the same kind I did (don't know if it was "J" style or not. All I know is there was nothing other than that thin strip of aluminum between me and the piers and it was mighty scarred up.

If that's what you have I wouldn't bother trying to repaint or powder coat as it will just be a matter of time before you are back where you started.

If you have the newer style that I know Anderdenter and Balzy have then just replace the rubber and if need be paint or powder coat the aluminum.

[sho305]

I agree, the paint will not last if it gets bashed all the time. I have done the chrome trim on cars with etching primer and then the black bumper spray with good results, but still paint and it was steel not aluminum or in water. I'm going plastic if I redo one. If you want to stay original replace or keep painting. Never could figure why they used bare aluminum but for being easy.