List to Starboard

nordicstallion · Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2014 4:22 pm Post subject:

ZoeB. I've started on my rub rails. On the 19 & probably the 16 too since our short boats are required to have that aft floatation, it's the nonacessable spaces where our problems occur. The rails are installed using aluminum drive rivets that use a hardened steel pin down the center that is driven in with a hammer spreading the inside end into three sections. On areas where there is access to the inside, they pulled out the hardened pin & flattened out the three meat hooks & covered them with adhesive covering the center hole in the rivet. Where there is no access to the end of the rivet, from the house back, except for the battery compartments, they just drove the pin down flush with the head & called it good. It's not good!! The only thing keeping water out is the steel pin & you know what happens to steel in salt water! There was also no attempt to seal around the rivet itself. How much work would it have taken to put in a little squirt of 5200 to seal around the rivet. They should have punched the pin all the was thru & filled the hole too!! I'm using coarse threaded Phillips oval head screws with the head ground down to prevent interference with the rubber reinstallation in the nonacessable areas & machine screws with nylok nuts everywhere else.

ZoeB · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 9:14 am Post subject:

Thanks C-Dog. I will start my rub rails soon and will be taking pictures. In the meantime I am going to put access covers into both the port and starboard flotation chambers. I did notice the seam where they joined the top and bottom parts of the boat during construction when I was repairing the rub rail last spring.

Bryant · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:40 pm Post subject: List to starboard

My boat has a list to starboard as well. I bought some lead shot in bags for ballast that I have under my port front passenger seat.

ZoeB · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:47 pm Post subject: Re: List to starboard

Sunbeam · Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 4:56 pm Post subject:

Plus, yours was increasing, for no obvious reason Shocked

You obviously did the right thing in finding the cause vs. just using trim ballast to mask it.

Will be interesting to see your rubrail project proceed. The rubrail on my 22 has pulled away due to failed rivets for 1-2' amidships on both sides, and I was grumbling about the job as I crawled in under the galley cabinets -- but now I'm just happy I can get to them!