Rub Rail Separation

F

Foggy

New member
Having gotten too friendly with a dock in Orange Beach, I have about a 3'
separation between the black plastic/rubber rub rail from its undercut
aluminum track amidship. I've tried screwdrivers with pliers pushing and
pinching and used up to four grunts of force and cannot put'er back together.

Anybody have a like problem with a solution?
An email out to the factory has yet to be answered.

Aye?
 
You need to both heat, and lubricate. Heating gently with a heat gun--try it on low to start with. Heat the center and lower edge, putting the upper edge in first. Sometimes the rub rail will stretch, after such an incident. Usually you can get it back in the same place. Use some soluble lubricant--KY works OK--but there are lubricants made for running electrical wire in conduit. (These often are yellow or green.)

Start at one end, and then work it back in--I have also used bicycle tire irons, and putty knives in working the rub rail back in place. Often two people can work it back in better than one.

If you were on Perdido Key, and the ICW--the current can make maneuvering difficult. Not much current in Orange Beach--Cotton Bayou, or can be a little at the Wharf.
 
Thank you, Dr Bob.
I was thinking heat would help and now I know.
And a second pair of knuckles I can find.
Regards.

Aye.

PS: I was in a narrow slip on Period Key a stones throw from the Florabama.
No excuses - I took too long contemplating my navel after a sundowner.
 
Dr. Bob is right on... I have used the heat gun to install the rubber when I removed the aluminum rail extrusion to renew the fasteners and bedding compound.
Last week, while on a boating trip with my grandson, I moored next to a "new dock" that was well protected by rubber, but had one of the cross members of the dock sticking out just a bit too much. While tying the boat up, a 1' section of the rubber amidships, got pressed out of the rail. When I got home, I use the heat gun (on low setting) and carefully heated that section of rubber and pushed it back in place using a putty knife.
Very neat and easy, with no damage to the rubber or the aluminum.
 
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