Taking a rub rail off

N

nookiechinookie

New member
I am hoping some folks can give me some advice.

I am shipping my 24' Tomcat from bellingham to Juneau via the Alaska Ferry System. Unfortunately, they have a width fee break at 101" and my vessel is 103" wide. The extra cost is 500 bucks. If I took the rubrails off I would be at 100" , but I wondering how big of job it is getting the rail back on? Anyone have any experience?
 
At todays prices, the labor to R&R the rubrail would exceed the extra cost of shipping.
How much is your time worth?

edit: I know it burns when you get bit with an increase like that, but sometimes that's just the breaks.
When the "kids" were still just kids, we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. My daughter was nine at the time, but tall for her age--- she was a half inch over the mark to pay full fare into the park :amgry Whatcha gonna do- tell the kids that we're not going in because they were to tall? Naw, I paid up and we had fun.
 
Wow Roger I am impressed/...... Are you gonna be so kool when the new C-Halk is not delivered in May ??? "pay up and have fun?" :D

Ya better start baging up that doggie bandini


Joel
SEA3PO
 
I second what JT said. A couple of years ago I was considering buying a CD in Juneau and shipping it to Seattle. I checked into both using barge transportation and the ferry system. Barging was definitely the most practical. Maybe that means shipping from Seattle but it's worth looking into if you haven't already.
 
If you are just talking about taking off the "rubber" part--it is fairly easy. I had to replace one very similar to the TC on a boat I salvaged. It took a few hours with a broad blade screw driver.

But if you need to take the metal extrusion out--then that is a much different story, and I don't suggest it, since the inside of the fasteners has been epoxied over to prevent water intrusion, that will have to be done again, and access may be difficult.
 
Prince Rupert in Canada is where I put the C-Dory 22 plus a Class C camper on the ferry. They seemed only to be interested in the length not the width. They didn't seem to worry about an inch here or there. I think the suggestion of shipping from Seattle is good advice. I would check it out.
captd
 
when putting the boat on the trailer put a 2by 6 or whatever the bunk size are under one side . this will give you the inch or two that you need also pulling off the rub rail will also give you an inch or two this should satify the measuring police on the ferry system just my 2 cents
 
Thanks for the input. I was going to the job myself... besides since when do we start doing the "my time is worth" calculation when fussing with our boats. Haha, if I did that I would not even own a boat. However, this thought leads me to another boat owner thought... What's another 600 bucks?


I did check the both barge companies... 3 grand vs 2,600 bucks. I also have someone who is willing to tow the boat to Bellingham, but not through Seattle.

I think I'll leave the rub rail. Although I don't understand the 2x6 method?
 
nookiechinookie-

The 2 x 6 method that JennyKatz ingeniously thought up, is to place a board under the boat on top of one trailer bunk to tilt the boat up a little diagonally so it's not as wide as it's full width.

They do the same thing with catamaran sailboats. Tilt them up on a 45 degree angle on the trailer to make a ~10 foot wide boat meet a maximum 8.5 foot wide towable width.

It's like putting a wide envelope in a narrow mailbox by tilting it up diagonally.

Hope this helps!

Joe.
 
I doubt you want to miss the summer boating season but thought I'd mention the significant discounts available on the ferry system for winter travel. (Nov to March) Will you meet the deadline?
Perhaps others can benefit.


:D JT
 
Thanks for the info on tilting the boat up. I thought about that and it is a good idea. I was concerned that it would be hard on the vessel to do tilt it in an "unnatural" way while in transport. Of course a 2X6 should not make much of difference.

I tried to get a ferry reservation before the summer increase, but thank to our short-sighted ferry officials (or politically motivated), they are only running a single vessel out of Bellingham this year. So it is booked through the first week of May.
 
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