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Added 03/10/2004

From:   Jay <jsfarquharson@s...>
Date:  Thu Aug 7, 2003  12:02 pm
Subject:  Re: CYOA - Rub rail caulking

Mike,

first off, this is not the only source of water on the inside. I say
this because the hull/deck joint is under this, and joins together
the deck, the upper ceiling liner, the hull and the lower ceiling
liner, with a small ton of "goop", the early Columbia
sealant/adhesive. Water leaking through this joint would most likely
make it's way between the hull and liner and would show up in the
bilges. Some water will "wick" it's way through to the inside of the
H-channel, but, most of the water leaking down is probably
condensation on the h-channel itself. Of course, a wet joint will
only increase the condensation forming on the inside, as it will act
like an evaporative cooler on the outside, chilling the aluminum, and
this in turn will chill the rail on the inside.

to re-seal this channel, you will need some straight safety razors, a
box cutter razor, a pin, a roll or two of masking tape, a small brass
or nylon toothbrush with stiff bristles, an assortment of small
screwdrivers, putty knives, dewaxing solvent, bleach and acetone or
methyl hydrate.

you will also need some Boatlife Life Caulk, the flowing one, and a
sealant of your choice to go overtop, such as 3M 4200, Boatlife Life
Caulk, Sitkaflex, etc. No silicones what so ever! Use a
good "premium" sealant, this is a messy job and you don't want to do
it again in a couple of years. 3M 4200, Boatlife Life Caulk,
Sitkaflex will all last for at least a decade. cut away and dig away
as much of the sealant as possible, even behind the rubrail if at all
possible. once this is done, mix up a 10% bleach and hot water
solution and pour it into the gap to kill off the molds and fungi
growing in the voids. Scrub it with the toothbrush.

rinse it well and repeat, then rinse again.

When this is done, pour in some acetone or methyl hydrate to dry the
seam. Let it evaporate away, more than one application may be needed.

Wipe the gelcoat and the rubrail edge for at least 1" from the joint
with a rag damp with dewaxer. The way to do it is wet and area,
reverse the cloth and wipe, then repeat, this will remove most boat
waxes from the area to be sealed. It will not remove silicon, teflon
or acrylic boat "finishes",..... so if those have been used in the
past, you may have a bond
problem.

Mask off the edge of the rubrail and the hull, allowing for a bead of
1/4" at least, that means that the tape line is at least 1/4" above
the rubrail and there is at least an 1/8" overlap over the aluminum
of the edge of the rubrail. Scuff sand this area with a scrap of 100
grit paper and remove any dust.

Fill up to the level of the aluminum edge with the flowing Boat Life
Life Caulk. This will seep into and fill any gaps in behind the rail.
Fill low spots as they occure and pop any bubbles that form with a
pin.

Pull a bead of caulk over the rubrail and smooth it into a nice slope
between the hull and the rubrail, the idea is to have water flow off
the rubrail, not pool between the rubrail and hull.
Cloth beats paper towels for wiping the excess off the tools,
fingers, etc, and acetone cleans off the uncured sealants.
You can get a very nice smooth surface, after the sealant
has "skinned" by wetting a finger and lighty drawing it over the
surface of the sealant.

Once this is done on the outside top surface, you can do the same on
the inside, but using a mold resistant, acrylic counter sealant,
available for a couple bucks a tube at Home Depot or Lowes. This will
keep condensation from pooling ontop of the rubrail on the inside and
will reduce the "green" meanies from growing up and down from the
rubrail over the winter.

Sealing the outside underside of the rubrail seems to be less
critical. If you are planning to paint the hull or deck, wait until
this is done before sealing the edges.