Repair A Vinyl Rubrail

Rubrails take a beating. After all, they exist to protect your boat when it rubs up against pilings, docks, and other boats. But after a few years of such dedicated duty, vinyl rubrails can look rather chewed up. In fact, they can make Mom’s Mink look downright shabby. Never fear, boat-loving mariner. You can make that rubrail look like new again with just an hour or two of DIY dedication.

Note that tiny bits of vinyl will be sanded off during the process, and you’ll also be using potentially harmful chemicals, so although this is an easy job, care does need to be taken. Follow environmental safety best-practices and read the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings on the can of solvent before beginning the process.

• 1. Mask off areas surrounding the surface to be repaired with masking tape. Vinyl rubrails are generally inside a track, which may also be made from vinyl. The rubrail is designed to protrude well outside the track, so in most cases, the track itself will show little to no wear. But the track may also need to be fixed up, depending on just how hard a beating the boat has taken over the years. You may want to mask off the track, or you may want to mask off the fiberglass where it meets the track. In either case, run the tape above, below, and on either side of the damaged area, so both the fiberglass and any undamaged sections are protected.

• 2. Wearing gloves to avoid the vinyl “dust” staining your hands, sand the damaged portion of the rubrail starting with 100-grit. This will rub off the larger bits and pieces of damaged rubrail. Then move on to the 200-grit sandpaper, and sand the entire area again. Continue sanding until all the burrs and divots are gone. You’ll notice that the sandpaper creates countless micro-scratches in the surface, which will discolor it somewhat. But don’t worry, that’s expected.

• 3. Move on to the 600-grit, and continue sanding until the surface looks smooth, then use the 800-grit to polish it up. The discoloration will remain, but continue sanding until the rubrail’s surface is smooth to the touch. If it seems to be taking forever on a portion where there was significant amount of damage, you may need to step back a grit-size so the sandpaper has more of an effect. If you do so, however, be sure to go back over that spot with the finer-grit sandpaper afterward.

• 4. When the rubrail looks and feels smooth, sparingly wet a small section of the clean rag with 202 Solvent. Wipe it back and forth several times along the vinyl that you sanded. While you wipe, you’ll notice that the rubrail’s color returns to its original shade as the tiny scratches the sandpaper left behind melt and become sealed. Two or three applications may be necessary to complete the process. Remember: The solvent creates harmful vapors and should only be used in well-ventilated areas. It must not be spilled or washed into the water. Be sure to check the warnings and safety instructions on the can prior to opening it.

• 5. Assess the final result. If you’re not happy with the appearance of the rubrail, you can always go back to steps 2 or 3 if necessary. The finer sanding job you do, the better the rubrail will appear.
  
  Just how long does the job take? We restored a section of rubrail about a foot and a half long on a 22-foot boat, which had become chewed up by a piling during a significant nor’easter. The damage included gouges in the vinyl up to about 1/32-inch deep and one or two about twice that depth, which left dozens or perhaps hundreds of tiny bits of vinyl (about the size of a gnat) hanging free. The repairs took about two hours, with about three-quarters of that time dedicated to sanding.
  
  Although it didn’t come out perfect, our restored rubrail ended up looking 90% to 95% like new. As is true of many jobs like this, while you eventually hit a point of diminishing returns, the more time and work you put into it, the better the final results.
  
  If the rubrail you’re looking to fix has extensive damage and you’re faced with days and days of sanding, you may want to consider replacing it entirely. There’s significant additional cost involved and it will take four to five hours if everything goes smoothly.