228 Seafarer chalky rubrail

[Zeebr00k]

Hi All,
My rubrail is somewhat chalky these days, any ideas on how to get it looking back to looking dark blue again?
Thanks

 

[leeccoll]

Hey Zeebr00K,

I just was/am in the process of reconditioning my hull, here were other's suggestions....

1)Wipe it with a cloth soaked in acetone. Wipe any excess off right away. Works like magic! It will even remove or lighten up any dings.

2)For the Rub Rails, best cleaning agent I have found is Interlux 333. It removes a bit more than the Acetone or Denatured Alcohol from my experience. Acetone does good though.

3)Wet Sanding

4)My approach was Scotch Brite scrub pad soaked with a good tire tire dressing/conditioner.

Take ur pick n good results to you!

Lee

 

[Toothpick 10]

Rub with acetone followed by treatment with a vinyl/rubber protectant.

Wear nitrile gloves and make sure work area is well ventilated.

 

[Zeebr00k]

Thanks,Lee and Toothpick10!

 

[wrxhoon]

Take off the round part of the rubrail, it just pushes in place, find the ends usually at the rear and pull it off. It's easier to clean it if you take it off, you will also find the half that is inside will be dark blue and unmarked. Put the old part in and the new looking facing out. Don't try to take the other part off it's screwed in with at least 100 screws just clean that on the boat.

 

[Bloodweiser]

Once the rub rail is removed how difficult is it to put back? Good tips i am going try them as well.

 

[Finest Kind]

Take off the round part of the rubrail, it just pushes in place, find the ends usually at the rear and pull it off. It's easier to clean it if you take it off, you will also find the half that is inside will be dark blue and unmarked. Put the old part in and the new looking facing out. Don't try to take the other part off it's screwed in with at least 100 screws just clean that on the boat.

Brilliant! gonna try that next time the boat is on the hard.

 

[DogBone]

Has anyone considered adding 3/4" wide, hollow back, stainless steel rub rail on top of the blue insert piece? You never have to deal with the faded insert again. It also gives the boat the look of the newer Grady's.

 

[seasick]

I use acetone but there are a few tricks. The rail has to be absolutely dry before the acetone treatment. Have lots of rags at hand. Depending on how oxidized the rail is, the rags will get dirty quickly. If you use a dirty rag, it will spread the dirt.
Number two: After the tail is clean and DRY, apply Orange Glow floor polish. Don't know why but it works well. Down side is that it doesn't last a whole season.
The first time I used this technique, I was stunned when I saw what color my rub rail really was. I won't tell you, you have to see it yourself

 

[wrxhoon]

Once the rub rail is removed how difficult is it to put back? Good tips i am going try them as well.

Very easy, you can start at the front ( V) as you will always see the bend on it, you may need someone to hold on to it , pull on it a bit and it will feed in . If you find it hard some liquid soap will help, I didn't have to use soap when I refreshed it on my old boat, new boat has the S/S strip. I prefer the old style as you don't see the screws. I used 1200 wet and dry to totally clean mine and the colour came up as well. If you want to turn it inside out you will need a heat gun to take out the formed bends, immersing in boiling hot water will do it as well and you don't run the risk of burning it, whatever works for you .

 

[Fishtales]

I end up hitting it with the Collinite Cleaner and wax every year. Have not had a chalk issue yet on two boats.

 

[seasick]

I'm going to try the Collonite. I just had the bottle in my hands

 

[Zeebr00k]

Acetone did the trick took the chalkiness right off then put on extreme tire shine with a cloth. Look brand new.
Thanks again all

 

[seasick]

Acetone did the trick took the chalkiness right off then put on extreme tire shine with a cloth. Look brand new.
Thanks again all

Yes, the results for acetone are amazing but it wont last long at all. You still need to apply some sort of sealer like those mentioned earlier

 

[ilmmct]

Magic Eraser , rinse off and then apply 303 Protectant. I tied Acetone, but the results were inconsistent across the 24’ of rubrail on each side. 6-year old rubrail, pretty sure the prior owner never applied protectant previously. I believe Acetone and more patience would work for rubrails in worse shape than mine, but the Magic Eraser was just aggressive enough to remove the dead cells and to expose a clean layer of plastic below the surface.

 

[nrtbmw]

I am in agreement with ilmmct's recommendation. Used his recommended procedure today with excellent results on a 2007 Seafarer. Note the differance.

 

[nrtbmw]

I am in agreement with ilmmct's recommendation. Used it today and results were excellent on my 2007 Seafarer.

 

[Blaugrana]

I am in agreement with ilmmct's recommendation. Used it today and results were excellent on my 2007 Seafarer.

The results I had were similar using Acetone except there were some sections with water spots that probably needed something a little more aggressive. I’ll give magic eraser a try next time.

Only negative (or maybe it’s just in my head) is that I feel like it scuffs up much more easily now than before.

 

[seasick]

It scuffs easier because before cleaning you had a 'protective' layer of not too shinny oxidation and grime.
The rail will never hold up as well as when new since its protective layer has worn away. What did you apply after cleaning?

 

[Blaugrana]

It scuffs easier because before cleaning you had a 'protective' layer of not too shinny oxidation and grime.
The rail will never hold up as well as when new since its protective layer has worn away. What did you apply after cleaning?

303 Protectant. Shined really nice