Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Topics primarily or specifically about the DS1. Many topics are of general interest, so please use forum sections on Rigging, Sails, etc. where appropriate.

Moderator: GreenLake

Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby JD11 » Wed Apr 01, 2015 2:43 pm

I have a 1984 Spindrift Daysailer One. It appears to be missing a rub rail, or maybe never had a rub rail. I've been looking at the posting about the DS 1 rubrail and based on the photos, I'd swear my Sprindrift toe rail/hull deck joint is not the same as the DS1. My toerail appears to be an overlaping lip approximately 1 inch.

D&R Marine is saying the U-chanel rubrail is the correct rubrail, but to me that doesn't match the toerail. The toerail looks like this
Image
flange.jpg
flange joint
flange.jpg (8.51 KiB) Viewed 7353 times


Its more like an external rolled flange.
Even if the Spindrift used the DS 1 rub rail, its $160 for a piece of plastic? I am considering bolting 1x3/4" PVC trimboard from Lowes to the flange. I might run a round over bit across it to give a nice edge and then paint it. At $11 for 12ft its a lot cheaper and more robust. Has anyone else considered this?
JD11
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:39 pm

Re: Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby GreenLake » Wed Apr 01, 2015 4:12 pm

you are correct about the difference in design of the hull deck joint.

When considering the price for the rubrail, they last a very long time. Probably longer than you'll own the boat.

Many boats that do have this type of overlapping joint do not have rubrails. The joint will get scratched a bit in use, but with suitable dock construction is sufficient as a rubrail substitute. I have another dinghy that does have that construction. The downside is, that if you are going for a very pristine look, it's impossible to stay on top of dings and scratches, and paint will certainly rub off. A bolted on rubrail as in the drawing seems feasible.

Your solution is unlikely to be more robust, and you will find the paint will not last. Given the effort to install this in the first place, I would go with the dedicated "piece of plastic".

You will need to get the two end-caps as well.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
GreenLake
 
Posts: 7135
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:54 am

Re: Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby JD11 » Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:47 pm

Ok that makes sense. In every photo I've seen of the spindrift Daysailer it appears there's no rub rail. Just the flange

I can see your point about painting. So why not leave the pvc trim board white. I'm talking about in the trim section of Lowes. It's designed for outdoors anyway. It doesn't need to be painted. Take a heat gun. Bolt the trim piece to the flange. At the 12ft length you scarf two pieces together and they bolt to flange. Bolt it every couple feet and use 3m to mount and fill gaps. At the bow with slow heat you could make the angle. Trim board is solid pvc. No end caps needed.
Scuffs n scrapes sand off.

I guess robust is the wrong word. Sacrificial is more like it.
JD11
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:39 pm

Re: Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby GreenLake » Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:34 am

Couldn't locate what you mean online, so I can't make a better guess about it's durability. But I guess my main point really is that sometimes what is cheap will also look cheap. And both solutions seem to take about the same installation procedure and effort; and in neither case is it really an option to remove the thing before you sell, for example, because you need to drill holes.

So, my thinking would be, you have a choice of being really cheap, that is, do nothing, and kick this down the road. If you are unlucky, you'll sooner or later bang up that clean joint. Sooner, if you have badly designed docks where you launch, later, if they are well constructed with flat wooden surfaces to rub against. (Yours is an '84, so, if it's been used for 30 years, you have some data on how likely damage is, assuming your usage pattern is similar).

Once you have surface damage, you can always hide it under a rail installation. At that point, you won't measure the boat against its purchase price any longer, which I understand was pretty low in your case, but against its value to you, or perhaps even a re-sale value. That might make you a touch more flexible in your choices of price point :)

Or, you could figure it this way: you are putting a lot of effort into this, so you might as well do it right. Doing a lot of work (instead of sailing) but hobbling the outcome by being cheap in the wrong place seems misguided. Now, I take all of that back if you are able to produce a good looking robust solution.

The flat surface presented by the joint is an advantage; unlike the traditional DS1 joint, you don't need a U-channel for your rail. The main upside of the solution in your diagram is that it hides the fasteners. You would need to countersink yours so that they don't stand proud, even if a bit of the rubbing strake gets rubbed off. Could be done with a drill press, of you have enough thickness to work with. But you would still change the clean lines of the edge for something that shows a screw head every foot or so. Now, if this was a rubbing strake in teak you could hide the fasteners with bungs, but a wooden rubbing strake is the wrong look anyway.

So, it all boils down to choices. Yours, in this case. I've enjoyed giving you some input, but ultimately, you're the one who needs to be happy.

On balance, I would recommend that, in the absence of a stone pier or something that will simply chew up the boat at any contact whenever you launch her, you might be best of focusing your energies on whatever is required to get her to sail better (and safer). And to spend more time on the water than fixing her up. Unless this is just one addition to a long line of predecessor boats, I suspect your priorities will change quite a bit once you have been out a number of times. I don't know whether you said this either way, but I got the impression that this was your first DS and perhaps first boat. In that case, get to know her first. Good luck!
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
GreenLake
 
Posts: 7135
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:54 am

Re: Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby jeadstx » Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:32 pm

That is similar to the DS II hull-deck joint. Might check with D&R Marine. I thought they had a DS II rub rail at one time, not sure.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
jeadstx
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Dripping Springs, Tx

Re: Rub Rail for Spindrift Daysailer One

Postby JD11 » Thu Apr 02, 2015 1:26 pm

Plug cutter bit for cutting bungs- Home Depot $12, but I already own several
Image

Google 1 x 3/4" PVC trimboard: 3x $11/12ft= $33
Image

This is the same concept as a teak toe rail or rubing strake, except its made of pvc.
JD11
 
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:39 pm


Return to Day Sailer I Only

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron