Rubrail sealer flaking on me

[Fman]

When I was wiping my boat down yesterday after being on the lake someone noticed the sealant/calking they use under the rubrail to tie in the upper and lower deck of the boat is beginning to flake off. I really never even noticed it was there until I took a better look at it. After really taking a peek it looks pretty crappy to me, I am even considering contacting my dealer this winter to see if they will re-do it. It looks like a Friday afternoon job because there was no reason to apply that wide of a bead to get into the seem of the rubrail.

I am curious if MC, Malibu and other boats are doing this same type of sealer to prevent water from coming in under the rubrail or if just Supra does this. Anyone else with a 2008 or newer boat would you mind taking a look and see if your rubrail has the same type of sealant.

If I was to ever remove this and re-do it, what would be the best method of scraping all that crap off there without damaging the gelcoat? If SC wont fix this I will probably work on it this winter.

[mapleleaf]

Doesn't look like a 3M product that's for sure.... I've had some success removing silicone with plastic putty knives and this funny 90 degree silicone removing scraper from the depot (also plastic). It's still going to be a PITA, but it will come off.
You'd think a smaller bead put on properly would be stronger and last longer than that heavy bead that's on there now.....

[jaywidhalm]

I haven't noticed this on mine, but I will take a closer look tonight and get back with you.

[Fman]

I haven't noticed this on mine, but I will take a closer look tonight and get back with you.

I got brave and started scraping a little last night and got about 4 feet removed, its going to take about 12 hours to do the entire boat. I am going to break it down to 4-6' sections at a time, then re-apply the silicone. This is the first item on my boat that I would give a thumbs down for quality on Skiers Choice part. They should have never put that much silicone on there to fill a little seem, my new bead is less than 1/8" thick and not even noticeable. This should have been caught before it was sent out for delivery, and my bad for not noticing when I purchased the boat..... live and learn.

Jay, thanks for checking on your boat.... maybe the black just makes it stand out more than white. Again, I think I got the Friday afternoon gotta get out of workin' special.....

[jaywidhalm]

I know it is disappointing when you are spending that kind of money on a boat, but they are built by humans. The Friday afternoon thing sounds about right, but quality control should have caught it. I was frustrated having numerous warranty issues with a new boat, but was told it is pretty typical until you get all the bugs worked out. Name of the game I guess...

[Okie Boarder]

It looks like they used basic clear silicone, which seems to be the norm for all boat manufacturers. I've been told that silicone doesn't like to stick really good, which is what you are seeing. It was suggested to me to use 3M 4200 because it bonds better. If you haven't already started using a product to put the new bead down, that would be something to consider.

[beast 496]

Silicone sucks as a sealant and bonding agent. I suggest using 3M 4000 which is UV stable and good for above and below water line. The 3M 4200 and 5200 are not UV stable. Silicone is cheap, not many manufactures still use. You can smooth out the 3M 4000 or other urithane sealants with Citrus based cleaners or sprays. The set up time is lengthened by a couple hours but you can really smooth out the sealant. Al

[Fman]

I spent 6 hours today removing the port side, oh what a lot of work! Its finished and looks so much better, my bead is about 80% smaller than what skiers choice put on there. I went with some silicone from West Marine, its clear, UV stable and is easy to apply. Now I have the drivers side sitting there for another day... my shoulders are done.

[Fman]

Heres a few before and after pics, and one comparing the two beads and how they look together before I began scraping more. I am pleased with the results....:)

[ssmith]

My 2005 21V has the same problem. I asked Jim at Viper about it. He said in 2005, business was booming and Supra was pumping those boats out like crazy. So, it was no surprise to him to see that type of work (which I think is pretty crappy). I need to follow your lead and rework mine.

[Fman]

My 2005 21V has the same problem. I asked Jim at Viper about it. He said in 2005, business was booming and Supra was pumping those boats out like crazy. So, it was no surprise to him to see that type of work (which I think is pretty crappy). I need to follow your lead and rework mine.

Well get ready for a ton of fun! and hope you have some strong shoulders because its not an easy task getting this crap off!

[Okie Boarder]

That turned out good.

[jaywidhalm]

Travis...looks like it will turn out good. I checked mine last night and it looked pretty good, maybe a few small spots where it was a little wide, but not much. Maybe you did just get someone who was in a hurry to hit the bar after work!!

[Fman]

Travis...looks like it will turn out good. I checked mine last night and it looked pretty good, maybe a few small spots where it was a little wide, but not much. Maybe you did just get someone who was in a hurry to hit the bar after work!!

Jay, glad to see they did a good job on yours.... I still have about 6-8 hours of work ahead, yipppee!

[docdrs]

my 99 outback looked kinda like yours fman, curious as to what my 09 looks like .....will have to check it out.....nice clean job your doing there

[Fman]

my 99 outback looked kinda like yours fman, curious as to what my 09 looks like .....will have to check it out.....nice clean job your doing there

Thanks, and its is DONE! Just finished it up a couple days ago, was about 11 hours of labor to do both sides of the boat. The transom area still looks good so I did not bother with it right now. Next boat I buy I will be paying more attention to the little details like this, never crossed my mind to look at this when I purchased this one. If I had noticed it at purchase there would have been no check written for the boat until it was repaired.