rubbing strakes are mysteries

[AGalloway]

Apart from the fact they are already on your yacht to start with-whenever a new one is required, is it the invisible tooth fairy who delivers them? Or a flying stork.

A simple Google search for rubbing strakes throws up all manner of unrelated crap and it's even worse when your type the above along with "repairs" or "stockists UK £"...

I have one...a rubbing strake...and it needs atention.

It's where it's supposed to be but a previous owner - honest - made an absolute hash of sanding and varnishing it. It has gouge type marks - he must've chiselled it - and on one bit a 3 inck crack running through the middle of its' 1 and 1/4" height.

Is there a type of woodfiller which can be used for the gouges of this manner to be followed by some judicious sanding?

I think the rubbing strake is teak.

And can I just plop in a bit of Plastic Padding Marine Epoxy to seal the crack which isn't very wide with a clamp in place to hold it. Come to think of it, it might not be possible to clamp eek!

The fastenings are sound and undamaged. And the wood is where its supposed to be, retaining its shape and in good nick.

In the meantime I continue my quest for the de facto website on all things strakey...never thought I could write so much about strakes TBH.

Agall /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[ClassicPlastic]

OK,

First, it's teak. So, you repair it, fill it, sand it, oil it, varnish it, replace sections of it, etc etc, LIKE TEAK.

Second,

You can go to your local boat yard, hand over the keys to your house, car, parents house, childrens' houses, their cars, your pension fund, etc etc, and they will fit a new rubbing strake on the boat for you!

Third, you can go to

http://www.wilks.co.uk/wilks.htm

and order some PVC (not rubber) rubbing strake material, and fit it yourself...

Hope that helps!

 

[Avocet]

I think they're pretty much custom made for each boat. What cross section is it? mine are an angle section. They were completely stuffed (bits of rot, missmatched bits jointed in where they'd been bashed etc). the gouges you mention might be the same as mine had - the bits of cord holding the fenders to the guard rails rubbed against the sides of the rubbing strake and wore gouges in it.

Anyway, I asked KJ Howells in Poole (pretty certain they've got a website) if they could make me some new ones. I drew the cross section out and faxed it to them. They had to make each strake in 3, separate 3m lengths as this was the longest they could post so I had to scrarf joint the ends of each piece and epoxy them together before fitting. I've got 2 joints on each side now and I have to say Howells couldn't match all the pieces so there are some shade variations along the length of the completed strakes but they look a million times better than the originals.

...or at least they did until the gales the other week! The boat was still afloat and rolled enough to hook the leeward strake under the pontoon and smashed it to bits for about 2 feet along the midships section. So I guess I'll be doing another scarf joint soon!

 

[William_H]

Seems to me rubbing strakes are made to protect the hull and made to take a battering. As such a few dings is quite ok. If your (fibreglass) hull has had a few ding repairs and has been painted therefor can be repainted you might be just as wekll off without the strakes. Fibreglass may well be easier to repair than wood. Obviously if you have pristine gel coat you don't want to repair that. Seems to me a bit like car bumpers. Originally they were made to take a knock without showing damage now days they are beautifully painted easily damaged and the most expensive to replace. So you can replace your rubbing strake, oil and varnish it and then provide some protection like fenders or ignore the damage maybe sand it down a little smoother or remove it permanently. Mine doesn't have a strake but that is because the hull is max legal width for road transport but I really don't miss having a strake. regards will

 

[brianhumber]

True rubbing Strakes are used for rubbing, scuffing and smashing - not to look good.

A nice teak rubbing strake tends to be regarding as a cosmetic asset to the vessel and not viewed as above. I suppose it depends on if you moor alongside fishing vessels, timber quays etc. If you do then I suggest you consider changing to PVC in which case Wilks have a multitude of options

 

[MedMan]

I'm with William on this one. Give serious consideration to removing it altogether. Rubbing strakes on yachts are an abomination and the work of the devil! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif You and all those you tie up alongside in the years to come will be much better off without it!

 

[AndrewB]

Agree, there is no point in keeping them looking pristine. But don't discard them because they can do a good job throughout the life of the yacht in warding off damage where it is harder to fix. A bit like car bumpers. They are supposed to be fitted so as to be cheap and easy to replace. Basically just a strip of hardwood, rubber or even rope.

As Brianhumber says, regrettably some owners regard them as ornamentation, there simply to look beautiful. Also some yacht designers make them integral, so they are more difficult to replace than they should be.

Worst of all are cheap GRP cruising boats that lack them altogether, so that every touch becomes a serious hull scar and major insurance claim. It would be no bad thing if insurers refused to pay on hull damage claims where they were not fitted, on the grounds that the owner was neglecting basic precautions.

 

[JohnHaine]

As I've just discovered that the cracked bit on the port strake of my Corribee was actually rotting right next to the hull for a foot either side of the crack, this is a very topical thread for me! I've looked at the Wilks website and the PVC D-section stuff looks good, but how do you fit it? Screws? If so it looks like you have to make holes on the top surface, the only alternative is to glue it on - the website is not very informative. Anyone any advice please?

John.

 

[oldharry]

.....not really! It is usually pretty straightforward to replace a rubbing strake, once you establish how it has been fastened to the hull. For a really sooper finish (and - inveitably!) quite a lot more work they can be fastened from inside out, but the vast majority are either through bolted on a good bed of sealant (Sikaflex is ideal), or on some boats fastened with hefty self tappers, or a mix of both. Heads are recessed, and then levelled off with wood or sealer plugs so that they dont show, and are not likely to be knocked off the first time the rubbing strake hits something.

Preparing the strake is simple enough - a suitable length of timber is planed up, and drilled ready to take the fastenings. If long enough sections are not available, a long scarph join can be made and glued with epoxy, to get the required length.

Having cleaned off and prepared for fastening, start at the bow where the steepest curvature is found. You will need sufficient supports to be able to hold the timber at precisely the right height against the hull at this stage. Setting up the first fastening can be a little tricky, but once it is in place it is surprisingly easy to bend the timber to the next fastening, and to carry on accordingly. If there is a 'top hat' joint between the hull and duck, then this makes life even easier, as it allows the use of clamps to hold the timber in while the fastenings are tightened down. If some system of clamping the wood to the hull to locate the fastening hole for drilling, then this helps. Otherwise, Fred hanging on the far end of the timber can apply suitable comtrolled pressure as you work your way along....

Once the whole thing is in place, and excess sealant cleaned off, a router can be used to round off the corners.

A sound strake with just one section of damage can easily have a new section scarphed in.

There is no real mystery about it fitting a nice wooden rubbing strake - except that it looks much more difficult than it usually is!

 

[Avocet]

Hey!, I'm not sure having nice-looking rubbing strakes should actualy be regarded as a keel-hauling offence!

In fact, mine are the worst sort - they're not even the widest part of the boat! (That's a raised fibreglass ridge with a painted cavetta stripe about 4" below the rubbing strake)! (and, yes, it has a bit of battle damage!) I think MARCON only fitted the rubbing strake to hide the hull-deck joint in the GRP. I resisted the temptation to Sikaflex mine to the topsides though- just in case I ever needed to remove it for repairs!