rubrails on cats

[kgi]

why is it the cat manufacturers insist on putting tiny rub rails on cats, they seem to use the same rub rail you would use on a run about, a small extrusion with a little bit of rubber in it, i know of two cats that sank from being caught against a wall when a bad squall came through. The fenders were flattened in the wind, once the boat started grinding up and down the wall thehull was quickly breached and then the deck "popped" off of the hulls and the hulls were crushed, it would appear that once that once there is a breach in this type of situation hull collapse happens quite quickly, so why aren't rub rails moulded in at the design stage, that way you basically have an external strake on which to mount a rubrail, the hull of the boat would also be further from the wall............what do you think?........keith

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[jamesjermain]

This is disturbing information which I have not come across before. The rubbing strips I have seen have mainly been purely decorative covers for the joint between the hull and the deck. I can see, however, that if the lip was caught over a harbour wall or rubbed away by constant abrasion, that the structural integrity of the hull could be seriously affected.
What models suffered in this way?

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[snowleopard]

trouble is the manufacturers want their boats to look pretty which they won't with the serious workboat fendering you really need.

if i were going to the med i'd fit a good solid baulk of timber with a rusty iron band and a few projecting spikes to keep the french from anchoring too close!

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[extravert]

Sorry, couldn\'t resist it...

My pussycat could do with a rubrail. He spends so long rubbing himself against my legs when I return after a weekend sailing he's going to wear out his fur one of these days.

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