Wefco Rubber Rub Rail order has arrived, progress report

Today I got a box from Wefco Rubber with 60ft of nice new white rub rail that I am now sure will fit the aluminum rail on my 65 20ft fiberglass skiff. It is different in that it has a wide lip on the top that will lay on the aluminum extrusion and the outboard profile is thicker and round rather than flat with sharp edges. Wefco offered to eliminate the wide lip but I elected to leave it on with the idea if I like the way it looks it stays, if I don't I can cut it off. The internal channel part of it is identical to the original vinyl rub rail. Here are a couple of pictures. I'm 50miles from my boat today but will be going there tomorrow to work on it.

I will take pictures of an installed sample this weekend and post early next week. I've been working steadily on the boat, mostly on topside fiberglass filling a bazillion drilled holes with epoxy then repairing gel coat, just sent a box of instruments to Dale Kocian in Wisconsin for restoration and a box of chrome parts to Rod Graves in Alabama. Beyond that work on topside fiberglass continues and the boat is now nameless as I took the NAVILLUS Class of '65 name off the transom, discovered it was once named PAULINE and will probably rename it SHADY LADY after I get it ready for the water.

Additionally I have been talking on the side to Paul Plechter and now have detailed pictures and dimensions that will allow me to scratch build correct front seats to replace the aftermarket pedestal models someone put on the boat. There's lotsa stuff to do, will probably do the engine stringer reinforcement, need to dig into carburetor, water cooled manifolds, flooring and supporting structure and the wiring which is a disaster and will be drastically simplified and replaced. A busy winter is on the horizon...

Dave...


























Edit comment: Dave's photos have been archived. Paul