SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Gelcoat / Paint / Fireberglass Repair => Topic started by: JBASHAM on April 02, 2014, 09:09:09 AM
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So when I got my Bahner last year several sections of the rubrail were torn off and just the rivets are left.
Im gonna order a few sections from REX and was wondering if anyone had experience with this.
Im afraid of cracking the fiberglass when i try to rivet the new sections on, and was wonder how to bend it without kinking....
Jake
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To bend anything easily, heat it. You dont need to get it glowing red, especially aluminum. It'll "loosen up" and start to be very forgiving. The rivets will pop before any gel will crack.
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You don't want to heat the aluminum unless you have to. Aluminum goes from annealed to a puddle very quickly.
When I installed rub rail in years past, I attached it (with pop rivets) as I worked my way around the boat. When you come to a sharp corner, you don't want to stop bending it in the middle of the corner. You want to work it around the corner very smoothly and quickly. After you stop bending it, it's work-hardened and it doesn't bend as easily. That's the point at which you would need to take a torch to it. But you want to avoid that if at all possible.
You want to plan your starting point so you don't have a a joint between two pieces near a corner. You'll need the leverage of a piece of material hanging out there to be able to effectively bend it by hand.
You shouldn't have to worry about kinking it.
Good luck.