Worth it to get a rub rail?

[jsc7]

I am buying a boat (33' power boat) and one option that is offered is a rubber rub rail that goes around the outside of the bulwarks.

Is a feature like this useful, or is it just one more thing to deteriorate and fall off?

[Vasco]

Depends on the boat. A rubber rub rail sounds like a small power boat. Might be helpful. A sailboat might require a more substantial rubrail.

[skipmac]

A rubrail is extremely useful and yes I would get it.

Also over time it may deteriorate and require replacement. The one on my ski boat only lasted 15 years.

It was pretty easy to replace.

[DougR]

I would say it's very useful to have a good rub rail, but really it mostly depends where the boat is used. If you never dock anywhere except modern marinas with well protected floating docks, then the rub rail will never be used. But if you travel off the beaten path and tie up at older piers with fixed docks and pilings, the rub rails will be worth their weight in gold and save the hull from countless scratches and dings.

DougR

[Rough Magic]

Yes I would get one. If you plan to raft up with other boats, or even for that accidental bump while docking, you may leave a dark mark, but not an insurance worthy gouge.

[ranger58sb]

Yes, you'll want a rub rail.

In addition to protection from general wear and tear... sometimes docking requires laying up against a pile and warping yourself around, as with spring lines, etc. Rub rails are useful for that.

-Chris

[Cheechako]

I like a rub rail, especially on the east coast where often docks are not floating and you need protection from pilings etc.

[Zoidislander]

Definitely get the rub rail.

[doublewide]

If you add a rub rail, look for one with a reflective strip. It makes your boat much more visible in the anchorage, both to prevent others from hitting you and to help you find your boat when you return after dark. Yours will be almost the only boat with a reflective strip. We like ours a lot.

[Suijin]

Get the rub rail, but don't abuse it. Meaning, be as gingerly with your boat as you would otherwise when docking. The rub rail protects against rubs and minor grinds and preserves the bulwark cosmetically, but it does not provide any structural reinforcement whatsoever.

[hobopacket]

I do have an older Boat and abuse it since well it’s old. But the rub rail comes in handy so much. I can soft touch a piling while docking and it makes sooo much easier when I am by myself.

Get it.

[thinwater]

Yes. I've had boats with and without, and with is much better particularly when you are alone.

But as Suijin said, don't abuse it. Rub rails vary greatly in how they are reinforced. On workboats, they are generally designed for heavy use. Others are little more than scratch protection for paint. But that is good enough reason.

Mostly they are useful for when the boat drifts a little while tying up, after you are stopped but before you get lines on, and you just touch a piling at some tiny fraction of a knot.