The rub rail follows the deck shelf along the outside of the hull and is designed to protect the hull when the captain decides to dock, or tie up to a dolphin etc. In plain words if we are going to hit anything the rub rail will hit it first. Therefore it must be strong. A few years ago our friends Paul and Trich Pelton showed up in Washington and presented us with a whole load of Sitka Spruce 1" by 2" (actual Size) by 10 foot. (Paul died in 2002. He will be missed by all his friends.) They had been hauling it around in their pickup truck since they became full time R'V'ers. So we helped them unload the prize and I got to work.
This is what the hull looks like before the rub rail is added. See the black dots about 18 in. below the cap rail. These bolts hold the deck shelf and gussets in place. The rub rail is going over these, so if the ship hits anything the force will be absorbed by the rail itself and all the framing in behind.	I laid up the strips one on top each other, and then a second layer on both sides of the ship the full 38 feet. After this I had a 4 inch high by 2 inch deep spruce strip running up both sides. This is done by cutting and fitting the wood the full length of the ship, then taking it all off, then putting it all back on with epoxy glue. It takes a full 4 hours, non stop, to glue in one strip, When the second strip is added on the bottom at least we can clamp the 2 together which makes the job a little easier.
After the spruce was glued and screwed on I overlaid it with a 1 3/4" by 1" oak strip at the top, then the same sized oak strip turned sideways and rounded out with the router. Then under this a another oak strip. As you can see the screws are getting longer and longer. I also have to make sure that the screw holes I drill on the outside will not hit any screws in behind. So all fasteners for all these layers must be staggered.	Here's a top view.
Now what to do about the top of the rub rail. The edge should be tough so I decided to put a teak strip against the hull, then a yellow cedar strip next, then last but not least a teak strip for the edge. This view shows the strips glued in, but not plugged.	Here is another view of it going over the stanchion support.
Because the rub rail curves under the cap rail in the forward section there is no need for a striker strip. Here is a view of it all plugged and rough sanded.	Here is the forward section with a teak, just for looks, striker strip. All oiled and ready for launch.
Now what to do about the under side. This side is the wettest. I decided to use a strip of red cedar against the hull, then a yellow cedar strip as before, then finish off with a teak strip. This is all we could get done in 2001. Our first job will be to measure and cut the teak strip, then glue and screw it all together. It's not fun trying to do all this on your back.