Rail rug or neoprene?

I've got to replace the rail rug on my H16. Does anyone have a recommendation for the rug or neoprene? Any other material suggestions? Also, how do I get the old, tattered one off?

This boat is sailed for five weeks/year.

I prefer carpet. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and get their indoor/outdoor carpet. If you can get them to cut it into 6.5 inch strips, that would be the best. Get a can of 3M Super 77 trim adhesive and liberally apply it to the back of the carpet strips and then to the rails. Give it about 10 minutes to set up, then put the carpet on the rails. The glue works on pressure, so you will have to go around and press on it to make sure it sets up. Make sure you cover the hulls around the rails or you will get overspray everywhere.

To get the old stuff off, rip off the old material and scrape the glue off. You can douse it with Acetone or use Goof-off to get it off. If there is a little glue left, that isn't bad. The 77 will stick to it, just get the chunky parts off.

Neopren will not last all that long - especially in areas where the trap wire bungee cords run
The carpet will remain wet for always and ever.
Since someone mentioned a 3M product... 3M sells a rubber based tape (in a variety of colors and width). They have two product lines - one is for stuff like for stair steps - 3M uses abrasives that are bonded to the tape. This type is not very suitable. There is an other type which is more rubberized - I use the transparent kind / 3 inches wide for more than a year with good results.

Patrick

Thanks for the tip, Yoh. If you have the 3M product name and/or number handy I'll look into it.

Also, I was able to see first hand the neoprene on a new H16 and it looked pretty tough, not like the neoprene for wetsuits; it was harder.

I've used the neoprene on both my 16 and 18. I like it since it dries out and doesn't have that special ... funk that carpet can get. Also, it has given my exeptional traction on the rails.

On the 16 it does wear off were the shrouds contact it, but how often are you standing there any way?

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Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Replaced the tattered old rail rug with the Hobie neoprene last week and am convinced it is a better alternative to the rug. It doesn't stay wet (and get your shirt or shorts wet when you don't want/have to), and gives good traction. It is recommended.

Getting off the old stuff took some work. Ripped off what I could, then scraped off what I could, then power sanded the rest to a smooth surface. Applying the neoprene with contact cement was easy, just follow the included instructions.

So I just pulled the old boat out of winter storage, there's no wind today so I thought I'd finaly get around to replacing the rail rug on my 16. The rug came off very easy, but now there's some residual goo left.

I know that I should probably put in the elbow grease, but was just wondering how important is it to get all of the glue off. Do I need to put in as much work as Skipshot did. Or can I just use the 3m product and get the majority off and then glue the new carpet.

The old glue is very much bonded to the rail, but is not very thick.

Thanks for the help guys,

Adam

I don't know about the 3m product, never used it. But I will say that getting that stuff off of the rails really isn't all that labor intensive, or it wasn't for me anyways. When I replaced mine I just used some gritty sand paper. If you have any kind of electric sander it would be a breeze.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

2 words Krud Kutter get it at Lowes Still takes a bit of elbow greese but makes the job much easier.

Sam

Well I replaced the rug this past Saturday. What an easy repair. I did get most of the glue off of the rail with just old fashoned elbow grease. I didn't go as far as to sand it off, but it was mostly off.

The new carpet went on super easy and really makes a big difference. One word of warning; don't use too much contact cement. I did in one small spot, and the glue leaked thru to the carpet. No big deal though.

Thanks again,

Adam

to remove the old pull off what you can and then use a orbital sander or a small drill with a sanding dick no elbow grease required.

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Tom & Nancy Page H20 803

Doesn't that hurt?

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I hope that your term neoprene is actually meant for the waffle pattern EVA foam that has been available for 7-10 years. Real neoprene delaminates from the abrasion and sun.

The EVA foam (used for foot pads on sailboard) is quite durable, does not hold moisture or sand and is more comfortable than carpet. Some people will tell you that it is not durable but I've found it to be more durrable if you pay attention to three things (which will help no matter your choice of material).
1) Make sure that the bottom edge, under the rail, is trimmed (a small bevel to limit the trap liness from grabbing it too much. You just need to trim the high spots).
2) Make sure that you glue the carpet or EVE really well, especially the edges.
3) Make sure that the trap bungees are properly adjusted so that the ends of the bungees do not disappear under the rail when the trap hook is released. The ends of the bungees should always be visible above the rail so that you are not dragging shackles, knots or other protrusions over the material. Also make sure that the bungee tension is not super tight but just moderate. (My old boat had no damage for 4 years or so. When I bought a new boat the stock Hobie bungees did serious damage to the EVA on the underside of the rail because the bungee tension was too high. I found that the stock Hobie bungee (2002 era) was simply too large a diameter and could not be properly adjusted (bigger than 1/4 inch). I replaced it with high quality black 1/4 inch and have had no damage since.)

The Hobie Neoprene is... neoprene. It wears pretty well.

I prefer the neoprene as well. It gives excellent traction. One other advantage is when you are done sailing for the day and you are de-rigging... and all dressed in warm clothes... when you stand next to the boat on the trailer and reach across to tie off the rigging, you don't get all wet from the soaked carpet!

One comment on contact cement. It should be painted on both surfaces and dry before sticking the two surfaces together.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I was in northern Wisconsin with nary a Hobie nor any sort of sailing dealer in sight but needed some padding on the rail to comfort my tail and feet. At the local hardware store I bought some grey foam pipe insulation. It came in 8' lengths and was a tube similar to the noodles kids play with when swimming but with a slit down one side. I used contact cement and slid it over the rail and it worked great. It held up for 2 years before it started ripping apart. The whole pipe insulation thing only cost about $10. Now I bought some sheets of closed-cell foam and will try that--more $ but should last longer.