[Rhodes22-list] Tessilmare Radial Flexible Rub Rail

Thu Aug 25 23:00:39 EDT 2016

For me the cost of the Tessilmare was considerably more than the Tyco but
that might be because I am in Canada.

Graham Stewart
Agile. R22, 1976
Kingston Ontario Canada

-----Original Message-----
From: Rhodes22-list [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of
Chris Geankoplis
Sent: August 25, 2016 9:30 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Tessilmare Radial Flexible Rub Rail

Thanks for this very useful write up.  I used the teco and it was a PTA.
Looked great but cost a lot more than your system and was no better in
quality.  Next time I'll use this product.
Chris
Enosis

On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 12:23 AM, Graham Stewart <gstewart8 at cogeco.ca>
wrote:

> For those who might be replacing their rub rail I thought I would post 
> some notes and a picture of my boat after installing the Tessilmare 
> Radial Flexible Rub Rail system.(see: 
> http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/
> userportal/show_product.do?pid=56893
>
> The system comes in two parts: a plastic track and a rubber bumper. 
> The track comes in 6' lengths and the rubber rail is continuous in the 
> length you choose. I ordered 55' and that worked out fine with about 3
feet extra.
>
> The primary reason I choose this system was because installing it can 
> be accomplished working alone. I didn't want to have to find and then 
> depend on someone to help. Unlike the more popular Tacho system the 
> rubber rail does not need to be stretched during installation. In 
> fact, I was able to install it alone so that worked out fine. However, 
> the time it took was considerably longer than what was implied in the
sales material.
>
> The track goes on with screws. It is fairly soft plastic and if the 
> screws are driven in too tight the track bulges around the screw and 
> this deformation shows when the rubber rail is installed. As it turned 
> out, and in spite of various approaches,  I was not able to find the 
> perfect setting where the screw was sufficiently tight without 
> creating the bulge. The only way I could avoid the bulges in the 
> rubber rail was to use a box cutter to shave off the sides of each 
> bulge on the track. That was not difficult but it was time consuming. 
> You can see in the attached picture slight dimples in the rubber rail 
> where each screw is located. You only see them when you look along the
rail with the light reflecting off the surface.
>
> They recommend screws but say that rivets could also be used. Rivets 
> would compress the track much more tightly than screws and would bulge 
> the track considerably more so I don't see rivets as being practical. 
> So unlike the original rub rail I was not able to use rivets to 
> install the rail and secure the hull/deck join at the same time. I 
> riveted the join first and then installed the track with screws. I 
> used 1 1/2" screws but should have used 1" screws.
>
> Screws go in easily and are spaced every 6 inches. After drilling the 
> hole for the screw I squeezed a dab of sealant into the hole. I 
> suspect that had little effect in creating a seal - but I can't be sure.
>
> The sales material implied that the track can be bent around corners 
> and the bow without the use of heat. Once you get the kit you find out 
> that a bend in excess of a 40 mm radius required the application of 
> heat. In the case of the Rhodes the bow and both ends of the transom 
> are too sharp to avoid using the heat. That said, it does not require 
> a lot of heat. I used my heat gun on the low setting and moved it back 
> and forward along the track while I slowly  bent it around the bend. 
> However, you need to put a length of wire under both tabs in the track 
> to avoid having them  lose their shape and make it impossible to fit 
> the rubber rail later. I used pieces of coated clothes line wire and that
worked perfectly.
>
> To install the rubber rail you bend it back to spread the tabs that 
> grab onto the track and roll the rail forward. By the time I was 
> finished I had developed the method and was progressing well but it 
> took me a long time and multiple tries at first. It can be done alone. 
> If someone is there to help they can manage the length of rail. I did 
> this on a hot day and I suspect thaat made the rail material much more 
> pliable. I am not sure that I would have been able to install the rail had
it been cold.
>
> At the sharp corners a gap forms between the rubber rail and the boat 
> so I filled the space with black Boat Life sealant.
>
> The kit comes with plastic caps for the end. You can either put two 
> end caps on or use a join piece to end them together. I put a screw 
> through the ends of the rubber rail to make sure it  did not shrink 
> back and then attached the link piece with a screw. The problem I ran 
> into, however, was that the upper pintel on the rudder would not clear 
> the cap. After considering various options I decided to shorten the 
> pintel pin, (or is that called the gudgeon?), just enough to allow the 
> rub rail to be cleared and then drilled a hole in the pin so that I 
> could secure it with a pull pin. That seemed to work fine.
>
> Unlike the Taco system, there is no insert that goes into the track 
> that will give a two-colour look - which can be attractive.
>
> Attached is a picture of the rail attached. Not having installed the 
> Tacho system I really can't say whether the Tessilmare is better or 
> easier to install. Certainly the rubber rail seems beefy and should 
> provide good protection.
>
>
> Graham Stewart
> Agile. R22, 1976
> Kingston Ontario Canada
>
>
>
>
>
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