how to clean hull bumper

[lordnarvinye]

I've pulled off the plastic bumper that runs around the hull to get at some fiberglass cracks, and I'm wondering, can I bleach this stuff to get it back to color, or is there something else I can do?  Or just buy new stuff.  If buying is best, where do I find it?  I've looked, and maybe I just don;t know what its called.

[GoneFission]

Rubrail?  Anyway, try some Soft Scrub with a Scotchbrite pad.  

Good luck!

[RickK]

When I did a "make over" on my 170 about 8 years ago I removed the original rubrail to allow me access to what was under it so I could prep & paint the hull. When it came time to put it all back together I thought, "man this rubrail is all funky, the black rubber (or whatever it's made of) is looking green and the white insert is all blackish with mold".  I tried to clean the green off the "black" to no avail and bleached the insert which turned that reddish ,  so I decided to replace the rubrail with a new fancy black one with rope insert.  Almost killed me and a buddy putting it on, especially getting the rope into the groove, but when it was done it looked beautiful and I tossed the original rubrail and insert.
THEN I found this site and found out that the original rubrail was a cherished item and that the green rubber that I poo-poo'd was actually green from the factory  
If there is any way to save the original, try to keep it, makes the boat more original.  I think the new rub rail I put on is more stout than the original and I like it but I should have offered the original to someone here instead of tossing it, not so much to make money on it but to allow someone to restore their boat back to "original".

[Capt. Bob]

Mine is (was) blue. It's original and I've tried many different things to remove the black and return it to its blue color. A wire brush worked the best (on a very small spot) but it scars the rail. I keep trying but there is no "magic potion" that I know of to remove the black.  :cry:

Good luck.

[Mad Dog]

I just bought a new one.  Cost about $250 for 50 feet.  Also, Shine described a method to make the installation easier.  Used a drum of hot water to soften the rubber so he could stretch it and get it to lay down properly.

[sonny]

surplus unlimited in daytona beach, i just bought a black on black 50 footer for 189.  they have a web site.