Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › @*^#! WAKE BOATS- Rubrail Repair Question
GetFiveLures.
UGH! So I went out this morning to take my two year old daughter on a quick little boat ride (I think she loves the BCPC more than me!). I unloaded the boat, tied it to the dock with TWO bouys (one on the front cleat and one on the drivers side rail) and went to park the trailer. I was on my way back down to the boat ramp and I saw it coming. Wake boat kicking up a MONSTER wake right, and I mean RIGHT outside the no wake bouys for the launch area. About a four foot wave comes in, sucks the water out and the back of my boat gets caught under the dock. Fortunately, no fiberglass damages ( ows: to the bumper buoys). However, due to my incredible luck the way the rub rail hit the dock when the peak of the wave came in, it looks like my rub rail took a direct shot from straight overhead and like 4-5 rivets right before the back corner were loosened or sheared off (3 were definitely sheared) and now my rub rail is loose and has a small amount of separation from the hull. Does anyone have any experience getting just some replacement rivets and fixing this problem? The rub rail looks fine otherwise. I am not too handy but it looks like all I have to do is unscrew the rail end cap by the motor, pull away the rub rail, reinsert some new rivets, pop the rub rail back on and then reattach the end cap. Is that about it? Do I need to take this in to an expert to fix??? The rail is fine except for about a 1 foot area where its loose and away from the hull.I know this isnt THAT big a deal, but as you can see from the pictures, I keep my stuff shiny and in top condition and this will bug the cra@p out of me…. and in the event I need to fix it to prevent other damage, well then Id rather get it done ASAP.Tight lines and thanks for the help,Andrew On a side note, I did get in my boat, motor on over to the wake boat, and seeing as how I had a 2 year old with me, we had a civil discussion about ethics and where to run your boat like that, and which ended with him and his wife telling me they were sorry but they were in a “ski lane” and that I could basically go jump in the lake. Fortunately, the water patrol was not too far away and while he did agree with their assessment regarding liability he did take the time to educate them on boating ethics and reminded them that there was a whole lot of lake and they dont need to be skiing right by the ramp….RANT OVER. I was pissed and am ashamed to say my daughter learned some new words when I saw that rub rail…..
No big deal there, give BCB a buzz tomorrow and they will walk you through it and tell you the grip range to get, etc…Simple fix and thats one reason its done that way.
Thank you so much for the quick reply and the reassuring words!I got your message and will give yall a call mid-week (when things slow down and the real parts/boating emergencies can be dealt with after the break).Tight lines,Andrew
In NY/VT, you are responsible for your wake no matter where you are. No wake zone or not. Im surprised that is not the case everywhere. Normally if you damage someones boat, dock, whatever with your wake, the repair bill in yours. Their liability insurance should have covered your parts/repairs. Especially with a patrol boat for a witness. If you took down their registration #, file with your insurance company who will go after theirs. No reason for you to pay out of pocket for someones else stupidity. If you want it repaired right of way, you can and still request reimbursement. Should be able to recover all or most of the cost and since you were docked there is no reason your insurance should go up. Good luck.
Your understanding of the law is also mine. Hate to admit it, but after my conversation with the other drive and his complete disregard for any responsibility, I was a bit flustered and didnt get numbers. In any event I dont think the repairs (new rivets) will cost more than 1/10 of my deductible. Even if I ended up having to get a complete new assembly the cost would still be less than my deductible. Sure my time to fix it also has value, but I dont factor that in…. I kind of like tinkering with my boat, just wish I was doing something more fun.
I would not have been that nice .. my last exp with a boater giving me a wake almost ended up in fist fight . And I had back up from marina operator .. lets just say he pulled a swindle on me..
Keep in mind deductible does not come into play when the other party is liable. Any chance the patrol boat took down the info? They usually do in case the idiot does it again. If its a few rivets probably not worth it but if you find more damage when you pull the rail…..
Just pulled the rail and there is no more damage. Only need to fix four rivets… I was lucky.On the insurance thing I get it. My deductible comment was based on the fact that I didnt get his numbers, Ive already gone home, and I doubt I will run into him again.The patrol boat did not record his numbers
© 2026 Bass Cat Boats
