In a Catalina the main deck is fitted to the hull in a shoe box type construction were the main deck goes over the hull like the lid of a shoe box.  It's sealed and  bolted.  The bolts all need to be removed, have fun accessing them all.  It can be done, with some amount of effort.

The first picture is with the old rub rail removed, hull painted, the bolts installed and well packed with 3M 5200 to keep the water out.

After the 3M 5200 dries you don't even need anyone on the outside of the boat to keep the bolt from turning.  You'll just need a wrench that will fit in some small places, the arm of a contortionist, and several bags of stainless steel washers, lock washers, and nuts.  (All the hardware installed is marine grade stainless.)

I replaced the ridged rub rail with a flexible vinyl rub rail made by Taco, which is specifically marketed for the do-it-yourself guy.

I started the installation from the centerline on the transom and worked forward.  This is the first job I've done on the boat where I needed help.  So a case of beer and a buddy, who isn't afraid of a long day in the hot sun pulling on black vinyl, is a necessity.

The installation is straight forward.  I used 1 1/2 tubes of black 3M 4200 caulking on the back to seal it, then a wooden D.C. plug to force open the center of the rub rail so I could run screws through it into the hull.  You'll need a heat gun to soften it up to get it around the corner, even on the hottest day of the year this helped.

Careful with your drill/screw driver settings.  I did this on a 95 degree Fahrenheit weekend and the vinyl got nice and soft, but the one disadvantage: screws are pretty easy to run clear through the vinyl when it's that soft.  After a few tries though, you'll get the feel for it and it becomes less of an issue. 

We had a nice line to follow, as the hull is a shoe box construction.  All we had to do was run the bottom ridge of the rub rail along the seam to keep it straight.

Once installed I came back with a rubber mallet to install the center over the screw heads.  Simply pinch it get it started, then start pounding and pinching until it's installed.  After it's complete run a bead of 3M 4200 along the length to seal it up and you're done.

Now turn the boat and start again.  This project will wear your ass out, but it can be completed in one day.  Rather than trying to kill myself I took two days, spread out over two weekends.  The hotter the weather the better the results.  I got that bit of info from the folks up in the boat yard.  If you can put it off until it's 100 degrees outside; do it.

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