Anybody have any luck bringing 80s aluminum rub rail back to life? Mine has some dock rash in a few areas from the previous owner. Will sanding and polishing work or will it stick out like it has been repaired?

Steve

What we had to do with a boat we restored was send it out and have the clear anodizing remove then we worked all the dents and dock rash out repolished and then reanodized and it turned out great Regards Dan

Wow. I was afraid of that. I may swap it out with stainless. Thanks Dan.

You can still buy those older style rub rails from Taco Metals if you want to retain the stock look. Most of these rails are anodized and won't buff up until it is stripped. You can strip it with old style oven cleaner, but it is a toxic job. Without the anodizing, it will require constant polishing unless coated with something.