One of my winter projects is to replace the rub rail. The rail itself is in good condition. I am going to replace the vinyl insert with nylon rope. I tried a small piece. 3/4 inch nylon three strand is a perfect fit and the small test area looks great (very nautical). I have removed the three cast aluminum bumpers (bow and each stern corner) and I am in the process of refinishing them. They were coated with gel coat...a surprise to me until I found that the areas that were not peeling, chipped or dinged have a tenacious grip to the aluminum. A little research yielded that the best way to prime aluminum for a saltwater environment is to coat with epoxy, so the gel coating actually makes sense now. I've got them well sanded and cleaned now and just need a warm spell to prime with epoxy and then paint with Easypoxy topcoat. It is 5 degrees right now here in NH as I write this, so it will need to warm up a lot before I can do this in my garage. When that's done, I'll insert the rope and reinstall the bumpers. I'll let you know how it comes out and try to include some pictures.

Does anyone have experience refinishing their aluminum bumper pieces? I think I'm on the right track.