> I am building a 17' Chesapeake Kit. I am not sure about the need for rub
> rails. Any opinions out there? What kind of material should I use if I go
> with them?
> Thanks
> Jim

If you launch from a beach there is nothing for them to rub against. so don't bother. If you launch from a dock or pier which is at the same height as the boat then the rub rails serve as 'fenders'. Make them of a strip of wood which you bolt on, and change them when they get too beat up. An occasional pass with a sander and a touchup with some varnish will stretch the lift of them, but consider these to be 'sacrificial' elements which protect the hull from unnecessary abuse at the dock.

Just another opinion here.

Paul Jacobson