Aluminum Hull & Transom Repair - Oxidation + Pitting.

[I_prefer_tractors]

I tore apart the boat in the past week. I finally got all the foam out today & washed it with 50/50 vinegar/water mixture. I found 2 leaking rivets + one small section of seam that needs a little gluv it love. My question is... I've got white powder EVERYWHERE on the inside of the hull. I forgot to take pictures today but here is from yesterday. There are a coupe of areas that have small pits in the hull. Nothing too deep. but its white powdery everywhere. I thought the vinegar + water mixture would fix it and it did not. Someone told me I need to cover it with POR15. at $150 a gallon that seems steep. Are there any other options that are more reasonable? Can I just cover it with a self etching primer? What are my options? I am not really worried about the limited pitting in the hull. Its very shallow.


(photo from yesterday its been cleaned up a little more since)
http://i.imgur.com/bH2SP.jpg (for more zoomed in look you can click here.)


My other question is about the transom aluminum. There was a TON of water trapped. As you can see in the photo Its been wet. The transom wood was absolutely soaked. I got most of the color(rust) off of the aluminum. But there is a decent amount of pitting. Do I just fill those spots with JBweld? Do I need to buy por15 for here too? What alternatives do I got?

Thanks

[jigngrub]

You washed your foam?

As for the oxidation/white powder, is there any pressure treated lumber in the boat? I'd just remove the oxidation with a wire cup brush in an angle grinder, clean the inside up good and use the etching primer... it's all you need to prevent corrosion.

Skim the pitting in the transom with JB weld and primer paint it too. A good coat of primer will put an end to galvanic corrosion.

[magnumdeke]

Stainless steel cup brush on a drill or grinder, re wash with the vinegar and maybe do the inside of the transom with this
http://www.biosafe-inc.com/coatit.htm should work good on the pitted areas

[I_prefer_tractors]

You washed your foam?

LOL, I even asked a friend to proof read it for me. Oops! There was no pressure treated lumber. Unless that's what the factory used.(1986 Smokercraft) There was just spray foam trapping water to the hull. The transom had signs of wetness last year. I definitely let it go too long. You could push your finger all the way through the 1.5 inch wood in places. I just didn't start reading the restoration threads until a month ago.

Thanks for the advice.

[I_prefer_tractors]

Stainless steel cup brush on a drill or grinder, re wash with the vinegar and maybe do the inside of the transom with this
http://www.biosafe-inc.com/coatit.htm should work good on the pitted areas

I planned on using coat-it on all the rivets & seams. JBweld in the pitted areas. Do I do a self etching primer everywhere first or do I put coat-it/jb weld down first? Can I put JBweld + primer + coatit on the pitted areas. Or should I skip JBweld all together & just use coat-it?

[jigngrub]

I planned on using coat-it on all the rivets & seams. JBweld in the pitted areas. Do I do a self etching primer everywhere first or do I put coat-it/jb weld down first? Can I put JBweld + primer + coatit on the pitted areas. Or should I skip JBweld all together & just use coat-it?

I advise to fix the 2 leaking rivets properly first, wire cup second, skim the transom pits third, coat-it, and then paint.

I wouldn't worry about coat it on the transom, but if you want to do it... do it after the JB weld and before the paint.

If you have any coat-it left, you can use it to seal your new transom plywood.