Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

[Texasmark]

Mine was. I tried several local professional welders and couldn't get any bites. I have a farm so I have several types of welders. I tried gas and MIG. Both were a total disappointment. Problem was heat sinking and thickness of the eye cooled off the joint before you could make it, even if you pre-heated the joint like the Jr. College welding text I borrowed told me.

I tried a $20 half # of Zeus alum. welding rods and they did the trick. I used the 3/32" and cranked the amps up to 90 and they did real good, considering you are welding cast alum, with a hugh heat sink, it's in a vertical position, and I am not a professional welder, skilled in any of it, especially blobbing aluminum. The directions on the container are really good. Only thing I did different was to up the amps because at the levels specified I had rod sticking problems.....course those were general rules, not specific for a thick cast alum eye on the bow of an alum. boat.

So if this helps you great. If not, it helped me and you can share my joy.....chuckle, chuckle.

Mark

 

[JimS123]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

A SS bow eye is much stronger, only costs six bucks and can be installed in 6 minutes. Why go thru all the trouble to fix something that's inferior anyway?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

I tried a $20 half # of Zeus alum. welding rods and they did the trick. I used the 3/32" and cranked the amps up to 90 and they did real good, considering you are welding cast alum, with a hugh heat sink, it's in a vertical position, and I am not a professional welder, skilled in any of it, especially blobbing aluminum. The directions on the container are really good. Only thing I did different was to up the amps because at the levels specified I had rod sticking problems.....course those were general rules, not specific for a thick cast alum eye on the bow of an alum. boat.

Mark

That'll hold it for a few minutes.

Your bow eye should be through bolted through the hull with a "U" bolt and have a substantial backing plate on the inside of the hull.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

No, but my chewing gum does lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight...

Anyway, Jim and jigngrub make a good point. Perhaps a picture or two of the bow eye would clarify the issue.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Attwood Single Shank Bow Eyes - iboats
Attwood Twin Shank Bow Eye 34413 - iboats
Bow/Stern Eye Stainless Steel - iboats

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Mine is OEM welded to the angle alum that forms the cover for the center section where the hull pieces are welded together. The boat is 13 years old and it's still attached like the builders installed it! It does not penetrate beyond that "cap". You're not messing with that. All you are doing is building back the front part of it that wore away from your winch hook wearing on it back up to original dimensions.

Years ago I had it done to a Starcraft Holiday 18' I/O and it did fine as long as I had the boat. Actually that's where I got the idea to do this one.

On how tough is it, I used a chipping hammer to get the slag off after welding and wire brushing, then got my grinder out to smooth out the rough spots. Guarantee you it's as good as the orig; maybe better.

What else can you find wrong with the process, not being here and seeing it?

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

I can picture what you're saying and the desire to keep the original look.
Should have taken a before and after picture. I work with some guys that do sanitary welding on SS process tubing and other food equipment and those guys just amaze me. I do not have the skill or eyes for it!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

I misinterpreted what you have. My old SeaNymph is built like that too. I would call it a "bow handle", not a bow eye. In my case the bow once hit a piling while tied up and the "handle" broke off. After seeing that I ground it off smooth and installed a "U" SS bow eye thru the top. At the same time I also replaced the "bow eye" (the one protruding from the stem and used to winch the boat on the trailer) with a SS bow eye as well, since the original was also cast aluminum.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Ok guys, since we are being decent. My boat weighs 800#. I boat on a 1000 acre lake. I go out for a couple of hours during the week, sport around, do a little fishing and come home. The bow eye is what we called the loop under the deck centered forward on the "keel" (keel-center hull area) of the boat and used for whatever; semi-permanent mooring, anchoring in rough water, winching your boat onto the trailer and on and on.

After 13 years of winching the boat onto the trailer, the cast steel hook that is attached to the winch line had started eating into the eye (loop)......steel vs alum, steel wins. If I allowed it to continue, in time it would have eaten through the leading edge adequately to have to cause it to fail and I didn't want that to happen.

So, as I stated, based upon the success with the Starcraft, which had a similar aluminum bow eye, I initially set out to have a pro welder fix it as I had previously. Tried half a dozen and none wanted to fool with it. I can understand that as being on the bow of a boat and having to have access and being a vertical welding operation and under the boat and on and on, it was just too much trouble for them.

So I decided to try my hand at it and posted my results. The only reason I posted this thread was because if any other aluminum boat owner with a like problem, and if you have a bow eye and a steel hook and pull your boat onto your trailer and the boat has any age you WILL HAVE THE PROBLEM, I thought they might be interested in the fact that, if mechanically competent enough, with the necessary welding resources, this Zeus did a fabulous, like new job, even if you were like me, non skilled at blobbing aluminum, and if you ever read a text concerning welding aluminum it blobs.

So if what I said didn't apply to you and your boat then you really had no business butting into this thread. I really don't care what you think about the mounting or it's ability to do it's job being it's OEM installed on a production boat, has done a fine job for 13 years and would live on to another day! It's on MY boat and I didn't ask for your advice or opinion!

HTH being civil,
Mark

 

[JimS123]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Sorry if I put a burr in your knickers. If so, I apologize. In my original post I thought you were talking about a bow eye and I merely offered an easier, cheaper and safer way to get the job done. Your follow up cornfused me so I thought we were talking about something else. Now, I'm totally cornfused since I have never seen any type of craft with an eye in the keel. Bow eyes are always installed in the stem, otherwise the boat might sit on the trailer angled upward far above the winch.

In any event, kudos to you for your innovation. I did the same thing to my boat, but since I had no access to the equipment you have I was happy to spend the 6 bucks for a new part.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

What else can you find wrong with the process, not being here and seeing it?

... and this is why we post pics when we make a thread about our handy work instead of relying on verbal descriptions with iffy terminology.

Pics are worth 1000 words and 10,000 improper terms.

I thought all iboaters knew this?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

... and this is why we post pics when we make a thread about our handy work instead of relying on verbal descriptions with iffy terminology.

Pics are worth 1000 words and 10,000 improper terms.

I thought all iboaters knew this?

This wasn't a how to do it seminar. It was a heads up on what you can use that will work!

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Sorry if I put a burr in your knickers. If so, I apologize. In my original post I thought you were talking about a bow eye and I merely offered an easier, cheaper and safer way to get the job done. Your follow up cornfused me so I thought we were talking about something else. Now, I'm totally cornfused since I have never seen any type of craft with an eye in the keel. Bow eyes are always installed in the stem, otherwise the boat might sit on the trailer angled upward far above the winch.

In any event, kudos to you for your innovation. I did the same thing to my boat, but since I had no access to the equipment you have I was happy to spend the 6 bucks for a new part.

To me, the keel is the backbone of the "ship". First thing you do in building a ship is to lay the keel. Well with that said, the "keel area" is along the centerline of the ship from bow to stern whether it has a noticeable keel like a ship or displacement boat, or not.

Since we are moving along with this and I have nothing better to do, the reason I didn't initially consider the alternative bolt was that I had no direct access to the bow where I would be installing a thru hull eyebolt. It was under the front deck of a bass boat and about 3 feet from the nearest hatch to the spot where I would be attempting to install bracing and retainment hardware and the hatch wasn't very large.

After the first two welding methods failed, I purchased a galvanized, cast steel eyebolt rated at 2000#. Had it sitting around. For the boo birds following this thread, I had no immediate access to a SS regular marine bolt and I bought this tin lizzie as I didn't really care what it looked like as I did with previous glass boats; and I don't use it in salt water and it sits in my shop when not in use! This boat is to use and enjoy and if it gets skinned up so be it.

Anyway, while awaiting delivery of the rods, with nothing else to do, I decided to cut an access port in the bow area under the carpet that I could cover with some .100 5052 T6 alum I had on hand and it wouldn't be noticed. I did and installed the eye just like I would do if I had a 40' yacht that I anchored in the ocean. For the other boo birds here, we called them "bow eyes" in my boating lifetime because they were located in the bow (front) of the boat and were round, like an eyeball! Other reason I did it while waiting was because I really didn't have any faith in the rods.....proved myself wrong.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Mark, deep breath! Not healthy to get so worked up. Thou I've had it happen to me on occasion.

Just glad to hear you worked it out. I still would be very interested in seeing a picture of what you did and what this part looks like.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

To me, the keel is the backbone of the "ship". First thing you do in building a ship is to lay the keel. Well with that said, the "keel area" is along the centerline of the ship from bow to stern whether it has a noticeable keel like a ship or displacement boat, or not.

Yup, bow to stern is where I got all cornfused. Without a pic its hard to visualize. Just google "boat keel" and "boat stem" and then tell us where the eye is located.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Is the bow eye on your aluminum boat wearing out?

Ok guys. Every boat of any size has a round "hootus" in the center of the hull not too far from the farthest part toward the front and duly anchored to the hull. As I stated, it is used for numerous things as I indicated.

To weld up my OEM hootus I had to take my winch and winch bracket off which also contained my bow chock.....a bow chock is the thing-a-ma-bob on your trailer that the front, center part of your boat rests against when on the trailer.

I took it off twice already, once in trying to initially to weld the hootus and second when the rods came in and I decided to try my luck. I am not taking it off again to take a picture for you and go through the uploading process just to satisfy your curiousity.

As I said, this is not a how you do it show, it was a heads up on what can get the job done.

I am done with this thread so you pun lovers can take it elsewhere.