Hull wear and tear

[Steve73]

Hi All,

I have recently acquired a 14' welded flat bottom boat from 1979. It has primarily been used to run rivers and has many dings and dents over the entire hull. There are also a few sweat leaks that seem very hard to find. The remainder of the boat is in good shape.
I am looking for any suggestions or methods on how to resmooth the hull and possibly in turn fix the sweat leaks. Thanks for any ideas

 

[roscoe]

Re: Hull wear and tear

The more you "work" the aluminum, the more brittle and prone to cracking and leaking it will become.

My opinion, run it like it is.

 

[matt167]

Re: Hull wear and tear

Very carefully.. you can use a bit of controlled heat to work the metal the way you want it. If you heat one side, and cool the other, you can pull the metal in where you want it thru expansion and contraction. Gluvit is commonly used for tin boat leaks.. You probably have one shot to get dents right, but if it floats ok, you may just want to leave it

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Hull wear and tear

The more you "work" the aluminum, the more brittle and prone to cracking and leaking it will become.

My opinion, run it like it is.

quoted for truth