1648 alumacraft jon boat question

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
I just bought a brand new 1648 jon boat and went over it with a fine tooth comb and i found this and i would like to know if i have any concerns here.I just noticed the weld was not fully finished,as in there is a little spot were they neglected to finish of just miss,i don't know,all i know is there is a little spot were weld is missing and i want to know if it will be ok?Plus i noticed how the rib was off the wall hull of the jon boat ot just in this area,notice the space between the rib and the hull and the rivet is in but not by as much as all the others are so this is why i'm asking for any help.Thanks
 

Attachments

  • photo216548.jpg
    photo216548.jpg
    7.5 KB · Views: 1

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
I guess what i'm asking is,is this acceptable or should i take it back to the dealer tom?
 

robert graham

Admiral
Joined
Apr 16, 2009
Messages
6,908
These welded/riveted aluminum jon boats are made on production lines and are not usually cosmetically attractive or perfect. I own a riveted aluminum canoe and an all-welded aluminum jon boat...neither is perfect or especially pretty....but they have great structural integrity. Your boat should be fine as it is, but of course you can always drag your boat to a welding shop to modify or improve it....if it's ever necessary....
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
That would and should be under warranty,defect. That is a good size spot they missed. Listen I totally get they are production boats but that seems a little extreme. The 1436 alumacraft I had was welded 100 times better then this boat that's what amazes me. This boat looks like a friday put together boat,lol. No it's definitely a rough looking boat welds wise but will the rib being that far off the hull hurt anything? Also the rivet on the bottom of the rib through the boat is in but not as far as all the rest,I just hope the rivet doesn't pop out. I guess I could run a bolt through it and seal it with a nut and 5200. I guess the weld worries me the most.
 

64osby

Admiral
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
6,799
If you are not happy or question the integrity take it in for review.

They might not do anything but make sure you get a written report. That way if something happens in the future you will have a record of the the issue and the inspection.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
From what you can see 64osby,does it look like it needs to be repaired or is it nothing to worry about?
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
So i went right to the source,Alumacraft themselves.I explained what i found and that i thought it was a concern to me.I actually emailed him pictures to his requests and showed him exactly what i was talking about.He called me back and told me he went over the pictures with a higher up supervisor then he was,he said they sat down looked at the 9 pics i sent to him and this is what he told me.He sent me pics from dozens of other boats that has the rib off the hull like that,he said it's very common and won't hurt a thing.The weld he admitted was sloppy but would not break,crack or fall apart and he even went on to say if it would make me feel better you could bring the boat back to the dealer and have it welded were it's missing some if it made me feel more comfortable.

He told me though it would never give me any trouble.If for some crazy reason it did which i know it won't he said but to be on the safe side if something were to happen/anything including the rivets he told me it would be fixed with no issues.He said just keep an eye on it when you use it,but as far as structure or any strength loss he said it won't bend,break or buckle,lol.He was a really cool dude and assured me it was a very normal thing with the rib not being flush with the boat and sometimes things are not 100% perfect.I told him i get it,it's a production boat and they are never perfect.I told him i just like to know if anything were to happen you would fix it and he said no problem and that is that,lol.
 
Last edited:

64osby

Admiral
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Messages
6,799
Did you get anything in writing or an email confirming the details of the conversation?

"He" might not be working there in 3 months or 3 years and at the point when the boat has an issue
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Nothing in writing but it has a 5yr warranty on defects and that would be considered a defect anyway.The same guy has been working there for a long time because i had a issue yrs ago with a 1442lw alumacraft leaking and i remember talking to him so i remembered his name after he told it to me.He has been with the company for over 15yrs so i don't think he's going anywhere soon and like i said no worries.The book shows any structural defects,welds,rivets or anything of that nature are covered for a period of 5yrs.Alumacraft is really good with warranty issues.I have had only 2 issues in like 15yrs with having owned over 7 of their boats and they took care of them no questions asked.
 

boater1234

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
869
Well I decided if their going to fix it I may as well take advantage of it. I have to wait for the title in the mail anyway to register it so I'm going to drop it off in the early am to were I bought it from.
 
Top