[Boonebob56]

has anyone repaired an aluminum boat with deep gouges, is this something an amateur can do? I want to fill the bad places and paint. Nice boat that was not taken care of

[JB]

This is a Boat topic, Bob.I will move it there.

[jaxsun]

how deep are they and where are they located?

[steamboatwilly]

Hello Boonebob, If it was mine,I would get a piece of metal that matched the contour,hold it on one side and take a hammer and tap on the hump.If it starts to break,stop and take it to a welding shop.They can put a patch and weld it in place .If you beat out a small dimple sometimes itl turn into a large bubble.(kink it if its a flat surface).If its just small gouge,you could probably fill it(something like JBWELD).Hope this helps a little. BYE.

[jaxsun]

bob are you saying you have a dent or a deep scratch?

[Wimperdink]

consider filling them with this... http://durafix.com/

[Boonebob56]

These gouges are "real" gouges, lacerations to the outer skin, the boat is a Hewescraft RR, where the cuts are the metal is actually layed back kind of like if you cut your are with a knife you could peel the skin back, my guess is these cuts are at least 1/32" deep, they are above the water line. The boat is a double hull welded so I cannot work at it from the inside. thanks

[Boonebob56]

Originally posted by jaxsun: how deep are they and where are they located?

probably 1/32 or deeper, 6-10 inches long. located just above the water line. I suspect the boat has hit the dock pretty hard a few times

[jaxsun]

plastic body filler..if done right it'll last your lifetime

[samblane]

The problem I had using the durafix rods to repair my alum. pontoon was the pontoon wicked away the heat so fast that it would not get hot enough to melt the rod. I melted on the flange that I was trying to re-attach to the pontoon but the pontoon side was not hot enough. I did try J-B weld which has worked for anything I've tried in the past but I noticed yesterday that it has come loose.Sean

[crazy charlie]

I repaired similar on an alum. cabin cruiser I once owned.For dents and scrapes that are not through the metal I used a type of body filler that had aluminum in it.DO NOT use regular auto body filler.It will hold too much moisture.For the scrapes that are through the metal I used marine tex as the filler and then did priming and fairing .Came out great and never had any problems with the repair work at all.Charlie

[joblo33]

If it's a welded aluminum just get it tig welded back up.Eric