What can you use to temporarily repair small leaks in aluminum boats - that will not jeopardize future permanent welded repairs? I've been warned off of using silicone or epoxy (e.g. JB Weld), because the presence of those materials in the crack or hole makes the welder's job more difficult.Have any direct experience with this sort of situation?Thanks.
There are some welding rods that you can weld with a propane torch available if you want to weld it yourself. Do a search on the web for aluminum welding. They look fairly simple and claim to be stronger than new. However, I have not tried them yet.
Clean it up good and use 3m 5200 sealant.I have done this before on a pretty big scale and it will do more than a temp fix if you want it to.You will need a debonding agent that they make when you want to remove it.Charlie
Originally posted by ddaigle: There are some welding rods that you can weld with a propane torch available if you want to weld it yourself. Do a search on the web for aluminum welding. They look fairly simple and claim to be stronger than new. However, I have not tried them yet.
I've heard of these things. It sounds like the material would melt away and therefore not affect future welding - but maybe I'll call the welder I generally use and bounce the idea off him. He suggested working wax into the crack to temporarily seal it because wax would just burn away under the heat of future welding and not mess it up. I'm skeptical about wax, to say the least. I can't imagine it would work well.
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Originally posted by crazy charlie: Clean it up good and use 3m 5200 sealant.I have done this before on a pretty big scale and it will do more than a temp fix if you want it to.You will need a debonding agent that they make when you want to remove it.Charlie
So, just so I understand it - they make a solvent (debonding agent) that will thoroughly clean it off so it won't mess up welding in the future, if and when that's needed?I'm wondering if the 3m 5200 sealant could be also be used as a "glue" to glue on a piece of aluminum to cover the crack?Thanks much to both of you for your advice - exactly what I was looking for.
The strongest fix you can possibly make is to sandwich 5200 sealant between 2 pieces of aluminum.You will not need to eventually weld it believe it or not.The ONLY way to get it apart is with the debonding agent.It comes in a caulking tube and costs about $10.Dont use an imitator,only 3m 5200,its the real deal for repairs.Charlie
Thanks much Charlie - the reason I'm asking is that I have a small leak in my boat - maybe a gallon an hour. This repair is going to be very cheap (for a change!!), probably minimum shop time. But, getting welding done by the good boat welders during the boating season involves a waiting period and these guys aren't real good at "scheduling". I have one who says he can do it tomorrow and another who "promises" Thursday as a fall back.So, I'm just thinking ahead for if they don't get to it before I need the boat for the long weekend. Just something to get me through the aggrevation of having to pump out a few gallons every once in a while after it sits in the water all weekend. I'm picturing a patch using some aluminum flashing I have on hand, maybe something thicker if I decide to experiment with "permanent" fixes.
I had the same situation but with a 24ft chrysler cabin cruiser.A seam opened up on a stress point and I was taking in a lot more water than you.I 5200,d the inside and 5200,d an L piece of alum around it on the outside.I didnt bother getting it welded until 3 years later.Never leaked a drop and kept it structurally sound at a stress point.I also put a smear on many-many rivets.It never let me down.Charlie
By the way,use a piece of alum approx the same thickness of the piece you are fixing and it will be permanent.The flashing wont add to the strength.Charlie
D. I have bought and used some of the welding rods with propane torch.Got them at the Toronto fishing show.Cost me $20.00 bucks for 12 rods.I thought for that price I'd give em a try.Lo and behold they worked like a charm.I have repaired props,boats lawnmowers etc.No problems with any of the welds.They told me when you use them to clean the area with a "stainless steel wire brush.As far as I know the company is located in Hamilton,ontario.I will try to find the company name(have it in my garage)and adress for you and post it here.Believe me this stuff works like a dream.If you can solder you can use this stuff.
D,here is a web site for aluminum welding rods.http://virtual-adnet.comHave fun with it.Also if you type in aluminum welding on your search you will be amazed how many products are out there.
I have seen alum. boats repaired with brass rod, a friend of mine had a pretty good gash in his, he just beat it back out as best he could then got the torch and brass rod and welded it up, it didn't even leak
I'm going to pick up some of the aluminum rods and actually picked up some of the 3M sealant. My preference is to have this sort of stuff fixed by the welders, but I get really sick of how long it takes to get any boat-related work done in the summer. "Oh, just leave it, we'll get to it in a few days" which can mean anything. I really like to do anything I can myself, unless it actually makes future better fixes impossible. Sounds like either the alum. rods or the 3M will be excellent self-fixes.Thanks to everyone for this.
i had quater sized holes in my jon boat, aluminum, and i covered the holes with a single layer of duct tape on each side of the aluminum, and covered the tape and surounding area with marinetex. been over a year, and you cant even tell i did it. its some strong stuff... ive hear of guys on here doing similar thing, but using fiberglass cloth instead of duct tapeeither wil work and both are about as permanant as you can get. and cheap m ikey
Temporary Aluminum repair
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