aluminum boat help needed

harry87 · Mar 1, 2013

Hello all,

I have a aluminium boat in a bad way, I bought it last summer and have started to take the paint off to repaint, I have found bolts instead of rivets, holes and a white powdery substance causing the old paint to flake.

I am new to aluminium boats so am desperate for advise so if anyone can awnser the following questions it would be greatly apreciated.

1 should the bolts sit so proud on the hull?
2 what substance is best for filling holes in skids?
3 what paints are avalible that will seal and fill tiny cracks?
4 IS IT SALVAGEABLE !!!!!!!

many thanks

Harry

jigngrub · Mar 1, 2013

re: aluminum boat help needed

What is your location Harry? A state in the USA or another country, I'm not familiar with Devon. This is kind of important so we can recommend the right products.

harry87 · Mar 1, 2013

re: aluminum boat help needed

jigngrub said:
What is your location Harry? A state in the USA or another country, I'm not familiar with Devon. This is kind of important so we can recommend the right products.

hello,

i am from devon in england

many thanks

harry

jigngrub · Mar 1, 2013

re: aluminum boat help needed

Ok, I thought you might be from outside the U.S.

You can replace those screws with closed end blind rivets like in this video.

1989 Sylvan Boat Rebuild Part 4 - YouTube

You can use Loc-tite marine epoxy to fill the holes in your chines/skids:

Loctite 35210 0.85 oz Plastic Syringe Epoxy Marine Gel

I'm not sure if Gluvit is available in England, but it's what we use here to fill tiny cracks and leaks here.

Gluvit Epoxy Sealer

I_5320 · Mar 1, 2013

re: aluminum boat help needed

A few questions

Is that the only area with screws?

Is the rest of the seam areas rivets?

Using in Fresh water, Salt or brackish

harry87 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Thank you for the videos they were very helpfull most of the epoxy is avalible here but the paint will take some searching for.

The screws are all over the hull, below the water line but it's riveted above the water line.

All the seams are screws aswell!

I will be using her in salt water if I can ever get to finish her.

Would that paint mentiond above remain rubbery as during the paint stripping yesterday I was finding a rubbery undercoat on the seams and screws?

Many thanks,
Harry

jigngrub · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

The Gluvit (paint) is actually an epoxy too and it gets hard, it needs to be painted over to protect it from the sun and UV breakdown.

Bob_VT · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

That white powder is aluminum corrosion and the aluminum was not properly prepped for paint so, it separated.

Clean it all uo, seal it up and prep the aluminum for paint. You probably will not see that happen again if done properly.

Grub54891 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

If I was to re-do it I would remove the screw's,then have it lightly sandblasted and use the blind rivit's to fill the holes.oh and a sealer on the rivits. Then paint as soon as possible. Any areas you don't want to paint just mask off really good before blasting.

kfa4303 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

+1. Strip all old paint, remove any screws and replace them with aluminum rivets ("al-u-min-ium across the Pond). Apply Gluv-it, or similar product to interior seams, Prime hull with Zinc Chromate Self-Etching primer, then apply top coat(s). Any and all wooden components should also be removed and replaced with, non-pressure treated, exterior grade plywood and mounted to the hull using stainless steel hardware, dipped in 3M 5200 marine sealant. You can use the leftover Gluv0it to seal the wood and//or use Spar Urethane. Good luck. Keep us posted!

harry87 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Hey all,

Many thanks for your messages I'm getting a better picture of what I need to do now and with that the motivation to crack on with it.
I have completed all the paint stripping today after getting through 3 wire brushes and a case of white finger.
Going to start extracting old screw bolts tommorow only problem I'm faced with is the nuts are located under all the flooring and cubbys.
So that will be abit of fun as its all glued and riveted inplace.

Can anyone identify this boat as may try and order some new skids as the center one is completely shot and has been previously filled (badly).

Many thanks

Harry

jbcurt00 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

harry87 said:
Can anyone identify this boat as may try and order some new skids as the center one is completely shot and has been previously filled (badly). Many thanks Harry

This 'skid'?

Having the year, make & model of the boat will likely not help much. I'm not sure that you'd find a supplier for a 5yr or less older boat. This certainly looks to have more age on it then that.

But that's speculation at best.

harry87 · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Hi,

That's the skid in question but toward the center it gets really bad, I will upload a photo tomorrow and see what you recommend as I've found some alumaloy rods avalible from the US for aluminum patching.

The demonstration looks amazing for welding two surfaces back together, has anyone tried them personally??

P>S what size outboard would be sutiable for her any suggestions ??

Many thanks

Harry

Banker Ed · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Harry, I am working on a 14 ft. similar to yours. Yours may be a bit larger than mine but mine calls for a 25 hp max. I spent 3 years in England, thanks to Uncle Sam, but I don't remember Devon unless that is Devonshire. I kinda remember that name but that was 45 years ago. Good luck on your boat. I have been working on mine for several months. Its been lots of fun. Ed Bell

Woodonglass · Mar 2, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Yeah, I'd say 18 to 25 hp would be just about perfect.

kfa4303 · Mar 3, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

+1. 18-25hp would be just about right. I run a 20 hp 2-stroke outboard on my 14' aluminum boat and get +20mph (not sure what that is in kph). Here's a vid of me on the water to give you an idea of what to expect.

Wakulla Beach, FL movie.wmv - YouTube

Banker Ed · Mar 4, 2013

Re: aluminum boat help needed

Kfa, enjoyed the video. Your boat does look somewhat like my 14 ft AT. Mine has bee gutted and has an old piece of HVAC duct work as one of the seats. I do have a couple of fishing seats that fit on both seats. The other seat may also be a piece of duct work as well but it is not as evident. The previous owner owned a HVAC company.

aluminum boat help needed

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