A leak in my boat.

[capt sam]

Re: A leak in my boat.

I would guess, they sell it everywhere here, West Marine, Sunshine Ace, True Value, KMart......$10 for the small box which should be plenty.

 

[dpepper]

Re: Sealing leaks?

Re: Sealing leaks?

how much do you think I would need for a 14 foot boat?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Sealing leaks?

Re: Sealing leaks?

It seems to have a slight l leak.

I would think a couple of tablespoonfuls should do it.....

 

[dpepper]

Re: Sealing leaks?

Re: Sealing leaks?

Oh ok, so this is like a spot treatment. I was thinking it was like paint.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: A leak in my boat.

Marine tex is a hard epoxy product and will not last. It is not designed for aluminum leaks. Marine tex is fine for fiberglass but not Aluminum. It does not withstand any flexing.

Gluvit is sold by many marine stores. It is a 2 part epoxy that "creeps" and flows into seams and rivets. It is the proper solution for an aluminum boat and will flex with the boat too.

3m5200 will work on rivets too but does not creep into the leaks.

I caution you about trying to re-invent the wheel on this one. Do not use glues designed for plastics or pvc.

One can of gluvit will do a 16-18' boat and it is only applied to seams and rivets.

Never use silicone.

 

[capt sam]

Re: A leak in my boat.

I disagree, there's a white and a grey, grey is for aluminum, it lasts for years, I've patched aluminum boats and fuel tanks and never had another issue. Like I said there's many options, for a slight leak Marine Tex works great.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: A leak in my boat.

Marine tex putty should not be used for riveted aluminum boat repairs to stop leaks Marine tex makes Gluvit and that is what it is designed for.

 

[Bondo]

Re: A leak in my boat.

Hey Bob,.... Good job combining these 2 threads into 1,....

I'm Glad I get to keep my post count,...
But,..
These combined threads sure do Read kinda Funny.......

As far as the Marine-Tex, Vs. Glu-vit debate,....

The OP states he has a "Slight" leak at a seam....
That's what Glu-vit was created for....

Marine-Tex is more suited for Holes,+ other larger breaks....

 

[capt sam]

Re: A leak in my boat.

I've lived/boated/fished for 48 years here and the Keys, my family has lived here for over 100 years, we've always had boats and done our own repairs. The man asked a question I gave him one viable answer for his problem, that I personally have used and have seen work, if you have another idea fine but don't ever correct another right answer.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: A leak in my boat.

Read and learn http://www.marinetex.com/Marine-Tex_how_to.html#Anchor-How-63368

This is the link to which Marine tex product is correct for the job....... then make you decision from there. In the past I have used gluvit for leaks on my personal aluminum boats.



Pay particular attention to fix leaks in aluminum hulls

 

[sschefer]

Re: A leak in my boat.

God I know I shouldn't do this but I just have to defend the Marine Tex. Maybe it works for me on aluminum because of the way I apply it. I dunno but I have never had a problem with it. I've had JB Weld pop off because of poor prep like occurs when you do an emergency repair and you figure it will hold for just one more trip, (almost never does).

As an example, I used some HTS2000 to solder up a hole in a tinny. The aluminum started to bubble so I quit. I cleaned the surface on the inside with 36 grit emery cloth, wiped it down with denatured alcohol and applied Marine Tex to an area at least 5 times the size of the original hole. The damage was on the transom below the water line and the transom board was out. Since it wasn't going to show, I left it unsanded and hit it with some GluvIt.

After all that dried I thought I might try to straighten out the bubble. I beat on it pretty good and the Marine Tex didn't show any signs of failure.

My theory is that when it's applied to the outside we take away too much of the bonding surface trying to get that perfect surface back. On the inside you can pretty much leave it ugly and I think it will hold up much better.

Mind you, this isn't something I'd recommend for a hole bigger than a dime (1/2") or a split/crack of any size.

 

[capt sam]

Re: A leak in my boat.

Read and learn http://www.marinetex.com/Marine-Tex_how_to.html#Anchor-How-63368

This is the link to which Marine tex product is correct for the job....... then make you decision from there. In the past I have used gluvit for leaks on my personal aluminum boats.



Pay particular attention to fix leaks in aluminum hulls

I'm not going to get into a debate over which works, they both do, one's cheap the other's expensive, glad it worked for you. If you'd like I can post pics of my son's aluminum skiff and the repair we made two years ago with marine tex and how it's still holding or the fuel tank in my jeep that hasn't leaked at all in five years.

 

[sschefer]

Re: A leak in my boat.

I'm not going to get into a debate over which works, they both do, one's cheap the other's expensive, glad it worked for you. If you'd like I can post pics of my son's aluminum skiff and the repair we made two years ago with marine tex and how it's still holding or the fuel tank in my jeep that hasn't leaked at all in five years.

Funny, you know we all try these products and we all have different levels of success. Your's and mine have been favorable while others have not been. That's just the way it goes sometimes. Marine Tex's box and website both say it's designed for use on aluminum but for small holes and cracks. I would argue that while you may temporarily fill a crack with Marine Tex, if it's not stopped properly it won't last. Perhaps that's where the issues lie with some of the folks here. I also suspect that they are doing as I stated above and that's applying it from the outside and then fairing it down to a point where there is minimal bonding surface. That would definitely contribute to failure.

Personally, I like the stuff and haven't had a failure on aluminum yet.