boat repair

[springbroook5]

I have a aluminum bass boat and the hull has a tear in it. A welding shop tried to repair it by putting another piece of metal over it and pop rivit on and smear some type of tar around the edge to seal it, but it did not work and the sealant is breaking off. He also told me they try to weld it, but the metal was to weak and the live well is exactly over it. What is the best to solve this problem. I am retired and can not afford another boat.

 

[Ned L]

Re: boat repair

If it were me, I would have gone with the first plan (riveted on patch), except I would have coated both the back side of he patch and the area of hull being covered with a good adhesice/sealant (i.e. 3M 5200) before riveting the patch in place. I suspect that would do it.

 

[lncoop]

Re: boat repair

If the tear's not too big you might try a cold weld product. JB Weld is always good. There's also a product that comes in a tube shaped loaf. Can't tell you the brand name because it comes in several different brands, but you can find it at any hardware or big box store. It consists of one compound wrapped around another. You simply pinch off a piece, knead it between your thumb and two fingers until warm, then apply. You could also leave the patch in place, clean up around it really well, then liberally apply either of the aforementioned compounds taking care to cover the entire spot and a two to three inch radius all the way around it. It would probably hold a long time. You might also try checking with another weld shop if there's one handy. Sounds like a second opinion might be in order.

 

[Bondo]

Re: boat repair

but it did not work and the sealant is breaking off.

Ayuh,... The glue you can see is irrevelant...
As noted by Ned, it's what's Between the pieces that counts...

 

[drewpster]

Re: boat repair

I would look in to another welding shop. Sounds like the one that said they could not weld it is not up to speed. In the old days aluminum was difficult to weld up. Nowadays tools and techniques have improved. I would be surprised if it could not be welded, even if they have to weld a patch. Look for a shop that can repair aluminum tanks. They can probably help you. Our fab guy has done some real magic on stuff we thought would be impossible to fix. Some shops are just not set up for it. It depends on how much time it takes to fix, but $200 would be reseaonable. That is certainly less than a new hull.
You can save some bucks if you can get the old patch removed and the area cleaned up before you take it to them.