Valco Jon Boat seam repair.

[Troutfitter]

Hello everyone,
I have a mid 80’s Valco 10’ Jon boat (pram) that by the looks of it. It looks hardly used. But, the bottom seams leak in multiple places. I circled one of the areas in the photo. I have done repair before on the big bottom rivets using JB weld after proper prep work. Seam leaks are long areas, I am concerned about using it for this type of repair. I am requesting repair ideas for long seams. I wonder if using long narrow JB weld repairs will not flex properly, and the repairs would crack and leak again. Should I be using a caulking type of material to allow flexing. Please share your ideas as I would like to do this once, and correctly.
Thanks Eveybody.
Will

 

[Driftless]

I'd get some tubes of 3m5200 and use that. If you're worried about flexing (don't know how thin/flexible your boat is), use 4200

 

[jethro]

If you want to do it right and not do it again I would say to coat with Gluvit: GLUVIT™ - ITW Performance Polymers

It's made for this exact purpose.

 

[Driftless]

If you want to do it right and not do it again I would say to coat with Gluvit: GLUVIT™ - ITW Performance Polymers

It's made for this exact purpose.

I've used that, but for me, this application is just a long 'joint' to fill, so shooting it out of a caulk gun would be faster, easier and better coverage of it.

 

[sonny1]

I would buy a West System Aluminum Repair kit 650K and follow the instructions. I just got done resealing all my seams with the stuff and it works great.

 

[airshot]

I've used that, but for me, this application is just a long 'joint' to fill, so shooting it out of a caulk gun would be faster, easier and better coverage of it.

But...the caulk won't seep down into the crack and seal up everything like the gluvit will. As stated...this is what gluvit is designed for !!

 

[DaleH]

FWIW I find that the West System G-Flex 650 is superior to GluVit in that it is flexible and cheaper.

And it is not thick or toothpaste-like a caulk product is, but is thin like GluVit. And online here I've posted a few W-S tutorials of repairs where you weep it in with the addition of a hair dryer.

 

[sonny1]

I used a heat gun. Cheap from Harbor freight. Turn the boat so when I added the 650k it would run down hill into the seam. Then I would leave the boat in that position for a minimum of 12 hours. I also sealed all the ribs inside and out. Worked out real well boat seems more solid now. Others have had the same results.

 

[Driftless]

But...the caulk won't seep down into the crack and seal up everything like the gluvit will. As stated...this is what gluvit is designed for !!

If you run a bead into the space between the two pieces, it'll bridge that gap then become like another piece of metal. From the looks of it, IMO it's light gauge metal that's flexed/bent so water is able to get behind it and go in through the rivets. So he needs to seal it up before it gets inside, behind that and into the rivets. That's a surface application. You can also 'key' in tubed material, which essentially forces it in deeper and provides a cleaner outer edge.

OP, where is the water coming in from on the INSIDE of the boat?
Is there an actual crack or coming in through the rivets or both?

 

[Troutfitter]

FWIW I find that the West System G-Flex 650 is superior to GluVit in that it is flexible and cheaper.

And it is not thick or toothpaste-like a caulk product is, but is thin like GluVit. And online here I've posted a few W-S tutorials of repairs where you weep it in with the addition of a hair dryer.

Thanks Dale,
I have used West products on a Boston Whaler I restored and have faith in their products. How would I find the tutorial you mentioned regarding sweating the product into the seam? That sounds like a great permanent solution.
I am grateful to everyone’s reply’s.

 

[TriBull]

I used Total Boat Aluminum Seam Sealer. I applied it to both sides of all my seams. It’s an easy product to work with and available on Amazon. My boat is dry as a bone! Here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09R818L39?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_A7ET73A4FXHDYPS8701R

 

[DaleH]

How would I find the tutorial you mentioned regarding sweating the product into the seam? That sounds like a great permanent solution.

Right here ...

Link for weeping epoxy into seams - See Post #1 for the PDF info
https://www.tinboats.net/threads/using-west-systems-g-flex-650-‘flexible-epoxy’-on-leaks.40954/
Link for patching LARGE holes or cracks - - See 'same' link, but Post #6 for the PDF info