Patching holes in the hull.

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i tried using brazing rods before (i have experience in welding and brazing) and found that my hull was too thin to use them. my boat was made in the late 60's though. if you have a thick hull and wanna try it i say go ahead... but a far easier solution is clean the area GOOD and then coat it with some JB Weld... after it has fully cured, sand smooth then paint. I did another coat of jb after i sanded to get the area flat and smooth and after primer and paint you could never tell.

Solid rivets are ok and are what most boat manufacturers us to assemble boats because they can be water tight. I wouldn't trust jb weld for this! all you need to rebuck them is a hammer and a piece of steel but i would recommend replacing them if you do it cuz theyre cheap! i just bought 250 solid rivets for 9.50...

If that styrofoam is wet and holding water i would get it out of there and replace it!

Post up some pics so everyone can see what youre dealing with and theyll be able to give better, more specific advise...
 
That hole seems fairly big, I agree with JB Weld but for something that big, just me, I'd have it welded if possible. I'd JB Weld any other holes that are smaller.

Arkansasnative: love your advatar, just need to change the duck to a coyote though! :D
 
The Outdoorsman said:
That hole seems fairly big, I agree with JB Weld but for something that big, just me, I'd have it welded if possible. I'd JB Weld any other holes that are smaller.

Arkansasnative: love your advatar, just need to change the duck to a coyote though! :D


I would say it's about the diameter of a pencil.
 
I've worked with JB Weld but on a hole that size I'd take it to a shop and get it welded. Last summer I dropped a boat off at the local welding shop that had 4 holes (two in bad spots under ribs) and a crack on the top of the transom and it set me back $200. Now she's as good as new. The shop I deal with gives free estimates and guarantees to stay with or under their written estimate. The other option is to cut a patch and rivet/seal her up.
 
I used the brazing stuff you're talking about. It's called Durafix. I repaired 4 rivet holes in the hull and it worked great. They were small 3/16 size. I tried to fix larger holes in the transom and it was much harder to do. Bottom line is I had mixed results.
 

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