Beating a Dead Horse, but seeking opinions....(sealing boat)

Long-time lurker, first time member...

Okay, so I know this topic has been threshed out extensively, in fact, I've spent hours upon hours reading posts on here and other places. I thought I would get anyone's opinion they care to share. Overall, I'm looking for a good solution, but not requiring a lot of money.

I purchased a 1974 Delphi 15 foot semi v that is about 4.5' wide. It's a mfg. from Lousiana that died off in the early 80s, but as far as I can tell, this is a great boat. The boat is made of thick aluminum and is in great shape for its age. I only spent $300.00 for it and the trailer, so I'm not looking to sink $1,000 into it.

The only issue I have with it is that 2 seams towards the stern leak a bit when I am in the water. I mean a bit as probably around 20 oz. total for a whole day of fishing. It seems to leak a bit at first and then just stop. I have checked the rivets, specifically where the water is leeching in from and they aren't loose. I also get a little "perspiration" from some rivets right along the waterline close to the bow. There are no mods: just 3 bench seats. Paint still on the inside and outside of the hull (thought pretty chalky all around and cruddy on the bottom of the hull. I have re-bucked the suspect rivets (though not with a great deal of faith because none are loose or have the telltale black rings) and it still leaks. My hunch is that the seal in the overlapped metal has degraded to the point of not sealing anymore.

Since, there's nothing else to do other than watch the game in Nebraska wintertime, I have...

The Plan:

I am planning on stripping all the paint off the outside of the hull and leaving it bare aluminum. After stripping all the paint (and bottom funk), I am going to apply G-flex between the seams running port and starboard. Then, apply coat-it on the outside bottom of the hull for extra protection (I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy). The reason why I'm not doing gluvit is because I don't want to mess with painting the inside of the hull because I don't want to feel like I need to take my shoes off to keep the boat clean...I also would like to get this done over the winter because I don't want to miss any fishing time. I have a garage and a heater, but I doubt I can keep it warm enough for paint, but I think Coat-it and the G-flex will setup fine in sub-optimal temperatures (especially since the g-flex needs to be heated with a heat gun). I don't think steelflex would work in this cold, even with a heater under the boat. I think I can do this with a budget under $200.

Thoughts/Suggestions? Is this overkill? Thanks for your advice or insults....

I have heard of a product called 'Gluvits' which is widely used to seal leaky rivets/seams. I do not have any personal experience with the product, but it is what I plan on using. I plan on doing something similar to what you are planning, but using the Gluvits. I am going to attack this problem on both the inside and the outside. You should do a search, I hear nothing but good things about it

I have read good stuff about Gluvit and steelflex...I also know a lot of folks just run 5200 along the seams, although these guys usually tend to paint over it...

That's what I decided to do based on budget... so we shall see how it works out.

Yeah, I may go the 5200 route and just not paint over it, or put it on the outside and just reapply when necessary. That would certainly be cheaper than my plan.

I know about Gluvit, and I have heard nothing but good things as well, but there's no UV inhibitors in Gluvit so I would have to paint...

Thanks.

Fishfinder said:

Yeah, I may go the 5200 route and just not paint over it, or put it on the outside and just reapply when necessary. That would certainly be cheaper than my plan.

I know about Gluvit, and I have heard nothing but good things as well, but there's no UV inhibitors in Gluvit so I would have to paint...

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Yeah I was going to use the Gluvits on the interior under the floor boards where it's well protected from the sun. 5200 Should be just fine as long as you make sure you have a clean and well prepared surface--you'll be good.

Good Luck