Giant hole in my friggen boat

goodforbrains · May 10, 2018

Hey there, I have been stalking this site for a long time, and now I have an issue that I can't seem to find a complete answer to. Now, I know there are a bunch of posts on how to fix holes in aluminum boats, but this one is special. I have found the WHOLE hole. This isn't a half a hole, no sir ree! I have seriously found the mother hole in my transom. I just bought this boat and trailer a month ago. It is ugly, so I started to strip it and get it ready for a paint job. When I got to the transom, there was a nifty little aluminum plate bolted to the outside of the transom through the plywood support into the transom support bracket. When I pulled this little plate off, I felt this crushing pressure to my spirit. Holy m&%$#@ F*&%^er! Wow, just wow. This is a 1968 Dura Nautic that someone obviously had pressure treated wood in it at some time.
So, what is the best way to go about fixing this? I just acquired a large piece of 1/8 plate aluminum that I can either get welded (if there is enough metal) to weld to, or I could put an epoxy and mat patch on and then make an aluminum sandwich to the wet epoxy. Or 5200 around the hole and make my aluminum sandwich with that in the middle??? The original aluminum patch had a piece of old inner tube cut to match the aluminum patch, both sides were covered with silicone and then was bolted to the boat. I know it was holding because the boat was filled half way up with water when I bought it, and there were no drips anywhere. I know welding is the best permanent fix, but there is so much thinned aluminum all around the hole. I don't know. I need some experts help!

Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!! Brian

KMixson · May 11, 2018

Have a welder weld in a whole new transom. I would be leery of patching the hole if the aluminum is too thin around the area. Just my thought. Someone on here might have a better idea.

Weldorthemagnificent · May 11, 2018

Tough to say for sure without seeing how far it is till you are into good aluminum. That oxidized stuff won’t weld. If it’s good around the edges, laying a new sheet over top and welding may be a good option. Take it to the local pros and get their take on it. Welding too close to a riveted seam can also cause leaks, but probably a lesser problem.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jasper60103 · May 11, 2018

Looks like a job for Flexseal. :LOL2:

Seriously though keep us posted.
Oh and welcome aboard!

jasper

DaleH · May 11, 2018

You also need to remove EVERY bit of that crevice corrosion or it will spread. If advanced, tin can develop an intergranular precipitate chloride condition that self-feeds on itself. So as stated, you need to grind or physically remove all traces of any white corrosion. And look close, using a magnifying glass in good light if you have to.

If you see a layer of white inside the inside and outside layer of tin ... that's the precipitate attack condition. Complete removal of the tin is needed, at least IMHO. On my 16' tin skiff, I ended up putting in new inside & outside skins. But I must admit, it is now like I

Provided you can clean it up well, add a good patch. I'd physically remove all the corrosion, wash with vinegar using a good copper scrubbie and allow to dry, then prime with zinc chromate primer. Then I'd apply a patch and rivet it in place. I'd also use West Systems G-Flex 650 (flexible epoxy) between the 2 tin skins, but again - both must be properly prepped and primed. A small 8-ounce kit of that epoxy is only $20 or so.

CedarRiverScooter · May 11, 2018

How much did you pay for the boat?

If you don't have much in it, best path may be to scrap it & buy a better boat.

Consider if this is the only weak spot in the hull.

jethro · May 11, 2018

Yep, I as well would consider how much you are into this boat/how much it means to you. If there is no emotional connection to the vessel I would consider cutting your losses. It's possibly going to cost about what you can buy another quality, solid tin boat for to fix this one.

DaleH · May 11, 2018

CedarRiverScooter said:
If you don't have much in it, best path may be to scrap it & buy a better boat.

jethro said:
It's possibly going to cost about what you can buy another quality, solid tin boat for to fix this one.

I wouldn't give up on it just yet ...

GoodForBrains - If you think it's salvageable, I could sent you a rectangular piece of 5052 alloy and enough solid rivets that you could use to effect the patch. But please heed our cautions about making sure to REMOVE all of the corroded areas, yet leaving behind enough structural material to hopefully support a patch. You gotta have it be safe .... not sure what kind of waters you'd be boating in.

onthewater102 · May 11, 2018

As Dale said, as long as you can get clean edges of intact material follow his steps to clean it all up and put a patch on using solid rivets. Doing a diligent job of cleaning everything will be key.

Might be a bit tight with those bolt holes down low to the floor but you should be able to make it work.

goodforbrains · May 12, 2018

Thank you for all of the great advice and positive mojo! Man, I got this thing dirt cheap. Boat and trailer WITH titles and registration for $150. I am unemotionally attached to this turd.. Lol, but I love a challenge and honestly the rest of the boat is in great condition, save for the wood on the seat pans. I will not scrap it, so don't worry about that. I think for now I am liking the west epoxy idea. I am just not sure if I need the flexible epoxy. I need to replace the plywood transom, so I want to coat the wood with epoxy before I install it. I have a 9.9 4 stroke that is going on there. Not much torque, but pretty heavy. Rated up to 40 hp.

I wouldn't give up on it just yet ...

GoodForBrains - If you think it's salvageable, I could sent you a rectangular piece of 5052 alloy and enough solid rivets that you could use to effect the patch. But please heed our cautions about making sure to REMOVE all of the corroded areas, yet leaving behind enough structural material to hopefully support a patch. You gotta have it be safe .... not sure what kind of waters you'd be boating in.[/quote]

I'm going for the patch job for now. I will make sure all of the white powder and thin etched metal is removed. I have never used solid rivets before. Do I use my standard rivet gun? Are the rivets stainless? How thick is the aluminum Dale? Should I rivet the patches while the epoxy is still tacky? Or should I let it cure and coat the inside of the aluminum patches with silicone or 5200 or something and then rivet? I will be fishing both freshwater and saltwater. I definitely want this to be safe!!! If I like this boat, I will have a new transom welded in sometime next winter. Thanks, Brian

CedarRiverScooter · May 12, 2018

Not sure what you mean by patching with epoxy, I assume you mean using epoxy as a sealer/glue for a metal patch (as opposed to a saturated mat patch).

If you are putting in a metal patch, 3M5200 would be a better choice because it will flex. I use pop rivets & coat the ends with 5200 so they seal well.

Having patches on both sides of hole would be pretty strong.

You might want to google homemade CPES (wood sealer) which is just epoxy resin thinned with xylol about 25%

Good luck!

jtf · May 12, 2018

911 speed dial ready when launching?

If it is that rotten in as big a spot, chances are it's rotten in more places. Using a motor? Going to put a strain on the entire hull. Maybe replace the transom but welding will be hard to hold, as will rivets, on that rotten metal.

Would make a good yard planter. Keep the trailer and put a safe solid hull on it.

Crazyboat · May 12, 2018

A cheap fix is to place a thick piece of aluminum on the inside with a huge amount of 5200, add another to the outside with said 5200 add a couple of bolts to the equation and rock on.

That said, I'd be checking the density of that entire rig, something ate that **** up big time.

goodforbrains · May 12, 2018

jtf said:
911 speed dial ready when launching?

If it is that rotten in as big a spot, chances are it's rotten in more places. Using a motor? Going to put a strain on the entire hull. Maybe replace the transom but welding will be hard to hold, as will rivets, on that rotten metal.

Would make a good yard planter. Keep the trailer and put a safe solid hull on it.

Nah, I went over the whole boat. Not even a pin hole anywhere else. I just think someone used pressure treated wood at one time for the transom. Saltwater saturated the wood which made prime breeding for the galvanic monster to churn up the copper, aluminum and stainless metal soup. Something had to give, and it wasn't the wood! You will all be proud of me when it's finished and I am posing with my Stripped Er fishes!

goodforbrains · May 12, 2018

Crazyboat said:
A cheap fix is to place a thick piece of aluminum on the inside with a huge amount of 5200, add another to the outside with said 5200 add a couple of bolts to the equation and rock on.

That said, I'd be checking the density of that entire rig, something ate that s**t up big time.

The boat checks out good. It is a solid rig. I am going to use West Epoxy and some fiberglass mat. While it is still a little tacky, I will line up the exterior and interior aluminum patches that will be pre drilled and etched. Rivet them together and dredge my new transom wood in epoxy and slide it in and bolt it to the transom support bracket. I will be wetting out all of my rivets and screws with 5200. I am going to start all of this in a couple of days. I'll posts pics so some of you can get a good laugh! Lol. Should be fun!!
Thanks for the input!

DaleH · May 13, 2018

Be AWARE that the tin must be properly primed before applying 5200 or it can attack the tin ...

Poormans Boatright · May 16, 2018

Bring it to me, I'll fix it no problem!

turbotodd · May 18, 2018

Scrap it (as in SCRAP metal yard) and you might be able to recover a good chunk of what you paid for it. Start over. IMO there's way too much wrong there for it to be worthwhile. Looks like thin aluminum to begin with and even thinner now with the corrosion. Those thin tin boats are tough to weld for quite a few reasons. First off, aluminum melts at around 1200 degrees; BUT the oxide layer on top of the aluminum melts at 3700 degrees. So you have to remove all of the oxide in order to even think about welding it, which a lot of times with thin material you'll be removing a few thousandths of material from an already thin boat hull, making it even harder to weld. By time this is all done, with the size of the hole I see-and the condition of the material around it, you could easily put more into it than it's worth. Thus, unless you had some attachment to the boat, I personally don't think it's a worthwhile fix.

A patch could be used but I certainly don't trust patching; not after having one similarly patched that began to leak after many years of use. I got used to the patch being there and never really thought about it much. One day out on the lake, about 2 miles from the nearest shore (and trolling motor only), I ran up on a stump and it began to leak-and leak a LOT. By time I got back to the ramp, I was completely and utterly worn out from bailing water as fast as I could with the minnow bucket. I was half tempted to just remove the trolling motor and seats and let the stupid pile of feces sink to the bottom but I figured if I did that, someone would come along and hit it, damaging their own rig. Loaded it up, went home, pulled the goods from it and scrapped the hull. Got $107 out of it!

goodforbrains · May 22, 2018

Poormans Boatright said:
Bring it to me, I'll fix it no problem!

I bet you would! Your build is awesome! Well done.

goodforbrains · May 22, 2018

turbotodd said:
Scrap it (as in SCRAP metal yard) and you might be able to recover a good chunk of what you paid for it. Start over. IMO there's way too much wrong there for it to be worthwhile. Looks like thin aluminum to begin with and even thinner now with the corrosion. Those thin tin boats are tough to weld for quite a few reasons. First off, aluminum melts at around 1200 degrees; BUT the oxide layer on top of the aluminum melts at 3700 degrees. So you have to remove all of the oxide in order to even think about welding it, which a lot of times with thin material you'll be removing a few thousandths of material from an already thin boat hull, making it even harder to weld. By time this is all done, with the size of the hole I see-and the condition of the material around it, you could easily put more into it than it's worth. Thus, unless you had some attachment to the boat, I personally don't think it's a worthwhile fix.

A patch could be used but I certainly don't trust patching; not after having one similarly patched that began to leak after many years of use. I got used to the patch being there and never really thought about it much. One day out on the lake, about 2 miles from the nearest shore (and trolling motor only), I ran up on a stump and it began to leak-and leak a LOT. By time I got back to the ramp, I was completely and utterly worn out from bailing water as fast as I could with the minnow bucket. I was half tempted to just remove the trolling motor and seats and let the stupid pile of feces sink to the bottom but I figured if I did that, someone would come along and hit it, damaging their own rig. Loaded it up, went home, pulled the goods from it and scrapped the hull. Got $107 out of it!

Scrap it? Nah that's no fun. But you are the second or third guy who suggested that. So guess what??!! That is what I am going to name her.. SCRAP IT
Just ordered the epoxy. I have been stripping the paint, there are several coats of thick covering on there. Getting a pretty good workout scrapping. Just got a sheet of marine plywood to redo the seats. I spent the winter rebuilding a couple of mini golf courses and I saved some of the green carpet for this project. I also just bought a center console with helm and steering cable for a steal off of letgo. $40. It has been raining nonstop for days, so that has slowed me down, but SCRAP IT is coming along. I will post a few pics in the next day or two so you guys can see the whole project.

Giant hole in my friggen boat

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