Cracked front hull fix?

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GeauxJoe

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I have a 1985 ALUMAWELD 1440. At the front of the boat (where it rides against the trailer rubber bumper wheel at winch) there was a crack that I had welded. Well it has happened again, only worse this time. The crack is about 9" long going right down the center of the middle rib and through the previous horizontal weld. I'm surprised at how super thin the aluminum is. Does anyone have any suggestions or pics on how to fix this or how to prevent this? I'm considering trying to beef up that section and possibly putting a new bow eye at this area also.
 
Drill a hole at either end of the crack - this will stop the crack from spreading farther, then repair the crack.

As far preventing it, if it's a high stress area then perhaps beefing up the hull with some support where you attach your bow to the trailer might not be a bad idea.
 
I had a similar thing happen to my jon, I got rid of the rubber wheel because the brackets on the side of the wheel could rub on the rib if it was not centered correctly on the wheel causing a hole and then a crack, I tried the hole drilling thing and it just cracked right on by, I got it welded and replaced the wheel with a flat piece of wood, like a landing pad. I am thinking of getting rid of it all together and just install some nice flat bunks with glides on them to keep it simple.
 
Pics would help. That’s the thing with welding, the heat changes the properties of the material. Drilling a hole at the ends of the crack helps. Sometimes the crack is actually longer than what is visible so drill farther than you think. Patching over top is a good idea and lends strength to the area.


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It may not just be the pressure of the roller causing the crack.

Maybe the tension of the winch is a factor?

Suggest adding a large patch of alum on outside & one inside too. Make the inside one even larger than the outside so the stress gets distributed.

Rivets & epoxy would negate the welding concern.
 
onthewater102 said:
Drill a hole at either end of the crack - this will stop the crack from spreading farther, then repair the crack.

As far preventing it, if it's a high stress area then perhaps beefing up the hull with some support where you attach your bow to the trailer might not be a bad idea.
+1

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jethro said:
Do you have pictures of your setup? That shouldn't happen.
I assume your boat has a flat front and you have a bow roller as a bow stop?
If this is true you want to change the roller out for a carpeted board. This will spread out the pressure causing the cracking.
 
I’ve put pics of damage. Looking for answers. Thanks for the quick replies so far. Any thoughts on the brazing/welding process with aluminum rods and torch methods as seen on YouTube? Kinda considering trying to do this myself, but definitely worried about burning through and screwing it up worse. And concerned that if I were to patch it up, the process would not work as well a professional welder could do.
 

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Pictures are worth many words!

I would take it to a weld shop that can do aluminum.

They will need to form a patch to fit around the rib.

The braze rod isn't very strong, tried it. Very hard to get temp right.
 
Yep. Take it to a shop. Form a patch. Replace that wheel with a flat board and carpet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ok, I see what you're dealing with now. I was having the same issue, though I caught it before it cracked through. I'll get you a picture of the bow stop I made from a pair of hand truck wheels as I have a similar bow design that doesn't lend itself to commercial bow stops.

pGEbIVq.jpg


hEvd4SZ.jpg
 
Another option for a boat like yours is a pontoon style bumper setup. This is what I did on mine and no problems. I think what is happening on yours is that lower wheel is punching into your hull when you hit bumps in the road. You can have a patch formed to reinforce the rib that has the crack in it and it can be applied to the outside. Make sure it's stop drilled or the crack will continue to grow.
 
All these comments are good. Looking at your layout I believe I would rethink the POSITION of the bow stop and the winch. I would have it such that the winch was lowered on the winch stand, and the bow stop slightly above it. Perhaps a flat bow stop made of carpeted 2x4 would be the best. That will level the boat a bit better on the trailer. Then when you do the fix on the hull make sure the keel rollers are aligned along the hull contour so they take the load evenly.

just my .02
 

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