Help! Crack in hull

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Ced

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No water intake when i took the boat out for a test before buying it. Now that i’ve removed the floor and cleaned it up a bit, i’ve come to notice a crack in the front. Looks like they’ve tried patching it up before?

How would you go about fixing this? I’ve been hesitating on: 1) aluminum stick and torch; 2) gluvit; 3) 3m 5200...

I appreciate any input. This site has been an awesome resource so far.

Ced
 

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jb weld would easily fix that, but if your boats always scraping or hitting stuff it wont last. if not it would last for over 5 years, maybe even like 30
years lol....... i got a old jon boat with jb weld from the 70s and its incredible how strong it is ever after 40 years... yes 40 year old jb weld... its incredible how strong it is it amazes me still when i think about it.. the boats from the 50s, somewhere in the 70s the owner used jb weld on some leaky seems and rivets when i went to restore the boat and prep for paint that jb weld prooved hard to take off, even with strong aircraft paint remover , wire brushes... only thing that worked was sand paper which ofcourse would work

you can fix it yourself with aluminum brazing rods , and weld it or take it to someone who can
heres some youtube videos to help inspire you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIB0ZZSx-4&t=484s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yX4ZD3cjwQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAqGGNG3lSI
 
Awesome links gwar822. That’s the answer i wanted to hear! Thank you.

I am planning to use my boat in the river behind us. Nothing aggressive or rocky. Therefore, your JB suggestion sounds like a good one.
 
i used tape on one side, and jb weld on the other, the tape kept the jb weld from slowly dripping downward from gravity. after it cured i sanded the tape off. After it looks real nice and clean.

jb weld sells a marine version but its the same exact thing as regular jb weld, just labeled marine, incase that throws ya off

youll have that and any other leaks fixed in no time and be out on the water

cheers
 
Right in the keel. Plenty of thick metal to weld. I'd pay someone to weld it as well. They could build up a good bead and then feather it out with a sander afterwards.
 
The welding labor will be higher because of prep. A weld will not hold if there are a lot of contaminants in the metal (i.e. 10 year old jb weld) so adequately cleaning is imperative. Jb weld may be the just fine in this case. Any leaks?
 
Thanks for all the replies. I plan on getting a quote on the weld job soon. I was told they charge 90$CAD/hr. theduded, I think there is previous JB weld and some silicone? at some spots. If it's more than 50$ to weld, I will try some DIY tricks. It is causing a very slow leak.
 
I would not mess around with structural issues with a boat. Strip the paint off the area in question and have it welded by someone who is good with aluminum. Many good welders have little experience with welding aluminum.
 
If you want to save money at the weld shop, prep the area yourself and have the boat upside down on a trailer. To prep, remove all paint and anything else from the area to be welded. Take it down to bare aluminum. A wire wheel or cup brush on a grinder works great for this. Any paint, dirt, remnants of silicone or JB weld etc, will make it harder for the welder as it will smoke and bubble and he will have to grind it out and go over it again. Welding is the best repair in my opinion but I may be biased. Lol. If you decide to go JB weld, I like the steel stick type that is a putty that you knead together, I have used it on a couple boats, mostly for small holes or rivets, with great results.
 
Thanks again for all your comments.

I went to the weld shop. He did not want to weld it. Something about it being to close to the keel and he could burn/contaminate some of the floating material? I did not know there was anything in there?
My knowledge with boats is next to nothing (hence why i'm here asking questions!)
I told myself he must be honest, he could have fed me BS, done a crappy job and taken my money.

He suggested I use JB weld inside and out. So far I have stripped the paint and used a wire brush to clean it out. Will likely do the JB weld this weekend.
 
Make SURE to drill drill a good 3/16" to 1/4" at the very end of the crack ends to stop them from continuing. Any sharp feature is a natural 'stress riser' and the rounded feature minimizes the localization of any induced stresses. Which is why you see rounded 'fillets' on structural parts, to avoid those sharp corners.

In your case, any of the sharp, jagged edges looking like a worn saw blade will actually help you, as the epoxy will also lock into those features, creating a 'mechanical' lock. Typically epoxies and other glues work on the principle of a 'chemical' bond, but when you can make use of, or add in physical features that help keep the epoxy in there - go for it!
 
Drill 3/16 at each end of the crack, from the outside. I did not go deep at all as i was a little worried. Something about creating s bigger hole in the boat had me second guessing. Nonetheless, JB weld on the inside and outside. I used the putty type on the outside.

I left it for 24hrs then did a water test and it passed. Next on the list is to fix the transom!


Thanks again to all who chimed in.
 

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