New Guy Ready to Mod A Boat

I've been looking around for a while and decided to join. I have an old 14' Sears shallow V? Not sure exactly what year. Anyway I'll be posting pics once I get the thing cleaned out of all the junk and parts for mod.

Quick question though, I bought this boat for a great deal, but one of the owners (not very smart) drilled bolts right through the bottom of the front of the boat (about 6). I used it last season at least 2 dozen times and noticed very little leaking, but was wondering if there is anyway to fix this at a reasonable cost.

Currently, these bolts hold the makeshift framing this person used (obviously they didn't know about this site). The outside of the boat has the nuts which are covered with silicone. Any suggestions? I'll probably keep the boat for 3-5 years.

I'll post pics tomorrow so people have a better idea of my problem.

Welcome aboard!

Quick fix is to just leave the bolts in place with a sealer (like 3M 5200). You can also patch and sand the area using something like JB Weld. Finally, if the holes really bug you have the holes welded by a shop that does aluminum welding


Good luck

What the Cap'n said.


Welcome Aboard! 8)

:WELCOME:

Thanks for joining! :beer:

Welcome aboard. You have now been bitten by the "tin boat bug".

Good advice from the Capt. Welcome aboard, one thing to remember.... We are picture junkies!!! So the more you show us of your project the more we like it .


Good luck with the mod, it is a very fullfilling experience to get it out on the water "better than new"!

The nuts on the outside leave me to believe this is a real shoddy job. I would remove the fasteners and such, and replace with either a round head phillips machine screw or a rivet. If you go with the machine screw route, put a dab of 3M 5200 sealant under the head before you tighten it down, and a nyloc nut on the inside. The rivet will need no sealer, but if you wish, you could put some on. Just expect it to shoot out the sides, inevitably onto a new bit of upholstery, or a good shirt when you buck the rivet.

:WELCOME:

Welcome aboard!

First question. Will JB weld do the job well, or am I better off sealing the already made destruction with 3m 5200. I'm hoping not to have to pay for a welding job. Anyway, heres the pics. Those holes are either 3/8" or 1/2". It's not good, but I really don't want to find another boat. Thanks guys.

Those aren't spikes driving through the hull,are they?
Man,it's crazy what some people will try.
Good luck on your modding.