jon boat with whole

[mErcMaN1o9]

I have a jon boat on my land with a legit whole/crack in it how do you fix this? Weld it? If weld what kind? What welder do you buy (if can be fixed by that). Also what kind of saws do you guy prefir when cutting wood for your decks?

 

[crazymanme2]

The crack can be tig welded.Unless you've welded aluminum before you're better off taking it to a weld shop.

 

[Ride_Klein]

Depending on where the crack is, you can also drill a hole on each end of the crack to keep it from spreading, then use a piece of aluminum plate coated in your favorite marine sealant (mine is 3M 4200 or 5200) and rivet that in place. This repair will serve you a long time especially if you're on a small piece of water that won't see a lot of wave action.

RK

 

[spotco2]

Depending on how big the hole is, you might be able to just use JB Weld to fill it.

Can you post a pic?

 

[Jdholmes]

It has been highly recommended by folks on here /not/ to use jb weld as a fix for an aluminum boat...apparently it flexes at a different rate then the aluminum boat and as such cracks away...

This is why 5200 is usually recommended, it has the proper amount of flex.

 

[mmf]

Depending on where the crack is, you can also drill a hole on each end of the crack to keep it from spreading, then use a piece of aluminum plate coated in your favorite marine sealant (mine is 3M 4200 or 5200) and rivet that in place. This repair will serve you a long time especially if you're on a small piece of water that won't see a lot of wave action.

RK

I agree with Ride_Klein, if the crack is on a flat part of the hull, I use 2- 1/8" aluminum plates, predrilled and sandwich them with the hull with PL Adhesive and stainless steel fasteners. I have done this many times on alot of boats and have never had one problem.
PS.....for the screws I usually use SS "button head" screws with the allen socket on the head, when installed they look like a big rivet and do not cause interference or turbulance on the hull.
Good luck with your repairs!