78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

[dex76]

hi all, ive got a 16' aluminum starcraft deep v that i thought was in pretty good shape till i got home from the lake the other day and saw a few drips comming from the keel after a closer look and alot of digging/sanding at what i think was bondo i found quite a large tear in the hull (see links at bottom)
my question is can i remove some of the floor from the inside and marine-tex jb weld it then gluvit the small area and again jb weld the outside then just paint the hull, will that hold up against a large tear like that? any suggestions would be appreciated


http://www.or1on.com/filez/keel-bottom.jpg

http://www.or1on.com/filez/keel-side.jpg

 

[iwombat]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

That's a good candidate for a welder if you ask me. Should be able to grind out a section and weld in a replacement. It shouldn't be overly expensive either.

Take more pictures with a ruler someplace in it and get a quote from a weld shop.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

Since that tear is on the keel and that area is likely to see a lot of wear, I'd be inclined to weld that one.
Even if it means welding a patch over the area. There are several epoxies that would bond well and hold, but if that area is to have some serious abrasion resistance again, your better off just welding it. I would coat the inside with Gluvit either way, but even Gluvit won't seal that large a hole. There are a few brands of keel protectors made that could protect from future damage as well, but they won't fix the tear. I'd be afraid that if you only used an epoxy to fix that, if you hit that area again, it's likely to rupture the repair.

 

[dex76]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

thanx for the input guys, ive got a welder set to fix her up next week

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

best move. let us know how it goes.

 

[dex76]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

a bit of concern from the welder now, since its a rivited boat he said he is going to cook out the sealer between the rivited sheets when he welds the area...will a coat of gluvit over the surrounding area be enough to seal her up? i really didnt want to coat the entire inside of the hull till the boating season is over with , would like to just get away with doing the surrounding area for now

 

[iwombat]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

Some gluvit should do the trick. Can you get to the inside? Better from the inside out. But, better to have the weld patch with a little rivet leaking than any other option.

 

[dex76]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

yes i can access the inside of the boat i removed as much of the floor as i could without having to remove the consoles.. hopefully the heat dosent travel too far thru the boat as im only going to be able to gluvit about 3 feet of surrounding area, unless i remove all of the flooring

 

[iwombat]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

You're good to go then. That aluminum will dissipate heat pretty quickly once outside of the immediate heat-source's area.

 

[dex76]

Re: 78 starcraft aluminum hull repair options?

well after many weeks of being put off by the welder he finally got it done for me, it did however cook the sealant out in 2 spots on the keel but nothing a bit of gluvit cant fix

http://www.or1on.com/filez/keel-welded.jpg