Boat leaking

[ferdly1]

Wondering if anyone has a picture of the inside of 1997 aluminum basstracker tracker without the floor. I have a slow leak. I thought I had fixed all my leaks. But still taking on water. I had filled my boat previously with water and found leaks around transom. That has been repaired. Didn't see any more leaks at the time I guess this time I will take boat off trailer and try again., On the bottom of boat is a raised rail that is riveted. Are the two hulls joined together here. That looks kind of suspect. However there is no way to see inside this rail without removing it. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Watermann]

What was leaking at the transom and how did you repair it? It's very tough to repair a leaky AL boat without having access to the inside. Another thing to check is are the through the hull fittings, livewell hoses/connections and anything that is added on to the transom.

 

[ferdly1]

Previous owner had removed transducer and attempted to patch the holes with silicone. Must have been a pound of silicone inside the boat. I patched holes with marine tex. However I think the leak is coming from the keel. So i guess I have to open up the boat. Oh the pain. Gonna pull the boat out of water tomorrow and take another look.

 

[jigngrub]

It might look something like this:

If a previous owner hasn't removed it, you'll find quite a bit of floatation foam under the deck of a Tracker. Since you're keeping your boat on the water and if it has been leaking for a while, your foam is more than likely waterlogged/saturated due to neglect and exposure. The foam will also make it difficult to locate any leaks it is covering. Your foam may appear dry on the top but is more than likely saturated half way down or more through the thickness. Wet foam can add hundreds of pounds of weight to your boat slowing it down and decreasing it's performance.

 

[ferdly1]

Thanks for the video. Although I had heard the word keel a thousand times, until yesterday I didn't know what the keel was. I watched a video on how an aluminum boat is built yesterday and now I understand. I have had this boat for about thirteen years and it has always taken on a little water. However after seeing how a riveted boat is made, I will never own another one. So I guess I will have to remove the floor. Can I use exterior plywood as a replacement or do I need to use marine plywood. I think the leak is coming from the keel because there is water dripping from keel days after removing from water. I don't see any leaks anywhere else. Plus this boat has taken a pounding. This lake is filled with stumps great for fishing not good. for water skiing. Has anyone here done a 1997 basstracker restore.

 

[rickryder]

Ex plywood is fine....you just need to seal it up well....epoxy coating or poly resin and fiberglass....it will last for years!

J & G is right on with the foam being wet.....most likely why it is always dripping water

 

[Watermann]

What's so wrong with a riveted AL boat that you would never own another one? If it's because they don't soak up abuse then good luck finding anything that will hold up to that. On the other hand...

Maybe you need one of these AL boats.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I'm with waterman, aluminum boats are 10 times easier to repair over a fiberglass one. As for the ones in the video he posted. Oh I so want one!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

I'm with waterman, aluminum boats are 10 times easier to repair over a fiberglass one. As for the ones in the video he posted. Oh I so want one!!!

I'm not sure EVERYONE on the forum would agree with this statement!!!:tongue-new::loco::doh:

Most DIY'ers would have tough time making this Aluminum repair... Can't recall EVER seeing a repair like this done by a DIY'er here on the Forum.

but, I've seen Fiberglass DIY'ers make repairs like this...

right here on the forum and do some really fine work. I guess It all depends on what kind of repairs need to be done and who's doing em.

I've seen some remarkable craftsmen on Both sides of the House!!!! The Tinners and The Glassers ALL have their place!!!!

 

[Tnstratofam]

:facepalm: You certainly win in that argument Wood. I shouldn't speak in absolutes. Every craft is certainly different, and each repair should be attempted based on its merits alone.

 

[Watermann]

His dripping keel repair would be way easier, cheaper and he doesn't have to wear a tyvek hazmat suit with respirator while doing it. :lol:

As far as demolished boats in the pics go I wouldn't even attempt a repair. The reason is there are 2 types of damage boats/cars suffer when their operator learns Newtons laws first hand. Contact damage as you see in the photos and then there's the damage that totals out the vehicle, induced damage that ripples all throughout like dominos making it garbage.

 

[Woodonglass]

The Tin Boat for a DIY'er IS Totalled!! IMHO. The Glass Boat...Not so much!!! As for a Leaky keel, depending on the problem, i.e. a hole the size of a Dime. on a glass boat it could be fixed in as little as 15 minutes and for less than $1.00 I wouldn't need a Tyvek suit OR a respirator to fix it on a Glass boat. And in a lot of cases, no need to remove the Deck/floor either. I know this is true for Tin Boats as well. It all depends on the problem how to effect the repair. All I'm saying is making Blanket statements about which one is easier to repair is NOT a good idea IMHO. Each person has his own skill set and HIS own preferences. What seems easy for one is NOT for someone else. I've never done much metal work and the only Tin boat I've ever owned was a 10 ft John boat 40 years ago. I think we, here on the forum should just try and help one another with the issues at hand, and not speculate on which category is best. They each have their merits!!!

 

[jigngrub]

Has anyone here done a 1997 basstracker restore.

I did my '98 Tracker:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...eep-v-facelift

You may not need to replace the decking plywood, mine was marine grade CCA pressure treated plywood that won't rot. If it's wet you'll have to let it dry out, and you'll have to sand the old carpet glue off.

This is an easy way to replace leaking rivets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MA1-5NXjs&feature=related

Fix all of your leaking rivets and then apply Gluvit or Coat-it to the inside seams and rivets below the waterline for added protection.

 

[ferdly1]

Thanks for the videos guys. That's why I like this forum lots of great guys with good ideas. Special thanks for the tracker video. I looked but could not find where someone had restored a tracker. They did a good job.

My comment on aluminum boats was directed toward the riveted boat mainly because you have 100 places for a leak. Welded boats eliminate that. I actually have two boats one is fiberglass that I fish saltwater with. I would never even consider taking my riveted boat out to the gulf. The pounding would beat the rivets out of the boat.

 

[ferdly1]

I guess I will try to find the other leak today. There is one thing I want to do regardless. There is a gap along the keel in several places.I was thinking of using some 3m 4200 and going along that seam with it. However my boat is pretty dirty. Is there a good cleaner I can spray on the boat. Regular soap and water wont remove it. I saw a video on you tube about a cleaner called JJV's best seems good and reasonable. Just wondering if anyone has tried it.

 

[Teamster]

Thanks for the videos guys. That's why I like this forum lots of great guys with good ideas. Special thanks for the tracker video. I looked but could not find where someone had restored a tracker. They did a good job.

My comment on aluminum boats was directed toward the riveted boat mainly because you have 100 places for a leak. Welded boats eliminate that. I actually have two boats one is fiberglass that I fish saltwater with. I would never even consider taking my riveted boat out to the gulf. The pounding would beat the rivets out of the boat.

When a riveted aluminum boat is stressed it can flex a bit,....

When a welded aluminum is stressed it can crack,.......

Ever see a welded aluminum airplane???

 

[Watermann]

I guess I will try to find the other leak today. There is one thing I want to do regardless. There is a gap along the keel in several places.I was thinking of using some 3m 4200 and going along that seam with it. However my boat is pretty dirty. Is there a good cleaner I can spray on the boat. Regular soap and water wont remove it. I saw a video on you tube about a cleaner called JJV's best seems good and reasonable. Just wondering if anyone has tried it.

Yes I've used JJV's but it's a de-ox for aluminum not a crud cleaner. Chances are what you see inside that keel seam is the material used to seal the seam. Now you're going to have to take a pic of what you're talking about and post it up. Then we'll know for sure that you even have a Bass Tracker! :lol:

I've done some damaged keel repairs and squirting 3M products in the right places is a good thing however I'm not sure that's the best idea for your problem. I don't know where your 4200 idea came from but it isn't a lasting repair and the wrong formula for below the waterline. I said it before, lasting repairs are done from both sides.

So you know tin boats are not easy to fix and we don't have the magical 5 minute $1.00 hairy band aid that WoG was bragging about.

I'm glad you didn't suggest the handy man in a can... This guy has caused all kinds of people to buy that flexseal garbage and spray it on their boats.

 

[ferdly1]

Thanks I appreciate your input. I guess I like 4200 because I used it on my other boat which is fiberglass and was so impressed with it. I had water coming thru the rubrail when I ran boat out in the gulf. Completely removed rubrail cleaned everything including old silicone caulk. Tighened up hull with screaws reattached rubrail and ran a bead of 4200 along top and bottom. Worked like a charm. I used 4200 over 5200 in case that didn't work.Not a boat expert rather be fishing than working on boat. I also used 4200 on the aerator pump that goes thru hull it had silicone. I have found silicone just doesn't hold around water for long. Also used it to seal around drain plug pipe mainly because I may end up redoing that later with a welder. I guess the reason I chose 4200 for the seam is because just want to see if it stops the leak. I really don't want to tear out the decking. Lost my job and a little short on cash, Although later on when and if I find employment I do plan to redeck if that makes sense. My boat is a basstrarcker tx-17 tournament. I bought it used. I am trying to upload a photo but it says file to large.

 

[ferdly1]

What might I use to clean this.

I always considered that stop leak guy a joke.

 

[jigngrub]

The hole in your keel strip is a drain to keep water from freezing inside of it during winter in cold climates.

Caulking your keel strip will do nothing to stop your leak(s), it'll look bad, and it will show others that know that you don't know what you're doing. It's the rivets that're holding your keel strip to the boat that are leaking. The keel strip has been bumped and banged (it's job) and this has loosened the rivets causing them to leak.

Trying to stop leaks in an aluminum boat by applying goop and goo to the outside of a hull is an exercise in futility and will be temporary at best if it even works at all... but you can try it and find out for yourself.

Trackers are easy to take apart and put back together, and if you're low on cash you can put it back together with the same materials you took out of it (the old stuff). You will want to remove and replace the foam with new though.