first boat and need a little expert advice

[kriegersa]

so i took out my first boat, its a 14' flatbottom aluminum hull, I noticed that quite a bit of water was coming in from somewhere but couldn't find where, so i brought it back and thew some water in it, i found 2 spots where someone had put like fiber glass repair patches on it but i cannot determine it for sure (if its fiberglass or not) and they are leaking a little bit. so my question now is how do i repair this? and how do i go about doing it the BEST way possible so i wont have any more problems, and also could you put a protective coating on the whole bottom side of your boat?

thanks for all your help, and i bet there have been posts like this but I like to ask questions specific to my problems.

thanks so much in advanced!

-kriegersa

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

small holes an be patched with compounds like JB weld. The best fix is to take it to an aluminum welder to weld a fix.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

There are many solutions to repairing ....... first I would get rid of the old repair and start from scratch.

I will move this to the restoration section....... it may not need to be welded....is it a riveted hull or welded hull?

 

[kriegersa]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

small holes an be patched with compounds like JB weld. The best fix is to take it to an aluminum welder to weld a fix.

i was thinking more like aluminum brazing? i did a little research on the web and tried to find out all i could before i came here but i wanted to ask real boat owners.

There are many solutions to repairing ....... first I would get rid of the old repair and start from scratch.

I will move this to the restoration section....... it may not need to be welded....is it a riveted hull or welded hull?

thanks for the move, didn't realize i put it in that topic. it is riveted. but i cannot see any leaks from the actual rivets.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

Welcome to iBoats.

I would remove all the previous pathching material and take a close look at what is underneath. I would then try "Bucking" the Rivets to make sure they are good and tight. (Bucking means using a sledge hammer or something heavy to back up the rivet and pound the other side to flatten it out and tighten it up.) If there is no structural damage (cracks or splits in the aluminum) then some Gluvit on the interiour could/should solve your leaking problems.

Keep us posted on what you find and what you do to ultimately solve your issues.

 

[kriegersa]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

Welcome to iBoats.

I would remove all the previous pathching material and take a close look at what is underneath. I would then try "Bucking" the Rivets to make sure they are good and tight. (Bucking means using a sledge hammer or something heavy to back up the rivet and pound the other side to flatten it out and tighten it up.) If there is no structural damage (cracks or splits in the aluminum) then some Gluvit on the interiour could/should solve your leaking problems.

Keep us posted on what you find and what you do to ultimately solve your issues.

okay thank you we have a local boat dealer that has a shop as well so ill go there and take a look at what they have and see if they cant help me. but i do appreciate all ya'lls help, and if anyone else has any suggestions then post them up :")

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

Gluvit is made specifically to stop riveted aluminum boats from leaking. Great product. You can order it right here from iboats.

 

[robert graham]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

On my older aluminum riveted canoe I have used with great success the 3M Yellow Weatherstrip adhesive to put on and around rivets, seams, small leaks. Just clean the area with a wire brush and goop some on the inside and/or the outside, stuff dries very tough and remains flexible, usually go over the hull about once a year to re-do any areas that might need it. Auto-Zone, Advanced Auto sells it in a tube for about $4,...couldn't live with out it for lots of things! Good Luck!

 

[kriegersa]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

Gluvit is made specifically to stop riveted aluminum boats from leaking. Great product. You can order it right here from iboats.

link please

On my older aluminum riveted canoe I have used with great success the 3M Yellow Weatherstrip adhesive to put on and around rivets, seams, small leaks. Just clean the area with a wire brush and goop some on the inside and/or the outside, stuff dries very tough and remains flexible, usually go over the hull about once a year to re-do any areas that might need it. Auto-Zone, Advanced Auto sells it in a tube for about $4,...couldn't live with out it for lots of things! Good Luck!

so its like a paste? and could i repair the leaking patch that is already on there or is it only for rivits?



ALSO i was wondering if i could just line-x the whole bottom of my boat would that work? lol.

 

[oops!]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

use he gluvit.....thats what it was made for and will work.


the line x will be very heavy

 

[kriegersa]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

use he gluvit.....thats what it was made for and will work.


the line x will be very heavy

I guess ill just google the gluvit lol.

oh okay. i dont know the difference but is hecliner any lighter?

 

[oops!]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

all of the truck liner stuff is really heavy...

just search gluvit here at i boats for a price.....for results....just search it on these forums.....there are lots of posts on it...

it is the correct tool for the job.

cheers
oops

 

[Shife]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

Do you have some pics of the problem areas you could post? There is a lot of advice being dispensed without actually knowing what your problem is. Guessing usually leads to bad results.

This could be as simple as a loose rivet or as complex as a cracked hull. Until you remove the old failing repair and see what is really going on underneath everything here is just conjecture.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

http://www.iboats.com/Gluvit-Epoxy-Waterproof-Sealer/dm/*******.255702507--**********.375114271--view_id.40398

Here's a link. The 2lb kit should be enough to do the entire interior rivets as preventative maintenance.

I agree with Shife, if you could post some photos of the problem that would be ideal.

 

[kriegersa]

Re: first boat and need a little expert advice

sorry guys i haven't been on in a while thanks for all the help and ill try and post some pictures up again when i have a second.