Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

[anamealreadyinuse]

I've got a 14ft. Alum that no matter what seems to start new leaks every time I find a leak and patch with Marine-Tex and move it back in the water. I love the boat otherwise, its dang near perfect for our type of fishing.

I found Gluvit and was hoping for some advice. Currently the hull is painted and has a layer of anti-fouling bottom paint on it (I fixed with Marine Tex and thought it was fixed for good LOL). The paint was about $80 so I really don't want to strip it down to use Gluvit.

The interior has a single layer of white paint and 3 riveted benches and looks much easier to strip down. Here are my questions:

1.) Is Gluvit the best product to seal the boat?
2.) Can I strip down the boat and seal Gluvit from the inside?
3.) Will sealing this way seal the rivets around the alum benches too (they are visible from the outside)?
4.) What is the easiest, safest way to strip down to the metal?

I have access to a good pressure washer and plenty of elbow grease.

I appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Tony

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Welcome to iboats.

Gluvit is a creeping flowing epoxy similar to honey when it is mixed. It takes at least 24 hours to dry. It is the best solution for your leaks and a 14' boat is a piece of cake. I would wire brush the seams and rivets (no real need to strip the paint) and coat them with gluvit........ then paint over it.

All your repairs should be from the inside however gluvit will also work from the outside.

Gluvit is not uv protected so if it is exposed it should be painted. The best treatment for a boat with leaking rivets is actually to re-buck the rivets first then gluvit. We have covered this many times here in the restoration forum.

The marine tex really is not the right product for the aluminum repairs.

Read through the forums and you will see that many aluminum boats have been done here.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Thanks, will any paint work over top like from a rattle can?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Sure that will be fine. Rustoleum brand is pretty good, but there are many others. If you're going to install a floor that would shield the seams from UV, then you won't need to paint, but if they're exposed to the sun, then you'll need to paint them.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

awesome, will the quart be enough to do the seams and rivets on the 14'?

 

[NYGiants]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

a quart will be more than plenty i have a 15' aluminum boat with a floor so its got more surface area most likely and i had about half a can left over. took a while to dry in cold temps though

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Okay, I was down prepping the boat this afternoon and a guy next door said to scrap the gluvit and use something called JB Weld? Is that possible? I can return the gluvit to West Marine and the JB Weld locally is about half the price...any drawbacks to JB Weld? Keep in mind I am 100% in saltwater down here is South Florida. Thanks Everyone!

 

[oops!]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

tell the next door neighbour thanks anyway.....and listen to the boat restorers on here....

we have all been there done that....

if you search the topic here.....you will see many threads on that exact situation....

you could also look in the starcraft forum, those guys down there build tinnys fast.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Like BOB VT said Gluvit Flows like Honey which gives it the unique ability to get into the tiniest of cracks and crevices. JB Weld is Great for fixing holes you can see but NOT for seams and such. I'd definetly stay with the Gluvit. You will need to tilt the bolt at various angles to allow the Gluvit to flow into the various locations and get full coverage.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Sounds good...my only concern is that the main "leak-area" I am pretty sure is directly under the alum bench in the middle and there is no way to get at it. Its totally self-contained. The seat is also riveted permanently to the hull and makes a box. I think the leaky(est) rivets are directly under this bench on the starboard side. I am not even sure if I tilt the boat I can guarantee the gluvit will work itself under this bench and to the rivets b/c cannot see under this bench...how do I handle this? I was thinking I could gluvit those rivets from the outside if necessary? What do you guys think?

 

[64osby]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

If you post some pictures maybe someone here can help with your problem. A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Okay, this is not the boat but my benches are similar in that the alum run all the way down to the hull AND are riveted on the bottom instead...hope this helps? See image below:

Sounds good...my only concern is that the main "leak-area" I am pretty sure is directly under the alum bench in the middle and there is no way to get at it. Its totally self-contained. The seat is also riveted permanently to the hull and makes a box. I think the leaky(est) rivets are directly under this bench on the starboard side. I am not even sure if I tilt the boat I can guarantee the gluvit will work itself under this bench and to the rivets b/c cannot see under this bench...how do I handle this? I was thinking I could gluvit those rivets from the outside if necessary? What do you guys think?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Uhhmmmm, that's not gunna do it. We need to see how the seat connects to the hull. Is there any gap where the Gluvit can flow or is it tight against the hull. Pics will tell the tale.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Okay, dang...I almost took pics today, wish I had. There is no space at all...the rivets for the bench run horizontal to the length of the boat and spread I'm guessing 1 inch apart. I have 3 benches and all three are riveted to the hull so much so that there is a triangle cut out in the middle of each to let the water flow. The bottom of the bench are machine outward so that the rivets attach to the bench and thru the hull so that I can see the on the bottom outside of the hull. The sides of each bench are open about 1/2 to 1/4 inch but not enough to see into and then the top of the bench is riveted to the sides of the boat again.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Flip it over and use the gluvit in those areas on the outside of the hull. I understand the design you are speaking of.

 

[anamealreadyinuse]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Bob, keep in mind that I have bottom paint and a few layers of paint from previous owners...where should I strip down the outside for the gluvit in relation to the leak? I love this boat but...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

My last boat was pretty leaky. I smeared a little JB Weld around each suspect looking rivet and that solved it.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Gluvit Advice for 14ft. Alum

Hi anamealradyinuse. You really only need to apply the Gluv-it to the riveted seams/leaky rivets of the boat. You don't need to paint the entire surface. Here's a cool link showing a guy replacing some leaky rivets and sealing them with epoxy per ezmobee's post too.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MA1-5NXjs