Aluminum boat repair

[UXOMAN]

Hey guys, looking for a little help. I have 2 small (pen size or smaller) holes in my aluminum boat. It's in the hull up front. I have a deck above it and can only get to it from the bottom (with out tearing the deck up) Any ideas on how to stop the leak? Thanks in advance.

Rob

[gridiron]

JP Weld comes to mind.

[Cray]

You might have a shop that specilizes in aluminum welding to patch them. You also might try some of the aluminum patch epoxy and that would depend on where the holes are :ie are they where it would get rubbed a lot? Or, if you could find a couple of what I think are called blind rivets for a rivet gun, the end of rivet that goes in hole is sealed unlike standard rivet has ball on end to spread rivet. Might have to go to a fastener store to find. If you could do that i would clean good drill hole and put small amount of marine sealer or aquarium silicone on rivet and around hole then pop away. Hope everything works out for you i know it is agrivating.

[FIN]

I had some hairline cracks in my duracraft. I fixed them permanently.
Tools needed.
tin snips or shears.
some flat tin or aluminum material, big enough to cover the damaged area.
drill+1/8" drill bit + 1/8"x3/16" stainless steel rivets.
Rivet gun
rubber gloves
Marine waterproof sealant found at wmart in a white tube in the boating section.
Cut the tin or alum. to cover the leak. About 2 square inches will do.
Drill 4 or more holes depending on the size of the leak.
The holes in the tin patch have to match the holes in the boat.
Clean the holes and the area to be patched.
Apply marine sealant generously. Dont get it on your fingers cause it wont come off.
While holding the patch against the hull fasten it to the hull using the stainless steel rivets.

Alternatively it might be possible to make a permanent patch with out the drill and rivets.
It wont hurt to try.
Plan B cut tin or alum. patches to cover the leak + a little extra.
use wire brush to clean both patch and area to be patched.
use mineral spirits or gasoline to clean both.
apply generous amount of marine sealant to boat and patch.
Use a jack and post to press the patch tight against the hull.
Marine sealant dries slow "12 hours" at least.
I used stainless steel rivets to keep the patch in place.
The local welding shop wanted $100.00 to weld 3 hairline cracks.
Fin

[kyron4]

Aluminum brazing rod and torch.

[FAADAN]

I had some hairline cracks in my duracraft. I fixed them permanently.
Tools needed.
tin snips or shears.
some flat tin or aluminum material, big enough to cover the damaged area.
drill+1/8" drill bit + 1/8"x3/16" stainless steel rivets.
Rivet gun
rubber gloves
Marine waterproof sealant found at wmart in a white tube in the boating section.
Cut the tin or alum. to cover the leak. About 2 square inches will do.
Drill 4 or more holes depending on the size of the leak.
The holes in the tin patch have to match the holes in the boat.
Clean the holes and the area to be patched.
Apply marine sealant generously. Dont get it on your fingers cause it wont come off.
While holding the patch against the hull fasten it to the hull using the stainless steel rivets.

Alternatively it might be possible to make a permanent patch with out the drill and rivets.
It wont hurt to try.
Plan B cut tin or alum. patches to cover the leak + a little extra.
use wire brush to clean both patch and area to be patched.
use mineral spirits or gasoline to clean both.
apply generous amount of marine sealant to boat and patch.
Use a jack and post to press the patch tight against the hull.
Marine sealant dries slow "12 hours" at least.
I used stainless steel rivets to keep the patch in place.
The local welding shop wanted $100.00 to weld 3 hairline cracks.
Fin

Gotta pay for them TIG welders.

[skeetbum]

I patched several holes over the years with good, long lasting results. Epoxy doesn't flex enough to last without cracking. and drilling for rivets just makes more holes to deal with. I used 5200 silicone, made for marine applications, and a thin piece of aluminum to span the void with extra to spare. If there's a crack you might want to drill it at the end to stop the crack. Wire brush both sides for good adhesion. Generous amounts of 5200 and apply the patch and apply pressure to keep it in place, and don't fool with it for 24 hrs. Should it come off it's easy to scrape and re-do, but I've never had to.5200 is extra sticky. If you buy the big tube, don't plan on keeping it long term after cutting the tip, always went hard for me. Buy the smaller tube and trash it when the job is done.

[Glenn]

Recently had the same problem. Drilled them out to 1/8 inch and used 1/8 inch Pop Rivets in them. Worked great, took about 5 minutes and they do not leak.

[snookinman]

YouTube - ‪West System G-Flex Epoxy!‬‏ Used this a few years ago and still no problems easy to use.

[deedoe]

I had a 14 walmart jon that had a 2"x 1/8" hole just below the water line on the side and i found some green epoxy stiks you had to melt to fill the hole. that was 17 yrs ago and it never leaked. I can't remeber the name but it was a pack of 4stiks and I think it is still around. I sold that boat this past summer.