Geno Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Hi, late this past season I put a slit in the underside of my 20 plus year old 14 foot aluminum jon boat right between 2 of the ribs. It was anough of a slit that it took on water so I had to dry dock it and finished out the season with a canoe owned by my son. I have been told that welding an aluminum anything is tricky and a couple shops I called won't even attempt it. Any suggestions on alternative repairs I can do myself? Thanks much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdkidaho Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Aluminum Repair. Says anyone can do it, but I couldn't vouche for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geno Posted December 30, 2005 Author Share Posted December 30, 2005 Thanks for the info-I'll check it out this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 I weld at work with a MiG all day, but I would suggest you get it welded with someone who can TiG (Tungsten inert gas). If you've ever seen the show "American Chopper" you have seen a TiG welder in action. TiG is excellent for Aluminum, and yes.....it is very tricky. But if it's done properly, you won't even be able to tell it was repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butch-M Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 You might try specialty autobody shops too. Some cars use aluminum parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoDucker Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I've had aluminum welding done on two outboard motors and both times I just went through the phone book until a welder advertised that he did aluminum. Both were guys who had nice shops at their houses and both did excellent work. One welded a crack for $20 and the other attached a new skeg for $20. Should be easy to find someone who can do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightning Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 the repair should definetly be done with TIG weld. Not as hard to do as you think, but any welding shop or metal fabricator should be able to do it. If nothing else try a fiberglass patch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprigsss Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Depending on how big the crack is you may be able to fix it with some silicone type stuff. I wish I could think of the name of it but I can't. Its black and comes in a tube just like silicone. Its often used to seal flashings by roofers. If I can think of the name of it, I'll let you know, but I repaired a 4" crack in my 10' john boat about 10 years ago with 1/10th of a tube of this stuff and it hasn't leaked a drop since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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