Aluminum Boat Leak Repair

[gabrielp23]

Long story short - I bought a 1448 Grizzly All-Welded aluminum boat a couple of months ago, and despite being told by the previous owner that it didn’t leak, I discovered that it does leak. When I took it out, I was out for 2 1/2 hours and it took on about 2 gallons of water.

After some looking, I determined that the leak is coming from the bow of the boat. It appears that the aluminum c-channel that covers the keel has separated from the hull (only on the left side) in an area that is about 6-8 inches long.

How should I go about fixing this? Will marine epoxy (Marine Tex seems to be a popular choice) work since the gap is so thin? Or, is it worth having someone weld it? If so, can any one recommend a shop in NEGA that has experience welding aluminum? Luckily, there is a storage cutout in the front platform directly above the leaking area, so there is no foam in the area that would have to be removed before welding.

I was thinking about trying the epoxy first, but I’m not sure how much of a Headache it would be to remove if it doesn’t work and ends up needing to be welded.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Semi-Pro]

Just have it welded and be done

 

[Semi-Pro]

I put JB weld on mine and it's held for 30 yrs. But in that spot I would weld

 

[BoosterC]

I would start with 3M Marine sealant. Let it dry 48 hrs then fill that over with JB weld.

Dont drag it over concrete. Take a 1x4 or 1x6 a little longer than the width of the boat. Beach and slide the boat on top of the 1x4. Congrete will grind through AL like butter.

 

[littlejon]

What Semi pro said

 

[ryanh487]

Braze it with fluxless aluminum brazing rod and a propane torch.

Sand the paint off around the crack, braze it, grind/sand it smooth, touch up the paint with some rustoleum camo paint that matches the color. Aluminum to aluminum bond will be the best, cleanest and most permenent option.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Every aluminum boat I’ve ever been in took in a little water. People pulling up on the rocky banks is usually the culprit. Jackwagons that think a boat ramp is a fishing dock is usually why. i don’t know if I would weld it there….a boat has to flex at certain stress points, which would explain why it wasn’t welded there from the factory. Put some Marine sealant on it, hit the bilge pump when you need to and GO FISH.

 

[Doboy Dawg]

I have a Fisher 1448 all weld that is the same hull. I believe Tracker / Grizzly bought Fisher. It looks like those are wear strips placed over the actual hull seam welds, if that’s the case the leak or crack would actually be under that wear strip/trim/ cover piece.

Lots of ways to patch it, the best way to fix it would be to find the actual crack and tig weld it.

 

[Qazaq15]

I’d try regular rtv sealant first. Cheap and easy. If it doesn’t work you can peel it away and try something else and you aren’t out anything.

 

[Rabun]

I'm not sure how they’re constructed but it looks like the keel strip is welded to the hull. If so, if it’s leaking the hull is compromised. Can you verify where the water is coming in from in relation to that separated weld

 

[little rascal]

Just have it welded and be done!

 

[Big7]

Just have it welded and be done!

That's the only way.
Aluminum is not very dense and readily moves a good bit from stress and thermals.

Seal and glue won't last very long and a competent welder or fabricator can fix that in a few minutes.

 

[Doboy Dawg]

Do you have the full floor kit installed or does it just have the aft section floor? If you don’t have the full floor in it, it’ll be easier to pinpoint the leak.

I’d park it in a dry spot on some concrete, put the plug in it and fill the inside of the hull with water and try to find the wet spot or drip underneath. You just have to take in consideration anything inside the boat electric wise that you don’t want wet.

If that is a keel guard strip placed over the hull weld joint, it could be leaking in a different area and migrating to the actual crack or hole.

Hopefully this is a freshwater boat, if it’s a saltwater boat your going to have to worry about corrosion.

I’ve seen aluminum boats that were used primarily in saltwater, with dozens of pinholes. They can be fixed too, but it can be frustrating to locate multiple pinholes.

 

[Dutch]

This is what you need. I have fixed holes and leaks in several aluminum boats with it.

 

[gabrielp23]

Thanks for all of the advice fellas. I really appreciate it!

Upon further inspection, I realized that Doboy and Rabun are correct; the piece that appears to have separated from the hull is just an aluminum protective keel guard, which means that there is actually a crack/hole somewhere in the hull underneath that guard. That being so, I suppose I have two options:

1) Seal or weld the outside of the keel guard to the hull all the way around to prevent water from getting inside of it and, ultimately, inside of the boat.

2) Remove the keel guard (it is welded to the hull on both ends but not along the sides) to find and fix the actual crack/hole underneath, and then replace the keel guard.

Thoughts on which option I should go with? Or, other ideas?

 

[JustUs4All]

I fished an aluminum boat for 20 years that took on 2 gallons of water or more in half a day. A coffee can did the job of a bilge pump for 10 years before I got a real one. Cycle your bilge pump at lunch and keep fishing.

 

[Rabun]

Fix once...option 2. You will also see exactly what the problem is and address accordingly. Might have to add a little material but I bet you could make it stronger than it was.

 

[gabrielp23]

Do you have the full floor kit installed or does it just have the aft section floor? If you don’t have the full floor in it, it’ll be easier to pinpoint the leak.

I’d park it in a dry spot on some concrete, put the plug in it and fill the inside of the hull with water and try to find the wet spot or drip underneath. You just have to take in consideration anything inside the boat electric wise that you don’t want wet.

If that is a keel guard strip placed over the hull weld joint, it could be leaking in a different area and migrating to the actual crack or hole.

Hopefully this is a freshwater boat, if it’s a saltwater boat your going to have to worry about corrosion.

I’ve seen aluminum boats that were used primarily in saltwater, with dozens of pinholes. They can be fixed too, but it can be frustrating to locate multiple pinholes.

The floor is removable, but the front deck is welded in numerous locations.

I did the water test, but the water drips out where the keel guard is separated. As you suggested, the actual leak could be anywhere along the length of the hull weld underneath the keel guard.

I read that the hull weld has to be repaired from the outside, because the weld is covered by a welded cap on the inside of the boat. Based on what I can see inside of the storage compartment below the front deck, this appears to be true.

I also read that the flotation foam (supposedly highly flammable?) needs to be removed from around the damaged area before it can be welded. I’m thinking that cutting an access hole in the back of the storage compartment below the deck may be easier than removing the entire deck. That should allow me to remove a 12” wide section of foam the length of the hull weld.

Thoughts?

 

[bassboy1]

I did the water test, but the water drips out where the keel guard is separated. As you suggested, the actual leak could be anywhere along the length of the hull weld underneath the keel guard.

In my experience the location of the water escaping the keel guard, and the actual leak aren't always related. I've tried pinpointing it before to just cut away a small section of keel guard, and still missed the leak by 6'.

As for the foam, it's not so much that it's highly flammable (it is flammable, but not as big of a risk as you might think, with a small amount of air space as a buffer - I've only ever caught it on fire once, in 10 years of doing this sort of thing - furthermore, it's usually pretty water saturated at the bottom), more that when it heats up, it offgases. If there's an escape for that offgassing, no problem, but if it's sealed up except for the crack you're welding, no go - it's going to blow back through your weld, and you're never going to win that battle.

I think you're going to find, however, that there's not foam right up against the crack, so it'll likely be a non issue - usually Tracker doesn't have foam right down the centerline, but on each side instead.

Pull the keel guard and do your water check, it'll be very clear where it's leaking from.

 

[Rabun]

Yup...pull the guard and see what’s up. Go from there. Typical plumbing job...always gets bigger