Hole in the hull?

[Timmah]

Hi guys,

I was was filling up the boat with some water today to test my bilge and noticed there was a slight drip from underneath. At close inspection i notice a hole Can holes in aluminium be repaired and if so does anyone recomend anybody. At this stage i just cleaned up the surface on the inside and coated it in silcon, will this do the job for now? How easy can it be repaired?

Cheers
Tim

[Shane]

Ah holes in the hull takes me back.

When I got my 1st bunger it had a layer of bond crete(?) in the bottom. When I clean it all out it leaked like a rainy cloud. I took it to a welder to patch the hole I knew about and he patched the other 10 he found as well. So yes you can get it sorted. Having said that my mate who bought my old boat busted a weld, or might of been me doing a jump, he just sikaflexed and then wedged in length of ali over the top and now it is a champ.

I really should know the companies name, but Dinghy World sent my new boat to a top welder and he did a really top job. I think it is gold star or something like that. Ring DW and ask them, if they hassle you tell them I refered you or just drop the boat off and they will sort it for you for a small fee.

You will need to take the deck out and remove the motor, they flip the boat when they weld the bottom.

Cheers

Shane

[Mark M]

Tim

If the hole is smallish a simple TIG spot weld will cover it, otherwise might need an Ali patch welded over.

Have heard of small repair jobs done with Araldite or similar epoxy, clean up around the hole with vinegar first and let it dry out.

If it is a pinhole caused by electrolysis you can expect others so check it out closely.

MM

[Timmah]

How do i see if there is electrolysis happening, is there any tell tale. Is this fairly bad or can it be fixed.

Cheers
Tim

[KD73]

Send a P.M to Szarn (bender with a small b) on the new bream site or even jiggyjigs. He does welding for breamers and all you pay is pay is costs plus a day out on your boat which is little really. I think his new fancy tig welder arrives sat and he has not stopped talking about it for the last month which means he will be looking to try it out. You should also know that silicon weeps oil into the alloy which makes it hard to weld but auto body filler cleans off easier for welding. My tender had a small annoying hole but Szarn was busy so he told us to drill the hole out to 3mm then pull a 4 inch snapback tailfirst through the hole from the inside to the outside until it was a firm fit. It stopped the leak and we left it like that for months

[BARRAkid]

sink it make a new reef just kidding mate
Depends on the age of the hull and how much you love it weield or silicon
My mate cracked his 4m seajay and just got it wielded up easy just take it to a boat builder or there is a good chance your local boat dealer could get it wielded for you.While you are there you might aswell go over the wields in and out of your boat check for cracks etc....
It would also be a goog idea to make sure your bilge is working befor next trip

good luck it isn't much of a problem if its just small

[BoofHed]

Foothill Marine on Albany Hwy Kenwick did the welding on my tinny.
Bruce

[Stu_000]

Also Robin from Midland Marine does ali work/repairs

[Lone Ranger]

There is a permanent article on F-W-A re this.

HTHs, Carol

[boss]

Mate hillside marine..9459 5799 and ask for Frank he's doing all my welding at the moment