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eenakoK
04-05-2010, 03:26 PM
What is the best way to repair this crack? It is in my splash well. It doesn't look like it really "needs" to be fixed, but just for my sanity. Thanks...

[http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab118/dlbutterfield/Boats/IMG_4037.jpg

Petty4life
04-05-2010, 03:28 PM
sand down the area really good and jb-weld it.

eenakoK
04-05-2010, 03:37 PM
sand down the area really good and jb-weld it.

Thank you!!
That seems easier and chaper than getting someone to weld it!

Petty4life
04-05-2010, 03:41 PM
stuf works pretty good

LILFISHER
04-05-2010, 03:52 PM
Jb weld is ok but it will not add strength like having it welded back up. for a good welder that would only take about 10 mins. to tig back up and probally not cost to much. LIL

SuperD
04-05-2010, 04:03 PM
I would suggest either sandwich it with some plate or reinforce with plate and weld.

dinasnore
04-05-2010, 04:11 PM
I had several of these show up in my 23' bayrunner's motorwell. These kind of cracks are almost always the result of stress at that area and a patch of JB weld or any other adhesive alone will not be as strong as the original aluminum. Plus any adhesive repair would have to be removed completely from BOTH sides of the aluminum (front and back ) before it could be repaired by welding. A kevlar or e-glass tape re-inforcement of the adhesive (either JB weld or epoxy) would improve the chances of the repair holding up, but I would still recomend biting the bullet and having a good welder reweld the crack. The shop that repaired my bayrunner even added some additional aluminum backing or reinforcement when rewelding the cracks and the boat now has several pounding trips out to and beyond the Farralons with no sign of the repairs failing.

Bduck
04-05-2010, 04:45 PM
Try doing at stop drill at both ends of the crack before proceeding on with any type JB weld. Stop drilling will prevent the crack from extending any further. It only takes a small drill bit to do this.

eenakoK
04-05-2010, 05:17 PM
Thanks for all the information everyone! I just got a quote from a welding company, he said he could do it for no more than 50-60$

That seems fair to me, but I have nothing to base it against.

Full_Monte
04-05-2010, 05:23 PM
Jb weld is ok but it will not add strength like having it welded back up. for a good welder that would only take about 10 mins. to tig back up and probally not cost to much. LIL

+1 on Lilfisher's advice. The JB Weld is not likely to stop the crack from propagating. You will likely end up having to weld it and your welder will not appreciate having to clean JB Weld off of it.

SuperD
04-05-2010, 05:53 PM
Thanks for all the information everyone! I just got a quote from a welding company, he said he could do it for no more than 50-60$

That seems fair to me, but I have nothing to base it against.

When $50 - $60 means the difference between being on or off the water, it's a no brainer! thumbsup

eenakoK
04-05-2010, 06:22 PM
When $50 - $60 means the difference between being on or off the water, it's a no brainer! thumbsup

True true, lucky for me this is in a spot that would stop me from going out. I will post a better picture of the location tonight.

skookum9
04-06-2010, 02:46 AM
Where I live, $50-$60 would be a good price, especially if that included the extra reinforcement that was suggested by Dinasnore. I'm not exactly made of money but I would jump at that price for such a repair. Well, not exactly, I'd sooner do it myself, but that's aside the point. A welded repair will be a much better repair, and if that's all they are going to charge, it's not really much more than fixing it using JB Weld and glass tape.

TopFuelKokanee
04-06-2010, 10:26 PM
I'd be happy to do it for you, but I'm about 3 hrs away in Salem. $50-60 bucks is a fair price. Full Monte is right, if you are going to weld it do not put any chemicals on it as it will make welding a much harder chore due to impurities. Bduck also made a good point about drilling the ends of the crack to stop it - even if you are going to weld it.

SmokeOnTheWater
04-07-2010, 07:57 PM
Just one more comment from an engineering perspective. If you add any extra reinforcement to beef up the area, all this will do is transfer any built-in stresses or external stress beyond the repair. Simply stated, this area of your boat may be designed with stresses already considered and this becomes your sacrificial member? If the vertical crack is on the transom, you may have severe internal structural damage? If you are the original owner, then you know if you've ever hit anything. If you bought the boat USED, you may be in for bigger problems? Hopefully NOT! If it's purely cosmetic, then the other posts provide helpful hints. Having it welded by a professional for the 60 bucks is your absolute best solution. GOOD LUCK and I sincerely hope the crack is ONLY cosmetic.

eenakoK
04-07-2010, 11:05 PM
I just bought this boat last September. This boat has sat for a long time. I have no idea what could have caused this crack. Here is another picture from a wider perspective so you can see better where it is placed. Thank you everyone for all the great comments. I really appreciate it!

http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab118/dlbutterfield/Boats/IMG_4040.jpg

SmokeOnTheWater
04-08-2010, 10:53 PM
I'll retract my previous comments.worthy12
WELD IT!

If nothing more than your own piece of mind and to protect someone from a nasty scrape or cut.101ok101

twisted lines
04-09-2010, 01:57 PM
I'd be happy to do it for you, but I'm about 3 hrs away in Salem. $50-60 bucks is a fair price. Full Monte is right, if you are going to weld it do not put any chemicals on it as it will make welding a much harder chore due to impurities. Bduck also made a good point about drilling the ends of the crack to stop it - even if you are going to weld it.

worthy12 that is so kind, I only live 4hrs away and have lots of projects laugh hyst

Have it welded! If you slab stuff over it I know lots of people that will never touch it again, but if you do use this.

http://www.epoxyworks.com/25/pdf/Patch_holes_Gflex.pdf

MMDON
04-09-2010, 10:08 PM
Drill it an weld it. Pretty simple fix for the money.101goodpost101

eenakoK
04-09-2010, 10:21 PM
I'd be happy to do it for you, but I'm about 3 hrs away in Salem. $50-60 bucks is a fair price. Full Monte is right, if you are going to weld it do not put any chemicals on it as it will make welding a much harder chore due to impurities. Bduck also made a good point about drilling the ends of the crack to stop it - even if you are going to weld it.

Thank you everyone for the helpful posts. Luckily it really is just cosmetic, but I don't want to risk the chance of my kids 3,5,7 of getting cut at all. My wife has been wanting to go down to Portland for the day, I am going to take that advantage and have TopFuelKokanee fix this in the near future. Thanks again everyone!

DB