Tracker Hole

[Eddie Keefe]

Okay, I'm having a rough year with this boat. I have a 99 PT185 and there is a baseball size dent in the bottom of it from hitting some rocks last week. There is also a hole in the boat about 1 inch long and 1/8th of an inch wide. Is there a way of fixing this, or is it time to call the insurance?

 

[Steve Rizza]

Elk,

I had a gash in mine TIG welded.The weld job itself is a fairly simple job,the bad news is that the flotation foam will burn very easy and will have to be removed before any welding is done.



If it is under the front deck,it will not be a big deal to lift the deck off,if it is under the floor part,there is a lot of work involved.



Any local welding/machine shop should be able to zap it up once you get everything out of the way.



Steve

 

[fatrap]

A good welding shop may be able to weld it. I had my tin boat welded a couple times for less money than my insurance deductable. Depends on what guage the metal is and how good the welder and if you have foam floatation behind the weld site. There is also some kinds of patch kits that you apply with a propane torch again the issue with floatation. A stick cost about $8. Also make sure what ever you do clean the bliges of any gas or oil residue Aluminum melts around 1400 degrees depending on the alloy I believe gasoline burns a tad hotter.

Been there done that

fatrap

 

[Eddie Keefe]

Someone told me to try JB Weld. Will that work for a small hole?

 

[Steve Rizza]

I tried to temparaly patch mine till winter when I was going to tear it down to re-carpet everything.

JB weld will just crack if there is ANY flexing where it is patched.The best quick fix I found was Permatex gasket maker.It allowed it to flex and held me off untill winter.



As Fatrap said,any good welding shop can do the repair.TIG welding uses the least amount of heat and won't distort the surrounding alum as much.



If you have the boat ready to weld on,it will probably cost around $30-$40.

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Elk, I had a 50-cent piece size hole on one side of my

PT-17 below water level. I found a good Tig welder and after scraping out the floatation (the hardest part) it only took about a 1/2 hour and $40.00 to fix. Call around

and see whats available. Good Luck.



Bill

 

[Eddie Keefe]

Thanks for the help guys. The hole is in the back of the boat on the very bottom. Probably right under the livewell. I'll probably try the Permatex to see if I can make it until the end of the year. I just had to put a new starter in and fix the trolling motor mount, so my wife pretty much hates my boat right now. I'll need to let her cool down for a few months before I put any more money in it. Where can I find the Permatex? Will it be at an auto parts store?

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Be very careful having it welded! First off...the foam in the bottom around the hole will have to be removed. Moisture will not allow the weld to stick...the foam will soak with water and blow the weld back out. Trust me...been there and done it on a 94 that was leaking. It will have to be totally dry.

 

[Steve Rizza]

Hopefully you can just pop out the livewell liner and get to it from there.

The back deck is a built in piece that cannot be removed like the front and floor.

 

[Eddie Keefe]

I was afraid of that.

 

[Donnie Matney]

You can probally get Permatex or "blue glue" at Wallyworld....if not autozone or advanced will have it.



Donnie

 

[Orville Welker]

I own a machine shop and we have lots of Tig and Mig

Welding. The main issue here is to find a certified welder

who welds everyday for a living and is very good at it.

Aluminum dissipates heat and when you weld on a boat you

cannot preheat. It separates the men from boys.

Before anyone welds on my boat I have a simple test.

Give him 2 aluminum beer cans and ask him to weld them

together. If he can't or won't look for another welder.