1980 Sears 12 ft V "seat" cracks

[cwatson1982]

I'm new here

I picked up this mostly cleaned up and painted 1980 12 foot Sears riveted aluminum V boat. I have had it out twice now and no leaks or other real issues with the hull. However there are some bad cracks on the front "seat" where it is riveted to the bracket that attaches it to the hull, the brackets themselves are fine. There are also some cracks starting to develop on the rear seat on one side.

What's the consensus on best way to fix these? I could get it welded by a friend who does it for a living though there is flotation foam under the seats. I could also remove them and try to fab something up; no access to a press brake but I do own a large CNC machine

I mainly use it in small lakes with a trolling motor but will probably pick up a 5-6HP gas motor at some point.

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

You could probably lay a piece of aluminum over top (Maybe 3" wide or so) and rivet through the plate, seat and bracket and a couple rivets through the seats. This could help share the load and slow the cracks. If you're not pounding through waves and flexing the hull this may last quite some time. Later on the rivets could be drilled out and the seats welded.

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[DaleH]

I would likely just drill out the end of the crack with a good 1/8th inch or 3/16” drill bit, to stop the stress cracks from propagating more and would leave it like that. Just keep an eye on it …

 

[Sea Antsy]

I would likely just drill out the end of the crack with a good 1/8th inch or 3/16” drill bit, to stop the stress cracks from propagating more and would leave it like that. Just keep an eye on it …

AMEN..... enjoy the olde girl and go have fun... looks like a beauty.... I did not want to burn my G daughters buns so I took the alum off and replaced with a piece of AZK.. CERTAINTEED plastic material.. much cooler... you might even be able to do in sections and get some storage room..

 

[Crazyboat]

All the above.

I'd want to max out the HP on that if you want to get up on plane. A 7.5 or 2 cyl 8 would be nice and have a much better chance of planning out w 1 person onboard.

 

[airshot]

Or use a piece of nice wood and add to the top with a few screws, cooler sitting as well

 

[LaqueRatt]

I'd weld it. To keep the foam from cooking, put wet towels down to absorb the heat. You can even cool them in your fridge or freezer first. Welding in short blasts with with a cool down in between will help too. I do a bit of welding and often do not remove melt-ables and have never had an issue. It's like soldering. You need heat sinks to protect sensitive electronics. That said, monitor the situation carefully. If you see or smell signs of melting you'll probably want to stop.