A-hole brother in-law!

[CDoeg90]

Hey everyone I have a question. My awesome brother in-law decided to cut down a tree near my tin and hit the corner of the floor and gunnel with the saw and put a hole in it. So my question is is; bondo or epoxy fix, what is better? I know an aluminum welder would be best but I can't afford it and he Sure isn't going to fix it for me!

The hole is about an inch long and a quarter inch thick of that. I know I'll have to grind it clean as the saw made a jagged mess of the hole. Also the hole Is behind a seat that runs from the rear seat to the transom and is not easy to remove to access the inside of the hole he made.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Keystone]

Posting a picture would help. But by you description it sounds to me you should weld. Yeah, I know you said it is expensive but any job worth doing is worth doing right.

 

[surfman]

1" x 1/4" is too big for bondo or anything like that you need to weld it and hand the bill to your BIL and I would never let him off the hook on it either, in fact I would give my sister crap if the cheap skate refused to pay.

Unless you are living in your sisters shed for free.

 

[huntinfool]

Do not use bondo!!!


Can you get to the hole from the inside?
Get a piece of aluminum bigger than the hole. Sand around the hole. Add some 3m 5200 and set the patch in place. I add pop rivets to mine. Never had a problem with this repair.

 

[Johnny]

I just patched a similar hole in my wife's Jon 1236.
It is where the round drain pipe was and over the years,
someone took it out and patched it with epoxy. (which was crumbling and leaking)
I removed it all, pounded it smooth, cleaned it up and
applied fiberglass cloth and mat to each side, encapsulating the wound.
Then, with a grinder, got it as smooth as I wanted.
That way, the patch can not fall out or in .....
sure, it may develop a small leak some day down the road - - - caulk it with 5200.

Jus my dos centavos

 

[huntinfool]

I thought about that and have done these in the past, but most people are not real savy with fiberglass. I've gone to the aluminum patch with 5200 on probably a dozen different boats. Not one problem yet. Heck my current 2012 Tracker 1860 CC had hit a stump and had a 4" gash in it. I cleaned it up real good and applied a layer of epoxy to fill the gash. Then a layer of 5200 and a piece of diamond plat and some screws and I don't have even one leak yet. And I've taken it on some rough rides.

 

[bobberboy]

Seems like a 1" x 1/4" hole wouldn't cost much to have welded closed. It might be some consolation that nicking the boat must have raised hell with said brother-in-law's chain on the saw... :mrgreen:

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Do not use bondo!!!


Can you get to the hole from the inside?
Get a piece of aluminum bigger than the hole. Sand around the hole. Add some 3m 5200 and set the patch in place. I add pop rivets to mine. Never had a problem with this repair.

+1 and pictures.

 

[huntinfool]

I'll try and remember to get some when I get home.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I'll try and remember to get some when I get home.

The request for pictures was for the OP but one might be helpful for the OP.

 

[huntinfool]

Oh my bad. You quoted my post, so I thought that was directed to me.

 

[surfman]

If it is well above the waterline then an aluminum patch with aluminum pop rivets would probably work just fine too. Oh, and 5200.
Then you can name her "Patches"

 

[huntinfool]

If it is well above the waterline then an aluminum patch with aluminum pop rivets would probably work just fine too. Oh, and 5200.
Then you can name her "Patches"

For what its worth, mine is on the bottom of my hull. Under water.

 

[huntinfool]

As I said I would.

 

[CDoeg90]

Sorry all, I've been trying to get a picture but the boat is hurried in 2ft of snow! :?

 

[CDoeg90]

Got it! Not as big as I thought.

 

[huntinfool]

Hard to tell, but it appears to be on the corner of the hull. Is this correct?

If so then the method I suggested will work great, you just have to be careful bending the aluminum so you don't crack it. (If its too thin)

A piece of angle will work also, especially if you could get it inside.

Best bet would be to get it welded up. Most fab shops could handle this job, as long as it is tig welded, not with a mig.

 

[CDoeg90]

It's right on the corner. Hard to get to as there is a seat that runs down the gunnel on noth sides after the last seat. I have been debating cutting latches In them anyways to Make some storage space and update foam flotation. There is a Pic of the layout.

 

[huntinfool]

Gotcha. Hard to tell from the pics, but you could make a patch from the outside and seal it with 5200. That would work. If you could reach it from the inside then I'd suggest maybe an angle or a custom bent patch from the inside. Wish you were closer.

 

[earl60446]

Grab the brother in laws chain saw and sell on ebay or maybe right here. Then use the money to have a welder fix it right. Seems fair to me. I was thinking after that the right thing to do would be to invite him on a fishing trip but on second thought, I deep sixed that idea.
Tim