Advice needed: to repair or not to repair

[scottphillips208]

At some point in her life, my jet sled apparently went head to head with a rock and lost. On the port side of the boat about two feet back from the bow the hull was split from the chine near the waterline to the gunnel. While the repair is solid, it's ugly. The resulting divot where the hull was welded is about two inches wide 3/8" deep.

I need some advice: Is there some type of marine grade body filler that could be used to repair it? I know that Bondo would be a bad idea, but I wonder if Bondo's "Metal Fill" filler would hold up.

In advance, thanks.

Scott

 

[acabtp]

if it were my boat, i would take it to a good aluminum welder who could cut out that ugly fix and patch it with a plate and some prettier welds. i would not trust any kind of filler on a tin boat, especially a river jet boat.

 

[JimInMichigan]

In the old days, Lead used to be used as body filler on auto's. I never tried it, just remember watching a guy using it once, about 40 years ago.

 

[deadkitty]

I used goop coat it as a sort of filler in a fairly ugly gash in the bow of my boat. Turned out pretty clean looking after some paint was applied (better than it did anyway). Not sure how that would hold up over that large seam though, my was not nearly that large of an area to fill. It was pretty easy to work with, after it firms up once mixed it's pretty much applicable like putty. Then it gets nice and hard and paintable.

 

[great white]

Ugly weld?

You're not kidding!

A good shop can remove that and tig a repaor in nice and clean. The biotch is going to be cutting out that weld and working the area flat and smooth again. That is going to be a little pricy compared to filling it though.

Doesn't look like they put a lot of metak work in to making the area flat after the accident. Or maybe they did and it was REALLY bad before the repair......

 

[scottphillips208]

great white » 11 Aug 2014, 02:19[/url]"]Or maybe they did and it was REALLY bad before the repair......

I think it was really, really bad before the repair - possibly a sinking-type event! I've only sunk one boat myself, and that was at the dock because I forgot to put in the plug. Unfortunately my wife was in it at the time, and she hasn't gone fishing with me since!

There's a bulkhead at the point where the hull was torn, and it appears that the metal gave way where this bulkhead is welded to the hull. Reminds me of how a piece of paper can be torn in a straight line when creased over the edge of a desk.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[WaterWaif]

Just a cosmetic scar. #-o It adds character.My cheap way of leaving it.

 

[scottphillips208]

WaterWaif » 11 Aug 2014, 08:27[/url]"]Just a cosmetic scar. #-o It adds character.My cheap way of leaving it.

Maybe I need to leave this "cosmetic scar" and find some rocks to run the other side onto, so both sides match!

Scott

 

[great white]

Hmmm....maybe get a couple bow lights and wire them in?

https://www.lostwave.com/cobalt/boat6.jpg

You could probably cut most of the damaged area out and then there would only be a small portion above and below to metalwork smooth.

Would kinda look like (in ted nuggents favorite terms) "a booger with eyeballs"!



(They're really called docking lights)

 

[WaterWaif]

scottphillips208 » 11 Aug 2014, 10:57[/url]"]

WaterWaif » 11 Aug 2014, 08:27[/url]"]Just a cosmetic scar. #-o It adds character.My cheap way of leaving it.

Maybe I need to leave this "cosmetic scar" and find some rocks to run the other side onto, so both sides match!

Scott

Or what this damage received to blend..

 

[scottphillips208]

Wrong or right, I went ahead and filled the scar on the side of my boat, and at least for now it looks really good. In fact, one would be hard pressed to even notice that the hull has ever been repaired. The following photo shows the primed repair work (the blotchiness in the photo is the primer - the finish is very smooth and fair). If the wind quits blowing today I'd like to get the hull and trailer painted in Duralux Duck Boat Drap.

After speaking to a buddy who retired from the auto body repair business, and reading other success stories for boat repairs, I ended up using Bondo Glass. It's nothing like the regular pink Bondo and according to what I've read, it's commonly used to fair the tunnels of jet jon boats (when marrying the fiberglass bottom of a jet ski to a jon boat hull).

This stuff was STICKY and the color/consistency of green slime immediately after mixing. It set quickly, and as each batch neared the end of it's pot life, you could see the glass fibers in it. It also dried hard, but not brittle. If I were to use this product again (or rather next time I use it), I'll practice a bit more economy in its application. I put too much product on the hull, and added an extra hour of sanding and fairing work to my schedule. A course 36 grit sandpaper on a longer sanding block was the ticket for the rough sanding, with it finished using 150 grit paper on an orbital sander. The finish is't perfect, but it looks at least as good if not better than the rest of the hull! The repair is now invisible!

I was fastidious with prepping my hull for the filler (wire brushing, sanding and cleaning with xylene), the repair is above the waterline, and this part of the hull has no flex due to its proximity to a bulkhead. The optimal way to repair this scar would have been to have new aluminum welded in, but given the value of the boat and what I'm willing to spend on it, the $15 can of filler fit my budget perfectly. Hopefully the prep work will help extend the life of the repair.

It'll be interesting to see if this repair lasts, or if it fails prematurely. I'll report back after the boat has been put through the paces. If my repair fails, I'm only out $15 and a extra hours of cleanup with a torch and wire wheel.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[Ail]

Looks great man, like magic! Hopefully it holds for you. Hard to believe that scar was even there. =D>

 

[waterman]

Wow! That did turn out good. Wanna come fix a few dents in mine?

 

[Y_J]

Be sure to let us know how that works out.
I was pricing that bondo at Walmart a few days ago for a couple patch jobs I need to do on my fiberglass Gheenoe I dug out of a dumpster some time back.

 

[MrSimon]

Looks great!!

My grandfather used to say, "do something, even its wrong" .... meaning sometimes you just have to give things a try, even if they aren't the "exact right thing to do". Looks like you gave something a shot and it worked out great! Good for you.

 

[Johnny]

Good Job young Grasshopper.



wax on - wax off

 

[WaterWaif]

Looks great. =D>

 

[scottphillips208]

Thanks to all of the feedback, suggestions and kind words. The boat is really coming along, as I just finished painting the hull and the trailer last night.

My grandfather used to say, "do something, even its wrong"

MrSimon - your Grandfather was a smart man!

Here's the link to my re-build:
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=35456

I'll be sure to report back as to whether the repair holds up under use and abuse.

Cheers,

Scott