Bow Dents Fixable

[C0rnbreaded618]

Hi Everyone. I bought a 16' Starcraft with some "slight" cosmetic issues in the front. Are these dents something I can pound out or will I make things worse? I do not see any cracks that were caused by this damage and didn't want to add any. Any advice appreciated and TIA.

 

[Ronbedard57]

I'm not one for leaving well enough alone. Looks like you could prop the boat on its side and holding a backing iron against the outside, tap those deformations from the inside. Work from the edges toward the deepest part of the dents. I'll bet you can make a considerable improvement.

 

[Ray Clark]

Does it leak now? What is the possibility that flexing the hull back into original position will loosen some of those rivets?

I really don't have a good suggestion. But if you haven't tested it by actually floating it in the water to check for leaks, I'd do that first. If no leaks, then I'd leave it alone and use it for a while to see if I could live with the looks or performance. If there are existing leaks, then I suppose there's nothing that would prevent me from fixing the bow and then going to work to fix all the leaks.

 

[TexasJim]

Back in the "olden days" of the 60's, we made aluminum dragster bodies with compound curves, by using a heavy-duty bag full of lead shot instead of a hammer. No dents, no high stress points. Like the previous poster said, you could make an external form for the shape. Might be more trouble than a simple rubber mallet and some finesse. As long as the hull material isn't work-hardened, you should be able to get it to pass the 50-foot test(if it looks good from 50 feet, it's good enough). Have fun! TexasJim

 

[crannman]

I was able to hammer out a bow dent as mentioned in the above reply, starting from the outside edges of the dent and working towards the middle. Used a rubber mallet for most of it and some wood and a 3 lb hammer for the seam. The only picture I have of the dent in the bow is when it was on a couple of sawhorses. I was able to get the shape back pretty good as you can see in the other picture. It’s been a couple of years now and no leaks.

 

[LaqueRatt]

I'm in the same "boat" so to speak. Have a pretty good sized ding in the front of my MirroCraft that I'd like to work out. Can automotive body filler or fiberglass be used to hide what won't hammer out?

 

[MrGiggles]

I'm in the same "boat" so to speak. Have a pretty good sized ding in the front of my MirroCraft that I'd like to work out. Can automotive body filler or fiberglass be used to hide what won't hammer out?

Most fillers will stick just fine to aluminum, but the primary concern is that aluminum flexes quite easily, filler doesn't. If it is a very small dent (like the size of a quarter or smaller) and it is near a stringer/brace you might get by with it.

 

[C0rnbreaded618]

I'm not one for leaving well enough alone. Looks like you could prop the boat on its side and holding a backing iron against the outside, tap those deformations from the inside. Work from the edges toward the deepest part of the dents. I'll bet you can make a considerable improvement.

"I'm not on for leaving well enough alone" thanks I'm going to use this line on my wife. This part of the hull doesn't leak but I do have other leaks elsewhere on the hull. Thanks for the reply, lots of suggestions so I will be pounding this out soon.

 

[sonny1]

From what I have read Total Fair by Total Boats is suppose to be good stuff for filling in dents.

 

[C0rnbreaded618]

View attachment 113768
I was able to hammer out a bow dent as mentioned in the above reply, starting from the outside edges of the dent and working towards the middle. Used a rubber mallet for most of it and some wood and a 3 lb hammer for the seam. The only picture I have of the dent in the bow is when it was on a couple of sawhorses. I was able to get the shape back pretty good as you can see in the other picture. It’s been a couple of years now and no leaks.
View attachment 113769

Wow nice job! I'm gonna give it a whack and see.