Many Holes In Hull

[Rampaige]

I just bought a 1994 Starcraft 16 Camp a few weeks ago. I began by pulling out the rotted plywood floor. This morning I filled the boat with water to check for leaks. Unfortunately, I found approximately 50 small holes from corrosion. It appears someone tried to fix some of the holes with flex seal. Most are towards the stern. It appears that someone had grounded something to the transom previously, but that has been disconnected. There is a battery in the boat for electric tilt/trim, starter, and navigation lights. Is it possible to repair these? I'm worried I wasted my money on this boat and it is now scrap metal.

 

[Johnny]

Rampaige - Welcome Aboard !!

if you don't want to go through the welding process, which could be
cost prohibitive - some people use two-part waterproof epoxy putty.
I personally have taken a different approach with epoxy and a metal patch.
it is not the "only" way - it is just my way....... (and very inexpensive)














I have done this approximately 3 or 4 dozen times with very good success.
I am getting my boat ready now for repaint and just this morning I sanded
the paint off of a patch I did 20 years ago and it is still intact.
so I can attest from personal experience that this method does work.
rough sand around the bonding area with 60 grit paper. get it as rough as you can.
I use epoxy and not polyester resin as I think that epoxy is a bit more flexible
compared to polyester fiberglass resin that becomes as hard as glass after awhile.
it is very okay to use the two-part epoxy in the barrel applicators if you want.
try to find the 20 or 30 minute epoxy..... 5 minute quick cure is just not enough time.
avoid anything that you see on TV about seal-this and seal-that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!








.

 

[Rampaige]

That seems like a very viable option. Thanks for the input. Are closed end pop rivets with some 5200 an option if I clean off the oxidation and drill the hole to size?

 

[Johnny]

sure you can - your choice !!
the holes I did were on the bottom of the hull.
if I had used pop rivets, I would be walking on them.
it can be very uncomfortable walking on them barefoot
as this boat has never had a floor.
on the sides of the hull, they can also be unsightly.
UNLESS: you are going to put in a floor - then I see no
reason of why not. ( I just don't like protruding things on a boat ).

your boat = your call.


remove as much corrosion as you possibly can prior to any patching.




.

 

[Rampaige]

These holes are in the floor of the hull but they will be covered by a sole so I'd never see them if I went with rivets. Your method does seem much simpler, and cheaper considering how many holes I have.

 

[Johnny]

if you have 50 holes, you could probably do the whole job in less than an hour.
the prep work will take the longest and it is most critical to address any corrosion issues.

good luck !!

 

[Dennis8269]

I am restoring a 98 tracker and after removing all the flex steel the previous owner sprayed all over the transom hull I was going to use these fluxless aluminum rods that can be used with a propane torch. Has anybody else used them https://www.weld-aluminum.com/instruct.html

 

[Johnny]

Dennis - this is another popular topic here:
fluxless aluminum rods have been used with mixed results.
you would have to try it and form your own opinion if it will work for you or not.
the biggest complaint is all that heat concentrated in one small area warps the
metal and sometimes does not recover back to the original flat position.
plus - that area is now annealed and is somewhat softer than the unheated area.
the melting point of aluminum is around 1200* - the annealing point is 700-800*.

 

[Dennis8269]

Dennis - this is another popular topic here:
fluxless aluminum rods have been used with mixed results.
you would have to try it and form your own opinion if it will work for you or not.
the biggest complaint is all that heat concentrated in one small area warps the
metal and sometimes does not recover back to the original flat position.
plus - that area is now annealed and is somewhat softer than the unheated area.
the melting point of aluminum is around 1200* - the annealing point is 700-800*.

Thank you . Good to know.

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

I'm pretty good with a torch but found the aluminum repair rods to be very difficult to use. Heat & heat, next thing you have a hole!

When I did get it to stick, it was a very weak bond.

 

[stinkfoot]

You could try GOOP Coat-it. It is a 2-part epoxy. I am very happy with my 14 foot jet jon welded with riveted ribs. Several leaky rivets and a poorly welded leaky replacement transom. Boat now completely dry after application of an 8lb can. Can be bought as a 2lb can.

 

[davedude]

Thanks OP for starting this thread and thanks Johnny for posting your repair. I have 5/16 holes similar to yours to patch. I may have some leftover raka 900 epoxy after finishing my transom laminate, could I use that for the patches?

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk

 

[Johnny]

Dave - that is what I used for the patches pictured above. Raka-900.
or - any good two-part liquid epoxy will work.
IMO - epoxy is more flexible than polyester fiberglass resin.
save your beverage cans !! remove all the paint and varnish
from both sides - rough sand as rough as you can get it for "tooth" in bonding.
Seal the back of the hole if possible with masking tape.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

I have repaired holes using the backer patch method but I used JB weld.