New to boating found pinhole leaks

[Remington351]

Hi Guys,
I'm a new boater and need your advice to make sure I'm being safe on the water. A quick history as follows. Bought this boat January of 2020, 1983 Lunker. I knew it was older but was attracted to the CG sticker showing useful load of 990lbs. Being new I didn't want to be overloaded. The guy I bought from said it had a few leaking rivets, which was confirmed when it sat in my driveway filling with rain water. Took our first fishing trip in Oct 2020 and everything worked great, kids had a blast.

I've just found time and money to do some modifications and after removing the old floor and filling with water I learned the rivets are not leaking, pin hole corrosion is.

The posts I read on the forum say filling the hole with JB Marine along with a backer plate should seal the existing holes for years. I'd like your opinions on what you see in the attached pics, particularly if you would be concerned heading out with kids on board in early spring and autumn conditions. My plan is to only fish electric only reservoirs and lakes here in MD/VA/PA area and to install a Rule 800 bilge pump on automatic and have a second Rule 800 on manual switch.

Lastly, I wanted to raise the floor to the bottom of the level shown in the pic. About 8 inches total from the rib. Would this be too high and compromise my stability? You can see the discoloration from the previous floor, which was about 4 inches high and was very stable when both of my kids rushed to the same side to bring in a fish.

Thanks for your time.
John

 

[maintenanceguy]

I don't think you will be able to spot repair all of that damaged area and have success. You could brush coat the outside with Gluvit to seal it. Sort of like Flex Seal from the TV commercials but made for boats before Flex Seal was a thing.

From your photos, it looks like a lot of damage over a large area. There are going to be lots of places that aren't leaking yet but are pitted badly enough that the metal is thin. I am afraid it's time to look for a new boat because I don't think you'll find a suitable fix.

 

[Remington351]

Thanks for the reply. I scrubbed it more; although it is freckled over a large area, there are only a few others that are actually pitting. Would filling the boat with a baking soda solution neutralize the existing freckles?

 

[maintenanceguy]

Thanks for the reply. I scrubbed it more; although it is freckled over a large area, there are only a few others that are actually pitting. Would filling the boat with a baking soda solution neutralize the existing freckles?

No. Once you've cleaned it, whatever corrosive was causing the pitting is gone.

 

[Remington351]

Here's the progress from today.

 

[Neighbor]

I'm at about the same steps you are. I found this guy (non-commercial) on U-tube to be very informative
HOW TO REPLACE LEAKY BOAT RIVETS SOLID AND POP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_36aIYP3B0