Trouble with my Weldbilt

[mbweimar]

Well folks, my 1752 Weldbilt will be down for a while. During some routine maintenance I found a few cracks. Dug a little deeper, and found THIS! I'm debating whether or not to remove the floor and check for more damage. What say you?

 

[Johnny]

From personal experience, I suggest putting the plug in
and putting a LOT of water in it to get an idea of what is going on.

Phase two: would be pulling up the floor if it is not a monumental task.

 

[hipster dufus]

what yr is it? where did u buy it? what gage is it? i have a 1648 mv 2012, 100 gage. pushing it with a 30 hp tohatsu. u got me scared now. i have the aluminum floor and my pedastal seat base in the rear looks like it needs a weld job. i appreciate ur respones. thanks and good luck.

 

[Skiffing]

It's breaking apart - seriously. Whether it leaks now or not makes no difference. It's compromised.

That none of the welds broke and all separated from substrate indicates a poor welding job @ manufacturer.

Contact them:

https://www.weldbilt.net/

Warranty or not I'd push them hard.

 

[KMixson]

It's breaking apart - seriously. Whether it leaks now or not makes no difference. It's compromised.

That none of the welds broke and all separated from substrate indicates a poor welding job @ manufacturer.

Contact them:

https://www.weldbilt.net/

Warranty or not I'd push them hard.

I agree. It looks like the weld job compromised the aluminum surrounding the weld. The side braces look as if the weld dug too deep into the hull thinning the metal around the edge of the weld. The floor welds look as is there was not enough bead on the center part of the weld to hold the pieces together since it split the weld right at the seam. It appears that the weld was too thin across the seam. If you have not run into anything real hard with your boat it should not be doing this. If you have hit something hard the shock can cause this type of damage but if the welds were structurally sound I would tend to believe the boat would bend before the welds broke. Again, I would contact Weldbilt to get their take on it.

 

[mbweimar]

Thanks guys. I'm gonna start pulling up the floor tonight to inspect the braces underneath. The problem is, the center console will have to come up along with all the wiring.

Hipster, this is a 2013 1752V. It's got a 40 ETEC, but the hull is rated for 90. I changed the bunks out to 2x6 mounted vertically. This raised the boat enough to allow me to trailer it with the engine trimmed down.

 

[riverrat717]

Thanks guys. I'm gonna start pulling up the floor tonight to inspect the braces underneath. The problem is, the center console will have to come up along with all the wiring.

Hipster, this is a 2013 1752V. It's got a 40 ETEC, but the hull is rated for 90. I changed the bunks out to 2x6 mounted vertically. This raised the boat enough to allow me to trailer it with the engine trimmed down.

Which area of the hull it this taking place at? Welds on the ribs appear to be mig beads, hot and fast. Take it to a good tig welder. And I'd definitely inform Weldbilt of the issue.

 

[mbweimar]

The area in which this has happened is right where the V tapers out into the flat bottom. This part takes the grunt of any sort of chop while on plane.

This just in:
I worked for the last couple hours removing the console and drilling out the rivets in the back half of the floor. I lifted the floor up to take a quick pic and found the ribs towards the back are also broken. Here's a pic. It's not very clear, as I was holding the floor up with one hand while holding the phone steady with the other. It's hard to tell that the welds are broken, so I'll get a better pic tomorrow.

 

[mbweimar]

I spoke with Andy at Backwoods Landing today. I was told that even though the hull warranty has expired, the factory can do the repair for a small price. The dealer can send the hull to the factory for free.The problem is, I'm 800 miles away from the nearest dealer. So at this point it's probably going to be cheaper to find someone local to fix. I don't know what that's going to cost yet, but it looks like it will all come out of pocket.

 

[tomme boy]

Hate to say it, but, this happens to A LOT of Weldbilts.

 

[Kismet]

Talk to the dealer about picking up the cost and getting it shipped directly from you to Weldbilt.

They don't want the kind of liability this situation could present to them. That's a 2-year old boat!!!

I'm currently fixing up a 59-year-old boat. I have no weld issues.

They need to get on that. Be persistent and calm, but resolute.

Best wishes.




(Edit: I looked up the Weldbilt site and found what appears to be the closest dealer to you. I could not find a site for the manufacturer. I sent them a link to this thread so they'd have some idea of the catastrophic failure of the boat. Don't know that it will encourage them to address the issues, but a quick and professional response may save them some potential customers. A shame, really, for they are nice looking boats.)

 

[kayakn]

I recently came across a problem with my weldbilt 1752 flat bottom that I purchased new last year! Where the bottom rib welds to the side of the live well, the weld ripped a 3" long hole in the live well just from the boat flexing. Also, on the same rib, the weld is ripping the aluminum on the bottom of the boat causing water to leak in. .080 gauge boat

 

[richg99]

Guess I won't be buying a Weldbilt....at least, not until I hear that they stand behind their products... and for more than just a year or two.

Hardly anyone buying aluminum welded fishing boats should expect those kind of issues unless the boats were MUCH older, and subject to some severe handling.

Guess my 1996 Lowe is looking better and better.

richg99

 

[tomme boy]

ALL welded boats are going to crack. It is just not weldbilts. Weldbilts use a thinner alum to keep the price down. That is one of the worst things you can do for a welded boat.

Alweld learned about how the transom cracks like the picture years ago. They now take the brace right up over the top of the transom. That one broke because it was a little undercut.

Why do you think airplanes and jets are riveted?

 

[mbweimar]

This just in:

I finished removing the floor to find more damage. Pretty much every weld I could see with the floor removed was broken. Not cracked. Completely broken. Pretty much the only thing holding my boat together is the weld that goes down the middle chine. Two of the braces were also cracked, so I don't know if that's fixable or not.

I also filled her up with water to find the leak and found a crack a couple inches long. Right on the middle chine at the bottom of the "V." At this point I dont know if the boat is salvageable. I can't see what's under the front deck without cutting it out, and I can't see what's behind the side panels without cutting them out. I'm open to any and all advice.









On a lighter note, I took the kayak out yesterday to fish the mullet run. Left the boat ramp with a few dozen live mullet, and ran into several big schools of jack. I was using fairly heavy tackle as I was anticipating some tarpon action. The catch of the day goes to this bruiser I found cruising in the middle of the St. Lucie river. Pound for pound these are easily the hardest fighting inshore species.

 

[richg99]

Sheesh... With all of those problems, I'd imagine the customer service people at Weldbilt would want to talk to you directly....and replace the hull.

Obviously, unless you are running rocky rivers daily, you couldn't have caused all of those problems.

If they blow you off, on a 2013 hull....the world would like to know that, too,

richg99

 

[mbweimar]

I'll get on the phone with the Weldbilt factory tomorrow morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can work something out with them. I would even pay for a new hull with significant discounts, even though I don't feel like I should.

 

[hipster dufus]

i was leary of the 80 gage hull so i ordered the 100 gage. now i will b going thru it at the end of the season. maybe if u hit a big rock insurance would cover it. keep us posted on weldbilts replies .good luck.

 

[xXOnyxXx]

wow i came so close to buying a new weldbilt this year, at this point i'm glad i bought a lowe. man much luck with this issue .... i'm in total awe on this, WOW

 

[Jim]

Like pretty much everything there will be an occasional lemon/dud. The true measure will be the outcome/resolution. Before we judge lets see how this turns out. I can guarantee many many many happy weldbilt owners.

Jim

P.S. I still feel bad for you mbweimar.