Cracked aluminum boat

[herefish101]

I just bought a 1980 sylvan and found a crack in the splash rail (bump out near the water line) local repair shop said it was made of un-weldable aluminum. what would be the strongest fix for this, i mainly fish mille lacs so i cant have it fail on the water please my fishing summer is reliant on this boat. any info will help. thanks.

[EBass]

JB Weld that sucker. Follow the instructions - that stuff is magic!

[Wes Ellis]

I agree JB weld is good stuff. Clean it good on the inside if you can , It will work. Good Luck.

[ozzie]

JB weld is all I can think of also.....do not get the aluminum GET THE STEEL mix......I have used both and the steel works great to patch things on my alum. boat!!

[Surface Tension]

I'd dead end the crack then make a patch out of a piece of aluminum. Use an automotive door skin bonding adhesive to join the two together. You'll never be able to pull it apart.

[BoxMN]

What Frank said. We did that with a alum hull that was too thin to weld, and used alum on both sides, with gasket sealer in between, and "real rivets" and it is holding going on 4 years now - and we use it in ice during duck season.

Tried JB weld, but the flexing of the alum makes the JB weld crack.

Good luck!

[Justfishing]

I agree with Frank. My first thought was that since you cant weld it you need to find another way to support the stress - spread it out and around the weak spot.

[jeffreyd]

I would also prior to patching drill a small hole at the ends of the crack to stop it from running. Using the JB weld is a great thought but I like the idea of an old door skin. Make sure you put something between the two different types of metal such as RTV or silicon so you do not rust the area out. Good luck should not be too hard to repair. Could also take it to a body shop and ask them to fix it up for ya.