how to seal leak in boat?

[mrpike1973]

hi i have a aluminum boat with the splash well in the back. so when your back trolling water doesnt go in the boat. water goes in this tray then back out it is leaking between the transom and splash well it was siliconed but looks bad i peeled it off and wondering should i re caulk or use jb epoxy putty just worried the putty would be permanent but would this cause any problems down the road

[merkman]

you can sand and or paint it after it is cured.

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[Bigbuck08]

Any reviews on the JB Marine ? I have a small crack on the bottom of my boat thinking of giving this stuff a try.

[boatfixer]

Pike, Just use marine grade silicone, its simalar to what was used by the manufacture. Yes the jb would prolly work but you'd need many packages.

[boatfixer]

Any reviews on the JB Marine ? I have a small crack on the bottom of my boat thinking of giving this stuff a try.

I guess it would depend on the size, location and whether its open or just a crack.

[Supercrew]

Every so often, turn on the bilge pump if your repair don't take.

I don't think JB eats aluminum.

[Gordie]

Any reviews on the JB Marine ? I have a small crack on the bottom of my boat thinking of giving this stuff a try.

I have used both the JB marine and regular JB weld on my boat and it works great but and this is a must "cleanliness is next to Godliness" make sure you scrub and clean the area really,really good use a stainless steel wire brush to clean and then degrease with brake cleaner or contact cleaner. Then let sit for 24hrs to cure.

Welding aluminum is the best route to go but when in need the JB line of products work good. it also does depend on how big the affected area is.

[pinkfloyd4ever]

I used that flex seal stuff on my old boat, it sealed up leaks too

[Steve Bakken]

Often, when we see this type of leak come into our shop, it's due to the fact that the wood in the transom is getting bad and becoming weak. This causes it to flex from the weight of the motor and pull away from the splashwell. Hopefully thats not happening on your boat, but i would definitely double check it just to make sure you don't have anything more serious going on

[RiverDewey]

If it is an Alumacraft boat with the rivets, you can always add a few more rivets in between the rivets that are there (if you know which ones are leaking). You would then have to seal them with some silicone or the product below. HF sells a giant size rivet tool for this.

3M makes a high temperature hot melt epoxy too (evidently only for Cabelas). I have used that and it works pretty good. You can use a torch to put it on (it comes in long sticks). If the boat flexes like the poster above pointed out, it may come off after a year or so.

Good luck!