I found a 1.5 inch crack on a weld on the bottom of the transom on my 14 ft Jon. I was wondering, what anyone here though about using JB-Weld on it. I just do not want to go ripping off the motor, and bilge pump so I can take it to some shop and not be able to fish for who knows how long.

At the same time, I do not want to go putting my faith in JB Weld to find out after messing around with it, that I end up hitting the welding shop after all. Any thoughts guys?

Because of the flex in your hull,  JB Weld will eventually crack.

Hey, I would go ahead and have it welded. JB Weld is a good product. If you repair it with JB Weld and it cracks again, you will have to have it welded for sure. Aluminum needs to be really clean to weld correctly. I would ask around and I'm sure you will find someone that works in a shop that welds and will be glad to do it for you for a small fee. If you are lucky the welder is also a fisherman. I weld for a living and I have friends that bring articles into the shop that needs welding and I am glad to do it for them, but I hate it when they bring things in that are really dirty, for I have to take time to clean the mess before I can weld. If you take your boat in, be sure to take a wire brush and clean the area around the crack really good, or take sandpaper and clean the paint down to bare metal. The guy welding it will really appreciate it and may not charge you much at all. Also he will be more inclined to weld it immediately if it is already cleaned. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Jim

As Mike pointed out, the flexing of the hull will either crack the JB weld or break the bond from the aluminum.  

when i JB'd the seam on the hull of my boat, as soon as we put it in the water and got in the boat, the stuff popped right off...

i dont reccomend it.

you would be better off actually welding the crack.

Thnkas guys. I guess I would be better to invest my time in locating someone nearby who can weld aluminum. I can get my wire brush out and prep the area this afternoon or evening, depending no how the Panthers are doing.

JB weld works pretty well. It also needs to have nice area for proper bonding. I have a friend who repaired a crack in his jon boat and I repaired a crack in my lower unit. Both repair jobs are holding up well. Like I said about you need to prep the area properly before using anything. You can try JB stik http://jbweld.net/products/jbstik.php it does not run like JB weld when you first mix it. You can also try using this http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0001390010655a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&No=54&Ntt=aluminum&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1 with just propane or map gas torch.

    The spot where this crack is, shouldn't really flew much at all. It is right on the bottom of the transom on that weld that holds it to the bottom of the hull. It is a flat bottomed hull. before my original post I bought JB Weld and some LocTite Marine Epoxy (which is supposed to be for hull repair on metal hulls).

 

   I knew either way I would have to prep it, I wire brushed around the crack on the outside. Maybe 1/2 inch around it on all sides. One the inside, I had cleaned it off with some heavy duty cleaner and loaded it with JB Weld, I figured it would be the outside that would really matter.

My father is coming in from out of town this week and I was hoping to get him out in the boat at least once. So if i cannot get a welder right away, I may go ahead with the marine epoxy on the outside, then pick up some paint, and primer for this thing. Anyone have a particular, primer they would recommend for a aluminum hull?

If you don't end up welding the crack, take a look at Gluvit.  You can find it on the internet at marine supply houses.  It is a high build marine epoxy that is flexible.  I've used it on my boats and have not had any cracking issues.  Stuff is tough as nails and won't peel.  I've never had a leak in the same spot after using it.  Note:  It does not have any UV properties, so you'll have to top coat it.  I used primer and aluminum colored top coat and it blends pretty good with aluminum.

Psst - For all the jon boat draggers out there (like me ), you can use this product to build up the bottom of the boat where it would get dragged across rocks, trails, etc.

Stay far away from JB Weld.  It works for other applications, but wasn't designed for boat hulls.

What I have also read it, for the crack to drill both ends of it a bit to keep it from spreading before welding or applying any epoxy. I guess I would just have to be careful not to drill all the way through.

One thing that still urks me. Whatever it was that I hit, I did not feel it. Not in the slightest. It pretty much was a wide as my entire boat. It was irregularly shaped and must have been quite hard and I guess I was moving good. It was just deep enough to whack the lower parts of my hull (I forget the terms but the indented lines running from bow to stern, and must have come within an inch or less of my transducer without hitting it. The wierdest part to me, it did all this but apparently did not hit my motor!? How does that happen? It is hanging 6-12 inches at least lower than any part of my hull and has no marks on it whatsoever. If I did not see it, and was not the only person who has taken this boat out, I would not believe it. It does not seem physically possible.

BTW, thanks for the info on Gluvit. It seems pretty cool.

Well after about 2 dozen calls and a visit to 2 marinas, I found a welder who will patch it about 40 miles from my house. He will get it in tomorrow.

I hit a ton of sites on this, got the following on JB Weld for hulls:

1. A lot of folks have used it with varying success.

2. While it does hold up well for things like cracked engine blocks,  and intake valves, etc the flex of a boat hull especially one the width of mine, will lead it to fail sooner or later.

3. I had 4 welders tell me to go ahead and use it. and 5 tell me using it would be something i would regret and when I did finally come to them to weld it, they would charge me extra cause it has to be completely removed for them to fix it.

4. Some of the Epoxies out there work well, I think Gluvit was mentioned by name in this thread. I hit 5 stores near me and none of them carry it.

5. Long term permanent fix is find a welder, and get it fixed the old fashioned way.

This is what you need seriously! www.AluminumRepair.com . I used this on my first jon boat years ago. My friend who bought it from me still uses the boat. No issues. All you need is a propane torch. Very, very simple.

Looking at that website. I realized I used alumalloy. Similar stuff but older I guess. I may still have some left, let me check o.k.  

So now exactly how does that stuff work? As far as using it? Sorry to seem quite so clueless on this. It is an area I have not done anything in before.

I have a couple mods I may have the welder do while I am in there. Though, given my luck, I am guessing this will not be the last crack I will be fixing so I definitely would like to see more about this stuff you are recommending.

Guess I could always click on the video link on their site. LOL!

Very easy. Heat area and then move in the rod. Heat and the stuff melts like solder but slower. If you don't need any other mods I can send you a couple rods. Save the dough and buy a new reel or something.

I appreciate it. I actually went ahead and bought the starter kit. I suspect i will be using it. I can at least "play" some with the stuff I get and get good at it so when I need it, I can do some good work.

Dropped the boat off at the welders this morning. I am having him do some reinforcement braces on some areas just to be safe.