Question:
Repair leak in Aluminum Jon-boat?
I own a 9' aluminum jon-boat made by Lowe (OMC) which is two years old. It's
developed a small, pinhole leak along one of its bottom seams. It's still
under warranty, but the thought of getting it back into (or on top of) my van
and then leaving it at the dealer for who-knows-how-long has me thinking of
attempting to repair this myself.
I noticed in the West Marine catalogue that they sell an "Aluminum Etch Repair
Kit", which they describe as a "two part treatment for preparation of aluminum
surfaces for bonding with epoxy. Significantly improves adhesion."
I assume from the foregoing that the preferred method of making this repair
myself would be to etch the aluminum and stuff epoxy into the "hole."
My questions:
1. If I brought it back to the dealer, would they do a more permanent or
better repeair, ie using metal, or solder, or whatever?
2. If this is just a tiny pinhole, would expoxy likely be just as good?
3. I'm moderately handy, but is this something I'd be better off leaving to
pros?
Answer:
- I would take it to a welder who has a TIG machine and knows how to use it. This
is a lot better fix than epoxy. Send the bill to the company who made the boat
- I would take it to the dealer. If there is something wrong with the alloy,
or a defect in the welding and the boat leaks big time in the future, you
will have a paper trail to get the boat fixed after it is out of warrantee.
- Try bubble gum. My dad always kept some in his tackle box for just this kind
of thing. It may only last for a day but its cheap, and biodegradable.
