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I went out on willard sunday but didn't get very far when i noticed i was taken on a bit of water[pirate]. I headed back in and went home to take my boat apart. I share a boat with my bro[angelic] i fish in the summer and he duck hunts in the fall and he must of hit something last fall cause i took the floor out and found two cracks one in the center seem about 5 inches long and one on the corner bout three inches long[pirate][pirate]. So my question is should i tig weld it or mig weld it my bro says if i mig weld it the heat will make it more brittle and i'm not set up for tig welding any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance Joe
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Don't weld it at all. Just hit it with calk. Goto you local marine dealer and ask them. The should have a product that is made just for that. I used a marine calk on my boat with a crack in the center seem and it worked just fine.
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my dad had his boat come of the trailer and drug it down the highway put a big gash in it ..we took it home and got a tube of jb weld specialy for aluminum we patched it up good and let it dry..that was 3 years ago..still no leaks.just a suggestion..
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I guess anything is possible when it comes to having problems with welding your boat but I have taken my boat down to a local welder and never had a problem with it being welded. I don't see how either method would cause any major problem but that is just my opinion. WH2
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Have it fixed right the first time ... weld it!
Get ahold of [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/community/community.cgi?do=user_page;pg=user_profile_view.html;username=SpiderWelder"]SpiderWelder[/url]. He is a very qualified aluminum welder. He has worked on my boat several times and done a superb job for a very reasonable price.
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I would recommend welding it also. I would then get a tube of Silicone that is out that can be applied while its wet if needed. I agree with Ralph, Do it right the first time! Then the silicone will be a back up that keeps your trip from being ruined!
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I'd TIG it. More control of the heat. Let a professional weld it because if you aren't experienced with thin material, you'll blow it out and turn the crack to a hole.
I'm no expert metallurgist but I believe your buddy is incorrect that aluminum turns brittle if welded. If anything, depending on the grade of aluminum, it will soften up and lose it temper. Most structural aluminium is tempered to some degree. I'd assume you have a formed hull? Probably a 3000 or 5000 series soft aluminum anyway.
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May I also suggest stop drilling the crack before any type of repair is done.
I work air craft sheet metal for 27 years and stop drilling was standard operating procedure for stress or imapact cracks.
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