17 foot sea nymph aluminum

[DtD]

I have a 1 inch crack right at the lowest point of the plate that runs along the keel line, about 8 feet up from the transom. I would think the best way to repair it would be to have a good welder go under and do a 10 minute repair with the right skill. Otherwise she is tight as a drum.

Can anyone suggest a competent, easy-to-get-along-with welder around Rochester to do this ? My pump works fine but this is not to be left for tomorrow, right....Dave

[Mickey Finn]

Have a welder look at it. He might not want to weld it if it's really close to a riveted seam. If you weld too close to the seam, the sealant that they put in there when they put the boat together will melt out, creating a bigger problem. He might suggest some other way to repair it.

[snupytcb]

i have used epoxy before with no problems.

[jimski2]

A TIG welder might be able to fix it, but why would you want to take a chance on an old boat that could crack again? In airplanes, there is a timeline for safe flying, the same goes for old boats. The internet has over 25,000 boats for sale.

[ray koziatek]

she could of seen her days, but the holos i flew in were made in 1963 (Ch46) and were still flying,but they were sent in every so often (?) hours for overhaul. The field or normal repair done by metalshop was to: stop drill each end of the crack epoxy and rivet a repair plate approx 2 in larger than cracked area..We used a 2 part epoxy called PRC but now they use (Switzer AC ) a two part very simular to "J B weld" you buy in the store but it has a excellerted cure rate (military version) that gets hot to the touch but they both seem to cure at same strength just diff cure times..

Now the crack you see probly ant the extent of it (length) a special flourcent dye must be applied and inspected for extended "hairline crack" you cant see under normal light and conditions just so you get both ends of the crack for proper stop drilling areas ..

If you have "spyder cracks" check load distributation on trailer or the boat could of been made on monday as the saying goes..

but like Jimski said if shes getting too old and that wasnt due to external damage (log,dock ect) ya probly have a few more" hairlines " getting ready to happen or have already happened and ya ant seen them yet....

[DtD]

Thanks all for the info, and espec., you, Ray for the in depth reply. I think we met at the Samson launch last summer when you arrived with your camper to take a whack at them.

I think I know what happened. I went under the trailer and after having rolled the boat back 6" and found a depression in the bottom where the bottom rests on the main center roller. That is where the 1" crack is and most likely was created by concentrated boat weight stress. So, I used a jack and raised the double rollers on both sides, up the slope from the main center roller, so they really helped carry the weight. Apparently the roller frames had slipped and let the rollers loose contact with the hull.

I think the riveted plate at this position would solve my problem, but hate to have to tear up the carpet and floor to accomplish. I know the stop drill process etc.

Do you know anyone who could be trusted to do this correctly, besides ME ? and not render me destitute ? Thanks again

[ray koziatek]

if ya got the load issue solved then a weld might do the trick, just in case you havent already those roller bunks will work their way down again in time so a through bolt or two might be a better long term effort on the trailer.(or tack weld) have a good alum welder guy look at it as all metals are differnt strength and hardness . if he is good at identifying id take his recomondation. if not then head to a small airport,,and ask who does their metal repair ....and think about the load issue

[DtD]

So, RAY.......I did it ! With your encouragement and the advice of others, I put an appropriately formed patch over the keel crack, glued up with my old favorite, MARINE TEX , and fastened with SS screws at 6 points. I'm talking great support for the trailer roller and bone dry inside. Really no one wanted to do the job, so I did it for $ 25.00 with my wife looking over my shoulder . She does the same thing when I'm dressing out her deer.

Thanks again, Dave De Vivo