any alternative for gluvit?

[geezer]

replacing floor and flotation in my 18' aluminum starcraft. not aware of any leaking but it is an old boat. Cant get/keep my garage warm enough/long enough to properly cure gluvit, and don't want to wait weeks for it to maybe/maybe not perform its desired purpose. Can any one suggest alternative products? Read somewhere about something bought from cabelas but cant find such an item on line. Thanks in advance, love this site.

[rolmops]

You can just use ammonia based paint for the boards. Home Depot Behr paint. If you want to pour flotation foam you should wait.

[rolmops]

Gluvit is for preserving rotten wood and dabbing around leaky seams.

[geezer]

Thanks. My intended use is for covering all rivets on the inside bottom of the hull. flooring and

flotation has been planned, just looking for leak insurance on the rivits. is it dumb to think roofing tar would work and last?

[rolmops]

It's messy and it gets brittle

[rolmops]

You can hang a big tarp over and around the boat all way to the floor and put a space heater under the hull. That should buy you a few weeks to get it done. Just make sure to remove all fuel.

[jimski2]

My StarCraft took 268 new rivets to replace the leakers and weepers. Then the transom brace cracked. Sometimes it is best to buy another boat.

[Sk8man]

What about the stuff you spray (rubberized stuff) on gutters? or the stuff they advertise on TV for fixing leaks? As long as it adheres it would also flex and not be brittle and it sounds as though you don't currently actually have leaks so more of an added precaution than a "fix".

Edited November 11, 2015 by Sk8man

[rolmops]

My StarCraft took 268 new rivets to replace the leakers and weepers. Then the transom brace cracked. Sometimes it is best to buy another boat.

You could have bought another rig ,but you would never have had the joy of fixing up your baby. There is huge sentimental value in fixing your boat.

[geezer]

Great idea. I hadn't thought about that spray stuff....Just the other day I saw a tv ad for it...I think they make it in a clear formula now besides white and black....I like that idea. I have pressure washed the inside hull, will use acetone to further clean and then spray (unless someone else has a better idea).  once again...I love this site. thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.  

[Xxx]

Why couldn't you use a silicon in clear. Give each rivit a dab and flatten it out a little with your finger and good to go stayed on my windshield for years. 100% silicon comes in a tube use a calk gun, just a thought?

[rolmops]

Given the choice between gluvit and the other mentioned materials I would take gluvit every day of the week. Both the gutter stuff and silicone stay on top of the material that they are applied onto while Gluvit penetrates deep inside and fills the empty spaces and leaky spots. Gluvit also has a stretchy character allowing it to stretch and flex right along with the aluminum parts without popping open.

[jimski2]

Aluminum takes only so much flexing, then it cracks. That is a fact and when your boat is leaking, it is a sign that things are unsafe.

[CaptSpike]

5200 sticks to anything and wont come off.

[BottomDollar]

Aluminum takes only so much flexing, then it cracks. That is a fact and when your boat is leaking, it is a sign that things are unsafe.

I've got to respectfully disagree on this point. Rivets do loosen up over time and use, but that doesn't mean the boat is unsafe. A few micrometers of flex generally won't work harden the aluminum panels as there's just not enough flex to do so.

There have probably been more starcraft rebuilds than any other recreational brand, and that's because they can be rebuilt on a budget and be just as safe as when they were new. The splashwell structure will crack if they were run with a rotten transom, and the chine rail can crack if the side panels were soft and it was a pre hull-stiffener boat. The splashwell cracks are an easy fix with backer and jb weld. A chine rail crack is bad and extremely unsafe. But it's not that common. Some people add their own stiffeners:

If you have the deck out I'd do a garden hose leak test, mark the leaky rivets and replace them with new solid rivets. Gluvit will work too, but it's more of a band aid fix or a precautionary step while you have the hull interior open.

I would stay away from spray-in foam and use closed cell rigid foam insulation panels. Same flotation benefit but cheaper and it won't lead to waterlogged foam in a few years.

Edited November 11, 2015 by BottomDollar

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

Great stuff, Bottom Dollar, welcome to the forum.

[jimski2]

I tig welded a couple chine cracks and they held out well. When my transom brace cracked, the engine was flopping around in a storm and I was fortunate to make it in. Old boats have a short life span and so do you if you think you can sail them forever.

[BottomDollar]

Great stuff, Bottom Dollar, welcome to the forum.

Thanks! I'm a lurker from Champlain.

I tig welded a couple chine cracks and they held out well. When my transom brace cracked, the engine was flopping around in a storm and I was fortunate to make it in. Old boats have a short life span and so do you if you think you can sail them forever.

Sorry to hear that. You're right about the knee brace, I forgot that those can definitely get weak and crack. But it's a known issue with a legit fix:

Mine is 41 years old and I don't think I'm risking my life by using it in typical water conditions here. I rebuilt it and addressed all the issues for thousands less than a newer boat. The beauty of the old tin boats to me is how easy they are to fix. We'll likely have to agree to disagree on that. Cheers.

[rolmops]

I would disagree about using closed cell rigid foam boards. It leaves far too much in between space where the rigid material does not reach. I used poured (not sprayed) in foam on my Islander with the difference that instead of pouring it onto the aluminum I put in a few 1/2 inch pieces of PVC pipe on the bottom and the bottom was covered with 6 mil heavy plastic.The foam was poured onto the plastic all the way up to the floor boards which were also covered in plastic. That way the closed cell foam was sealed inside plastic and drainage existed under the foam. Mostly,the stiff structure of the poured foam gives a lot of support to the structure of the boat. Using the boards makes you loose structure support.

[BottomDollar]

rolmops, that system sounds perfect. I used the panels so I wouldn't have to ever dig the pour in stuff out, but with your install it'll just come right out if you need to get to the hull interior. When I add a belly tank to my Chieftain I'll probably take your advice.

Here's what I did:

My deck is removable panels so I can get in there to change it up pretty easily:

Gratuitous glamour shot of my '74 in Burlington, VT:

Sorry to derail the thread, OP.

[SylvanTroller]

I used gluvit in my sylvan. I just used a kerosene heater to keep the garage at temp for a weekend. I then poured my foam. Hull was dry, dry , dry after that. I did replace some rivets as well. If I had to do it again I would use painters plastic under the foam by hat way I wouldn't seep where you don't want it and theoretically you could remove it if you ever had to.