Weld Quality

[Mowzeh]

Can anyone offer any opinion on the quality of the weld pictured below. I purchased this boat used and it appears the hull took a little hit near the keel at the bow. It must have gotten a crack and so was re-welded. The previous owner (not the first owner of the boat) had no idea it was even there, claiming he didn't use the boat all that much, but who really knows. I have asked around regarding getting the weld reinforced from inside the hull but it turns out that since the hull is painted, its an absolute pain to get the weld done since there is so much prep work involved to begin with. Is the current weld good enough in terms of if it ain't broke don't fix it? Is it worthwhile keeping the boat or moving on from it ASAP?

[Mowzeh]

I decided to fill the hull and test the weld, the weld didn't leak but there is a small crack that I didn't see before near the weld. Now that I look at the third and fourth photo I posted I can see the crack above the weld. Any opinions on what I should do? Should I get in touch with the seller and raise the issue?

[Old Scaley]

Sounds like it was a private sale so nothing would be likely to come from contacting the seller. Why not take it to a fabricator who does boat repairs and get a professional opinion and a quote to repair. It may be a cheap fix and should give you piece of mind. No point owning a boat that you are not confident will stay afloat.  If it has bigger problems and is not economical for you to repair, you could cut your losses and sell it on to someone who is in the market for a project boat.  Good luck.

[Doyley]

The repair looks the goods to me. The area around it may be a bit weaker now but the weld beads look good.  The higher crack, probably from the original impact, will need some attention.  What size boat is it?

[fishingnut]

Wouldn’t worry about it, storm in a tea cup if you ask me 

[Mowzeh]

Thank you for all the replies guys. The boat is a 429 stacer nomad (4.22m). Even though the quote I got for repairing the current crack is not all that much, I have decided to move on from the boat as I am not in a situation to be chasing crack repairs (in the event that they do keep re-occurring). This is so upsetting as this was my first boat, and it has really shaken me up. I have to take the loss on the chin and move on.

[Towknee]

On a previous boat I had to get a few crack repairs done. The welder who specialised in aluminium boat repairs said that 90% of cracks are due to incorrect trailer set up. I looked at my trailer set up and the keel rollers were not taking the weight, so adjusted them up and it stopped the cracks. 

[Mowzeh]

So I decided to give some local boat repair shops a call for a rough quote for a price to repair the crack. The best quote I got was $150-$200. When I asked the gentleman about how well it would hold considering the origin on this crack is light impact damage on the hull in that area, he said he would have to take a look at it. Another place I called told me that they wouldn't work on it if it is near the keel, they said it will crack again, even though they hadn't seen the hull. Does anyone have any experience with welding cracks near the keel or any crack similar to that on the hull I have? If so, how well did the weld hold or did you experience re-cracking? I do currently have the boat up for sale but for $150-$200 I am thinking it may be worthwhile to drive the boat over to the guy who quoted me $150-$200 and let him take a look and get his opinion (since his location is fairly close to me).

 

Any thoughts?

[Old Scaley]

An opinion costs nothing and spending a couple of hundred on the repair has to be cheaper than the changeover, as long as this guy knows what he is talking about and it doesn’t need other work.

[Towknee]

Mine was welded near the keel and never cracked again. Find someone who is experienced in boat repairs.

 

[Doyley]

I would be paying the $200 for the repair.  You will lose far more trying to sell it with a crack which needs repair.  

[kmcrosby78]

Yep, best case $200 solves your problem, worst case you are only an extra $200 out of pocket.

[Mowzeh]

All great points. I guess I will get him to take a look at it Monday, my only concern is that it is a crack from an impact (the hull is slightly dented in that spot, in fact its a little noticeable from the flash in the photos above) so I hope this doesn't lead to more problems due to a weakened hull, if that is possible.

[Mowzeh]

Boat came back from repairs today. The weld is done and I was assured that it won't crack or leak. To be honest I am still a little concerned as the crack is still visible from the inside of the hull, but I was told it would be fine.

[ellicat]

Would be good to know how it goes in the future. :)

 

[shakey55]

Consider getting some of this to fill in the crack on the inside. 
A mate used a similar product on a jerry can while on a outback trip a few years ago and it’s still good today. 
 

https://www.swiftsupplies.com.au/weicon-aluminium-repair-stick