!44: You Can Have Your Aluminum Boat Welded Or You Can DIY

!±8± You Can Have Your Aluminum Boat Welded Or You Can DIY

An aluminum boat can suffer from leaks and ruptures, either from damage from accidents or just too much stress with time and wear. Leaks can prove quite critical, and cannot be left to chance. They need fixing, and most times they need fixing pretty good.

Apart from the smaller leaks, that can be fixed using epoxy and RTV like compounds, the more serious leaks may require welding to be completely sealed. It is up to you to decide what type of fix you want to make, depending on the extent of the leak, the place where it has occurred and how much money and effort you want to put into fixing it. But if you want the most permanent, durable, and the most expensive solution, you should take your boat to an aluminum welding shop.

But if you want to weld it yourself, something that would make it very inexpensive, read on. We tell you how.

Welding Using Brazing Rods

When done at home, welding your boat can be particularly inexpensive: you can use the common propane blowtorch to do the welding, the brazing rods required to do the welding are hardly costly, and can be found in most hardware stores, you can use even copper or brass as a welding metal.

The aluminum that needs welding needs to be taken to a temperature of 732 degrees Fahrenheit - you should remain careful of how you handle the metal. At that temperature, aluminum can be easily damaged. If you see the aluminum lose its dull surface and start to get a shiny sheen, you should be extra careful.

At these temperatures, it is very easy to oxidize aluminum, so you should always use a stainless steel brush to clear the area or waste and impurities. Keep scraping the surface of the waste with your rod and the brush as you weld the rupture.

Conclusion

Following the advice here, and using some video instructions that are available on sites like youtube, you should be able to fix your leak without any major hassles. What you get back is a job well done, and the satisfaction in knowing your boat is now good for sailing anytime.