# Water-proofing 12-foot alum. v-bottom leak



## JasonL (May 17, 2011)

I have a 12-foot, aluminium, v-bottom boat that I use for bay and river fishing and recently there is a small amount of water leaking in from the bottom. I believe the leak is happening where the two pieces of alum. floor sections come together with a riveted alum. strap. 

It's a very slow leak and not a huge deal at the moment, but I would like to seal the floor of the craft to keep water from getting in. I'm fairly new to boating and am not sure how I should go about repairing and water-proofing the craft.

I've seen infomercials for that black spray which is said to waterproof nearly anything. Would this be a poor choice for this task? Any suggestions or help is appreciated.


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## Cap'n Fisherman (Mar 15, 2011)

I would get a recommendation from a marine source like West Marine or a local Marine Dealer service and parts dept. I depend on the West guys a lot with good success.


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## H2OMARK (Oct 2, 2007)

RinoLiner from wal-mart. :thumbsup:


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## Hovel (Feb 21, 2012)

There's no future in trying to patch a boat from the inside. Support the boat off the ground, level, put some water in it and see where it leaks out. In a boat just like yours I have patched pin holes with JB Weld and I have sealed seams with 3M-5200. Turn the boat upside down, clean and scuff the surface well with lacquer thinner and a stainless brush. Clean out the pin holes or seams with something like a dental pick and patch or caulk as applicable. Don't put the JB on too thick, it will set up in a day or so. The 5200 will take a week to set.


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

I would consider replacing the rivets.


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

> The 5200 will take a week to set.


I'm still laughing.  So many people think that 3M 5200 is the Holy Grail. Have you thought about the FAST stuff?

Standard 5200- 4200 do a full cure in 1 week..The FAST stuff is 24hrs.



Still it is NOT the product to use.

Obviously this is a riveted hull.


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## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

*Steelflex.*

I bought a 10 foot aluminum jon boat last year. It had at least 20 leaks. I painted it with Steelflex after cleaning and preping it per directions on the can. I've used the boat dozens of times since the repair and have absolutely 0 leaks. This stuff is mighty tough. It is a 2-part Epoxy compound. It is used around here for repairing air boat hulls so it has gotta be tough and flexible.

Do a web search for Steelflex. Ithink I paid about $30 for a quart and used less than 1/3. I'm saving the rest for future repairs.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I had a 14 ft jon boat that was 75% aluminum, 20% JB Weld, 5% aluminum weld sticks!!! Had holes all in that joker!!! Just fill the boat w/ water on a trailer and mark where the leaks are then patch em up!!!!


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## FishinSpot (Oct 16, 2007)

I had the same issue with mine and used GLuvit. It works very well. Repair any rivets and then cover the rivets and seams and leaks with Gluvit. After that you can get any of the many rhino liner type coatings in any color and put that down. You won't have any more leaks.


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## Jaypea (Apr 25, 2009)

*JB Weld*

I had the same problem with an aluminum jon boat. I did like the guys have said. Put it on saw horses, fill with water, mark leaks, flip over, sand and clean leaking rivets, peen them with two hammers if possible. Get someone to hold a heavy hammer on one side while you peen the rivet from the other side. Then apply JB weld around each leaking rivet, and that should do the trick. But be sure to check that the rivets are tight or it will just start leaking again.


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## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

Plus one on peening the loose rivets,but go to lowes and get a can of spray on black tape,sand around leaking areas and shoot it with several light coats,stay flexible and is durable up to dragging across a parking lot.


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