# Jon Boat Leaks Fixed at Last!!



## Captain WhupAss (Nov 8, 2007)

Finally got tired of the intermittent use of the bilge in my jon boat while on fishing trips. Eventually, a riveted jon boat of age will begin to leak if it gets used a lot.So, after a bit of research I found the solution. I found some aluminum boat patch on Cabela's website. When it arrived as a green stick with the real product description, it's called Scotchkote 226P made by 3M. However, unless you are in the business of patching aluminum boats or have other uses, this stuff is sold in bulk at 5lbs. minimum order at a bit over $100. Cabela's sells the stuff as2 sticks for roughly $6.88 plus shipping. I ended up ordering 4 sticks at a little less than $20 and used 3 sticks for my project.

I purchased a spray can of this amazing paint stripper called "Aircraft Paint Stripper" from Advanced Auto Parts. I then sprayed every last rivet on the bottom of the boat. This stuff will sit for a minute and you can wipe the paint and chemical off with a paper towel. Then, I put a wire brush on my drill and roughed up the surface around and on top of the rivets. To apply the ScotchKote, you take a propane or mapp torch and heat the area for roughly 30 seconds, and then rub the stick in a circular motion to melt the product on and around the rivet until you have a build up and can tell it's sealed good. It dries fast and is hard as a rock. I then came back with a can of camo OD Green paint and painted over all of the rivets and other touch up marks as needed. Someone asked me about weight... well, the single can of spray paint applied weighs about 50 times what the three sticks of melted ScotchKote weighed. 

I'll be testing this stuff out soon and will post results if they are not good. I trust I won't have any leaks for a very long time to come. 

Hope this helps anyone out there with a leaky jon boat. Here are pictures of the before / after and the product I used.

Good Luck and tight lines!


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## Mike aka FishWerks (Oct 22, 2007)

Great tip. Also like the quote from Mr. Franklin. 

:usaflag


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## Captain WhupAss (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanks Mike...

Some are probably also wondering why I hit every single rivet on the bottom. 1st - it was a cheap fix. 2nd- locating each leaky rivet by filling the boat with enough water to cover the interior floor revealedenough leaky rivets, so what the heck. 3rd - the boat floor is covered with Landau factory flooring and carpet - so replacing rivets was not an option I wanted to explore.

The quote by Mr. Franklin is also one of my favorites - ESPECIALLY these days! :usaflag

Today'sBelgium based InBev takeover ofthe USA'sfavorite beer companyis just anotherexample of the ongoing "fleecing of America". :banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead:banghead


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## TXRedfish (Aug 8, 2009)

Well, it's been over a year since you scotchkoted your jon boat. I too, have a very leaky jon boat (1958 Quaticha) and was curious if this fixed your problem? I'm ready to stop bailing water!



Thanks,



Brandon


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