# temporarily repairing a hole in your boat.



## keitht

I was out yesterday in a river that was very low. Lower than I would run my boat in. I was in a canoe. I watched a drunk sink his jet. I have put a hole in my metal boat once. Luckily I was close to the ramp and finally got the boat in. It was taking on water pretty good and riding low in the water. It was a major pain. 

So, are there any good strategies for dealing with a hole / leak when you're not close to the ramp and you have to get it home. Assuming you can locate or get to the hole, what can you patch the hole with? I suppose you could stuff a stick or piece of cloth in the hole to keep water from pouring in? Any other ideas? 

The drunk dud's boat yesterday had water up even with the sides. I have no idea how I'd get a boat like that back to the car? Good thing I don't jet boat drunk I guess.


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## KMixson

If you could get a waterproof duct tape stuck to outside of the hull where the leak is it might help get you back to the ramp.


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## CedarRiverScooter

This is where having extra flotation foam comes in handy.

I have as much flotation as I could fit in under the floor, deck & gunwales. However, I am not sure how it would float if totally flooded. Not going to test it!

If I had major leak that threatened engine operation, I would just bank it & walk out. Come back later with something inflatable to float it I suppose.

I always carry a phone on the water, so could call for a ride.

Also always go upstream from ramp.

Save the beer for when you get home.


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## eshaw

I agree that if it's going to be a real problem I'd beach it as quickly as possible and walk out.


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## bcbouy

i carry a tube of 2 part aluminum repair epoxy putty in my boat just in case.i also have a pair of swimming goggles in a cloth case just because of the decking that prevents me from repairing it from topside,so i would need to go underwater.won't fix a gaping hole but will fix a tear or small puncture enough to get back to the launch ramp. hopefully i never have to but it takes up minimal space and provides piece of mind.if it's unrepairable then i swim and insurance takes over.


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## Crazyboat

JB weld or other epoxy type thing for small holes.

Was with a friend one time, we were kids and we managed to put a nickel sized hole in his hull, this was on a 10' jon boat with maybe a 4' beam. We beached the boat on the edge of a swamp and put out head together, after dragging the boat across swap grass for 20 minutes we were close enough to a K-mart and we stole a bolt and wing nut, scrounged 2 pieces of plywood, pounded a hole in the wood with a rock and nail we found, cut part of his "welcome" mat he used to place his gas can as a gasket and put 1 piece of mat and wood outside, 1 piece on the inside of the hull and tightened up the wing nut to that bolt as much as we could. Dropped the boat back in the water and motored home.

The seal held up pretty good and with us boat in the rear of the boat the damaged part was mostly out of the water while on plane. Going back through the lagoons at no wake speed was another story, but still it didn't leak all that bad, only used the scoop a few times on the 20 min ride at slow speed.

Both our dads gave us a pat on the back for the fix, not so much for stealing the bolt and nut, but for being industrious.


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## DaleH

Use a toilet wax ring, see here:

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=39286&hilit=Toilet+ring+wax


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## bcbouy

:LOL2: can you imagine what one of those would look like after a season of banging around in the boat? sand, fishing lures,dog hair,bits of bait, etc.,.if it were in a bag it would be a ball of goo.better off stuffing a sock or a pair of ginch into the hole.


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## jethro

Ain't you guys ever seen the commercial where he saws the boat in half! 

https://youtu.be/0xzN6FM5x_E


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## ppine

Over the years we have cracked up plenty of canoes and punched holes in rafts a long way from a road. I punched a hole in a plywood drift boat. 

A friend of mine sunk his fiberglass canoe in a rapid on the John Day River in Oregon. My brother and I did a ferry to get to the other side of the river. We put a line on the crunched canoe and dragged it ashore. We used rocks to pound the hull roughly back into shape. We let the sun dry it out and then used a duct tape, I mean a lot of duct tape to get it back on the river again. We found lots of stuff lost in the wreck swirling in eddies downstream for several days. 

The drift boat was fixed the same way. Last year a zipper let go on one of the pontoon on my 16 foot cataraft. We used a tarp, gorilla tape and 15 straps to hold it together for another 6 days.


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## Riverdog

jethro said:


> Ain't you guys ever seen the commercial where he saws the boat in half!
> 
> https://youtu.be/0xzN6FM5x_E



I'm planning on getting some of that flex tape. Right now I carry a sta-plug emergency plug. I had some pond liner repair tape for my kayak. Just discovered it lost it's sticky yesterday. I guess that's why my pond started losing water again after a year.
https://www.amazon.com/Forespar-108-150110-Sta-150110/dp/B00EVIKXGI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532386009&sr=8-1&keywords=sta-plug+emergency+plug



They use to sale a self draining boat plug. Something like this. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pee-Wee-Neoprene-Self-Drainer-25mm-Small-Boats-Jet-Skis-Replaces-Drain-Plug-/191641719286 Might help get you home. I wouldn't trust one for everyday use. Can't seem to find them anymore.


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## bcbouy

that clear flex tape works amazing.i've used it to patch holes in my ez up,an air bed,my grandsons inflatable kiddie pool and the vinyl on my old pop up truck camper.just stuck it on and forget about it.i just lent some to a work colleage to fix his above ground pool.mine is the tear aid brand.


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## Riverdog

Crazyboat said:


> JB weld or other epoxy type thing for small holes.



Just FYI. Aluminum welders hate working a spot that has previously had JB weld on it.


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## onthewater102

Riverdog said:


> Crazyboat said:
> 
> 
> 
> JB weld or other epoxy type thing for small holes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just FYI. Aluminum welders hate working a spot that has previously had JB weld on it.
Click to expand...


Do they prefer to work on boats @ the bottom of a lake?

I keep a tube of this on board just in case. Don't know if I'd trust the toilet wax ring applied from the outside - likely get scrapped off if you try moving at any speed.


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## BigTerp

onthewater102 said:


> I keep a tube of this on board just in case. Don't know if I'd trust the toilet wax ring applied from the outside - likely get scrapped off if you try moving at any speed.



I keep a tube of the same thing in my boat as well.


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## Ozark River Runner

I literally just had to use this stuff earlier in the summer. Caught a rock I didn't see trying to run a shallow rifle. The stuff works well. Got me home without a problem. On my very first jet, the boat was a piece of junk and needed retired but didn't have the funds. The bottom of my boat looked like the bottom side of school desk but the inside stayed dry!


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## New River Rat

Poked a new drain in my last tinny, 3 miles from a ramp, pulled it up on a mid river ledge. Naturally the hole was beneath the middle seat. Melted some soft plastics with a lighter, on a stick, packed the goo in the hole, got her back to the ramp just fine.


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## handyandy

New River Rat said:


> Poked a new drain in my last tinny, 3 miles from a ramp, pulled it up on a mid river ledge. Naturally the hole was beneath the middle seat. Melted some soft plastics with a lighter, on a stick, packed the goo in the hole, got her back to the ramp just fine.



This was a trick I had to use on a buddies little riveted tin can on truman lake duck hunting once thankfully I'm not martha stuart when it comes to keeping my boat clean and had some old used up soft plastic flukes and senkos hanging around forgotten in corners of my boat. Lake was way up we were way back in back in a area that normally doesn't have water I went over an old t post for an old fence just put a scrape in my boat, but went right through his thinner hull. Thank full it was kind of the lower side so we went shore raised that side up some and wedged a tree limb under. Melted the soft plastic lure material on to a stick and gooped it in. It leaked some still but not much was slow enough his bilge was able to keep up which it wasn't able to keep up with the initial hole.


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## CedarRiverScooter

Great tip, I'm going to toss a mini-torch into the boat toolkit!


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## onthewater102

They're handy to have when fishing. If you don't have super glue & need to keep a trailer from slipping down a hook you can heat the hook with the lighter/torch & quickly thread the plastic on so it melts & fuses to the hook, or dry a hook off quickly so superglue will bond faster.


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## Riverdog

onthewater102 said:


> Riverdog said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Crazyboat said:
> 
> 
> 
> JB weld or other epoxy type thing for small holes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just FYI. Aluminum welders hate working a spot that has previously had JB weld on it.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Do they prefer to work on boats @ the bottom of a lake?
> 
> I keep a tube of this on board just in case. Don't know if I'd trust the toilet wax ring applied from the outside - likely get scrapped off if you try moving at any speed.
Click to expand...


Just hit a rock and put three small holes in the bottom. Talked to west boat shop in Missouri (where I bought the boat) and a shop closer here in Texas. Both asked if I put any JB weld on it. Said it would make their job harder. I don't know much about welding, just passing along the info.


Here's a post I found on another site.



> Well after about 2 dozen calls and a visit to 2 marinas, I found a welder who will patch it about 40 miles from my house. He will get it in tomorrow.
> I hit a ton of sites on this, got the following on JB Weld for hulls:
> 1. A lot of folks have used it with varying success.
> 2. While it does hold up well for things like cracked engine blocks, and intake valves, etc the flex of a boat hull especially one the width of mine, will lead it to fail sooner or later.
> 3. I had 4 welders tell me to go ahead and use it. and 5 tell me using it would be something i would regret and when I did finally come to them to weld it, they would charge me extra cause it has to be completely removed for them to fix it.
> 4. Some of the Epoxies out there work well, I think Gluvit was mentioned by name in this thread. I hit 5 stores near me and none of them carry it.
> 5. Long term permanent fix is find a welder, and get it fixed the old fashioned way.


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## Crazyboat

How hard can it be to grind out some JB WELD?


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## Riverdog

Crazyboat said:


> How hard can it be to grind out some JB WELD?


 
I'm not going to pretend I know much about welding (I can barely solder) I can only pass on what I have learned since putting holes in my boat. Here's another thread, if you care to read.

https://www.catfish1.com/threads/aluminum-boat-repair-question.3766/



> i am a welder an mostly weld aluminum boats , i would NEVER recomend any kind of jb weld or cauking. yes it might be a cheap fix but it will have to be done over an over again un till you are tired of fixing an the worst part is when you deside to fix it RIGHT (welding) it will cost you more because of the impuritys you have been putting in the alum. an for a 5 to 7 inch split myself i would charge only about 40 bucks. witch isnt very much. so if i was you i would go to a local welding shop that welds aluminum an have it welded. they will probebly have a flat minumum charge for welding walkin work but it shouldnt be more than 50bucks if it is find someone else. clean it well befor you take it to have it looked at for this will help with cost if you have already preped it to weld you will need a stainless steel wire brush of any kind as in a manual or air powered i prefer air but use what you have. you can go to any local hardware store an pick up a stainless steel brush for around 5 bucks. it mush be stainless steel to brush aluminum. an drill a very small hole at the ends of the cracks this will help stop splitting. if you do these 2 things first befor you have it looked at it still will probly cost about 40 or what ever their flat fee is but it should only take them about 5 mins to fix.





> newatcats is right on DON'T EVER try and fix any thing thats alum with jb weld been welding and in buisness for 42 years and once you put that s$!t on it you'll pay double to fix it right and the day will come you'll have to fix it. make sure ya drill that hole and get it clean,clean with solvent run a propane torch over the crack lighly to clean out the crack and wire brush. man $100.00 i think someone didn't want to do it or something may b he needed a new boat. lol. we charge in my shop 80.00 an hour with a 20.00 min. and if its all prept it should take less 1/2 hr or 40.00



My holes just happened to be under the rear bench. The welder had to remove the carpet and cut the top to remove the foam and clean the hull. I only wanted to do that once.


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## Crazyboat

I'd only use it if I were out on the water and got a hole that needed a quick fix, it's by no means a perma job IMO. Thanks


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## handyandy

Depending on how much jb weld was used it can be a paint to get it cleaned away from the top and bottom side so you can make a good weld. If you don't clean it well and have some little bit left it gets in your weld and makes you have to grind away the crappy weld and redo it.


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## BigTerp

Crazyboat said:


> I'd only use it if I were out on the water and got a hole that needed a quick fix, it's by no means a perma job IMO. Thanks



This. I keep the JB water weld on hand as an emergency only.


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## earl60446

This guy did a test on a bunch of duct tapes including flex seal. Seemed like flex seal did the best underwater.
Tim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRXpfgik9XA


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## DaleH

earl60446 said:


> This guy did a test on a bunch of duct tapes including flex seal. Seemed like flex seal did the best underwater.


OMG ... you mean ... Flex Seal _may actually be a DECENT :wink: product ... :?: ??????????????_


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## Riverdog

earl60446 said:


> This guy did a test on a bunch of duct tapes including flex seal. Seemed like flex seal did the best underwater.
> Tim
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRXpfgik9XA



Hey, that wasn't Phil Swift. :LOL22:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EGksEQbhMkc


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## jtf

Temporarily: toilet ring wax and a piece of duct tape cover. This is why I didn't want welded in floors.


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## nccatfisher

Crazyboat said:


> How hard can it be to grind out some JB WELD?


 I have welded where it has been used several times. You heat it and use a wire brush to get the majority of it out then clean it. Heating it releases it. About 700 degrees and it will run like water.


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