Finding a leak in a boat 

Great tips for finding leaks Stu. I had to chuckle when I saw the bilge pump spraying coolant and water all over. It looked as if the Green Machine was marking its territory!

Hahaha I love the"footage" haha picture of stars lol

Aeroplanes are riveted and glued together, I'm sure it works fine for a tinny. Epoxy putty like Knead.It or something similar is a really quick and easy way to repair an aluminium hull.

The antifreeze will seep through holes where water won't. ( lower surface tension) An ultra violet torch helps to pinpoint the leak. It looks like that antifreeze has Fluorescin in it, so it will really show up. Keep up the good work!

Great job Stu!

Keeping it real stu :) love the bit where you decanted the coolant all over the floor with the bilge pump i think nearly everyone would have done the same .good on you for not editting it out . Anymore news on the hydro fins you were going to do a befor and after review ?

Stu great tip on leak repair sickaflex is a favorite for my old wood boat , i helped my father do the rivets repair and we always had a steel dolly one one side and the good ol ball pien hammer on the other lasted for years , cheers m8

Excellent video of how to Stu. Seems you covered all the bases Buddy Thanks.....

nice work Stu!

Awesome video, thanks for the info

FYI. I had to repair a bunch of pinholes in the bottom of an aluminum boat. I used a long strip of stainless steel bent into an "S" shape as a backer behind each hole as I tig welded it up. The aluminum filled in nicely with virtually no chance of blowing holes through since aluminum melts way before the stainless would. I think I used 18 gauge stainless and the strip was about 2 inches wide by 48 inches long. ( 5 cm by 1.2 meters approx)

Thanks so much. Best video on this subject by far!

A light spray with a pressure cleaner worked for me and if it has a soap tank add food coloring and take a look on the bottom

Very helpful information, thanks mate.

I think I have a leak on mine as well so good video on how to check for them. I put water in the pump area awhile back to make sure the sump was working but didn't see any leaks on the transom side but need to check the underside yet. My chainsaw/weedeater video didn't come out that good. Will work on that again this week.

Another great video from Dangar Marine! I've got an 18' Starcraft, riveted aluminum construction, so I'm aware of leaks :) You know what the world needs? A fluid-based product that can seal leaks as it is exiting small holes. Sort of how an egg can be used to stop small leaks in a radiator. Just mix of a batch of this magic fluid, pour it into the hull, let it find and seal all the holes. Maybe the Sikaflex people can work on this...

Great videos! Just one suggestion. On patch repairs round your corners. As you know boats flex. Having sharp corners on your patches can wear a thin spot or even create a hole. You will always see on airplanes the panels and repairs will have rounded corners. As for me I always use solid rivets provided I can get a bucking bar to the back side. JS!

Thanks for the video! I have an 1988 ranger 393x fiberglass bass boats. I recently bought it and redid the bilge, livewells, their va🎉lves And the overflow. Eveything great, today we went out and now that the bilge is in the correct spot, I noticed that now and then when I slowly get the bow up in the air before plane, I will get some bilge pump dribbles and if I run agress a few large waves. But it's not a lot nor a continuous flow. Now sure where it's getting in. If it's the rubber bumper around the boat, I hear those leaks. I have a very small drip from an old screw by the live well, but it would take days to built up enough. When I'm not running the boat I the bilge never picks anything up, just approaching plane

Love the Videos mate.Top weather for boating right now.Iv'e seen a few boats with cracked welds letting in water as well as where you mention.Hope your not getting the filthy bug going round,I had it for two weeks and would of rather pulled my own teeth out.

I look forward to seeing the GRP version

Liked that video

the solid rivets work even better, put some 5200 in there and it seals and adds strength. JB weld seems to work good I bought this train wreck of an aluminum boat and now it's pretty much leak free (for now). I think I made the trasom too big, it seems to resonate like a drum. is it good to go over the existing solid rivets with the gun and bucking bar on an old boat or will that just cause problems?

I need to get me some of that sicoflex my boat is taking on more water this week at the rivets. You're like me I keep a boat until its completely used up.

Mate as a welder you’re a great grinder. Lol. Seriously, if it works, who care if Bream laughs at it?

Hi Stu, Another great vid. I had to laugh at the Bilge pump moment. I was washing the inside of my boat on Saturday and gave my mate who was working on the trailer a shower when the pimp kicked in - he was not exactly impressed.

Very timely...my old Quintrex seems to have a few litres in the bilge after 4-5 hours out fishing. It only started taking on some water after I bored out the old style bung housings and sikaflex some new nylon screw-in drain plugs...I'm thinking I need more sikaflex or maybe to start again ??

Hi Stu. Any suggestions for lubricating the drain plug o ring. Specifically what is safe to use on the rubber. I've heard Vaseline is not good. I think the o ring rolls or pinches sometimes when it goes in cos sometimes I get quite a bit of water out of it after a day on the water and other times none to speak of. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Chris

+ 1 for fiberglass repairs video. Other than that, would highly recommend the Boat Works Today channel.

It occurred to me that there is no point in filling your boat with water deeper than she sits in the water !

hello, i have a similar situation, would HTS-2000 brazing rode or Durafix or Super alloy 5 work to seal the hole? i have a map/pro torch. the boat is 1 mm thick and has cracks (the widest is 5 mm). thank you so much. funny picture at 1:44 i jumped on my seat when i saw that. :-)

The incredible Hull k

How many of the Dangar Alloy boats are fitted with anodes? Have you fitted any anodes to the green machine? If you have fitted them, which sort did you use? Zink or Alloy? I'm going to fit some to the Kawau boat as it is new.

I fix a whole boat with blind open rivets! I need to replace about A 20% of the rivets. Even by logic they are non water proof, in the practice around 8 out of 10 rivets doesent leak. The pain in the butt is removing the seats for inspect a leaking rivet from the bottom of the hull....... I have to take away de seats twice because of that. Neve the less I didn´t use close rivets simply because I was out of cash..... Probably for the next year they will be replaced. Excellent ideas!

You make concise excellent informative videos. I am enjoying viewing them and learning. In fact, this is my first youtube comment. Question, I don't have a welding machine, so I was thinking of using JB WELD MARINE. It seems easy and quick to use. just sand and spread. What do you think, will it hold long term? thanks!

They don't weld holes or cracks on planes due to the issues of the alloy becoming a much harder version of the alloy and causing stress cracks at the edges of the weld. Even pressurised compartments are sealed/plated (known as 'doublers'). That will always happen on a boat as well because the hull skin flex's when hitting waves.With cracks always drill the ends of the cracks to stop the crack progressing - at least a 5mm/ 1/4" drill. Patching aluminium as you have done with a decent plate, a sealant and a rivet every 30mm or so is the way to go. The only thing I found with mast fittings on my old RL24 was that alloy mandrel blind rivets lasted longer than the steel mandrel ones. Painting aluminium is also a pain as it oxidises so fast. You need to use an etch and paint immediately, but miss one tiny bit and you may as well not do any of it. As for the that flu- it is a nasty one this year. If you get flu like for 2 days, then come good for 2 days , be ready for the next bit! A day of nearly dizziness/blackout is on the way. Then about week or so of feeling terrible and then 3 weeks of coughs that will not go away.

don't let your dog near spilt coolant!

Drilling a small hole at either end of crack, before welding, stops crack spreading.

I had so much pain with my tinny trying to tig up some holes. the hull is thinner than a coke can and the previous owner has put truck bed liner on the inside to seal up all the pinholes. Even tig on 9 amps is too hot and the metal just burns away. I have also tried the duralloy to try to braze it without success. I'll be trying some sika/rivet patches now. Any tricks to getting around the clinkers? or is it simply a matter of bending the patch and flattening the clinkers where needed?

thx

I had a leak showing up behind my throttle that I thought was coming through the rub rail. After shearing my upper shift rod and while getting tow back to shore, I was able to look and found out the leak was coming through a hole in the tubing for the speedometer.

Nice job, Stu - I have a 40 year-old tinny as well that's been hauled over all sorts of inhospitable landscape and not surprisingly has developed a crack in the hull right where the bow halves meet at the waterline. Tried some roofing tar on the outside with no luck. Any suggestions? I'm hoping I can seal the crack as I don't know how to weld...or even rivet, for that matter...😬

Hey. Do you have any experience with 40hp Yamaha autolubes? Just cleaned my carbs and its very smokey since. Is there a way to adjust the flow of 2 stroke?

7:13 Groundhog day!!

I had to listen a couple of times to get what you were saying. It's not pronounced ah-loo-min-E-um..... its aluminum! Useful info. G'day!

What is the best way to secure the motor on the boat so that it a thief can't steal it?

Would you ever consider doing like a "how-to" for welding? I'm sure myself and others would appreciate it. -Jack

I readily admit that I have zero experience welding with aluminum, but that crack reminds me of a few steel welds I fortified back in the day just using oxy-acetylene, simply heating up to a nice bright orange color and pushing the puddle along. Also, I don't ever recall having done it over my head, so that could be a challenge :) Is anyone out there an expert in welding aluminum? Can it be done - heating up and pushing the puddle (right-side up, of course... ) a-la oxy-acetylene method?

I have a 52 foot aluminum hull Three Buoyys houseboat that has a leak in the aluminum hull I do not have a full service Marina that can haul it out of the water. There is a channel on the starboard side that is holding about 20 gallons of water a day, so I’m at the point where this needs to be fixed quick. Aside from going below deck, which is a bitch, and pumping the water and towel and a dry and looking for a leak, does anyone have any suggestions on how I might find where I’m pulling in 20 gallons of water a day? Thanks so much!!!

Don't put yourself down muka . Welding really old aluminum thats been welded before , and upside down . I'd say its done the job , TOP JOB!.(unfortunate that it wasn't possible to put boat on its side for better accses tho) ?

damn , i knew the sky was full of holes...New Marine Physics . Earth as well , just too many holes, and we,re sinking i feel.....

I did the same thing.. Weld a test plate. Ah yeah not bad.. Weld under the boat upside down.. Fuck that's shit

Flotation foam makes leak finding a miserable SOB of a job.

Awesome Stu....First

Stars makes me think there is a dome over us that is leaking in light from outside the dome.

No one is called a sealed rivet

If the boat is or was owned previously by a keen fisherman, chances are that a lost sinker or two or ten are long forgotten and as always is in accordance with doing its periodic tables best to melt a hole thru parent material, a up turned boat in broad daylight is like Lucy in the stars with diamonds, yeah Elton might be gay but he’s upturned, what would he know ?

Use epoxy, better than welding

looks like a few double takes of the same thing got edited in.

just drill another hole to let the water out Stu.

J-B Weld will fix anything

Stu keep it real. ME.com are not what sell your tubes. A beer a f*** up here and there is what makes you normal. Stop trying to do a Hollywood production. Your a sound Marine Engineer and you put it across well. FYI I am now a.bonafida.Meecury engineer to Verado 350 and that my friend is cos YOU inspired me. I knew shite till I watched DangarStu thanks mate I owe u

6metre fiberglass runabout ,, i just put 3 new bungs in ,, sealed the plates and screws ,,, bugga me ,,the screw in bungs leak ,, cheap ebay crap I will stick some good quality bungs in this week OH And thanks to the arsehole at shoalhaven heads boat ramp that stole my bearing buddys ,,,,

There's a leek in the boat! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jbNvPoumEVU.html

Could you have put a marine sealant over the hole instead of welding it?

Much talking