There's a Hole in the Bottom of My Boat!

[VanDaddy]

On my previous crabbing trip after pulilng the plugs on my small aluminum sled I found myself uttering "That seems like a lot more water coming out of my boat than you would expect from crab traps and wet rope." So I bought new plugs and a utility tub to set my crab traps after pulling them. While out crabbing this weekend my son says "Hey Dad, there is water pooling up in the corner. So today at home I filled the boat with water and looked for leaks on the outside. The plugs did not leak, but I found a hole along the bottom outside edge, just inside the trim channel as shown below.



I don't recall ever bottoming out or hitting anything to cause a hole. Funny thing to me is it looks like electrolysis or a corrosion hole? Perhaps I don't have a large enough or the right type of anode on the boat.

Anybody got advise on the hole, how or where to get it repaired, or the size and type of anode I should have?

Thanks for any help, Vandaddy.

[Loneangler]

One quick cheap fix is JB Weld. I just patched a hole in a small aluminum boat and was surprised at how well it did. I could not reach the hole from the inside so I only did the outside and it held well and have a perfectly dry boat again.

Originally Posted by VanDaddy

On my previous crabbing trip after pulilng the plugs on my small aluminum sled I found myself uttering "That seems like a lot more water coming out of my boat than you would expect from crap traps and wet rope." So I bought new plugs and a utility tub to set my crab traps after pulling them. While out crabbing this weekend my son says "Hey Dad, there is water pooling up in the corner. So today at home I filled the boat with water and looked for leaks on the outside. The plugs did not leak, but I found a hole along the bottom outside edge, just inside the trim channel as shown below.



I don't recall ever bottoming out or hitting anything to cause a hole. Funny thing to me is it looks like electrolysis or a corrosion hole? Perhaps I don't have a large enough or the right type of anode on the boat.

Anybody got advise on the hole, how or where to get it repaired, or the size and type of anode I should have?

Thanks for any help, Vandaddy.

[HntnFsh]

Looks like a pretty large patch of electrolisis.May not be the only one.I would do some serious looking into it.

[VanDaddy]

There's a hole in the bottom of my boat - Help!

I originally posted this on the Boat and Motor Tech forum. I am posting this here with more information. I am hoping to hear from anyone who has experienced similar issues.

On my previous crabbing trip after pulling the plugs on my small aluminum sled I found myself uttering "That seems like a lot more water coming out of my boat than you would expect from crab traps and wet rope." So I bought new plugs and a utility tub to set my crab traps after pulling them. While out crabbing this weekend my son says "Hey Dad, there is water pooling up in the corner. So today at home I filled the boat with water and looked for leaks on the outside. The plugs did not leak, but I found a hole along the bottom outside edge halfway between bow and stern, just inside the trim channel as shown below.






I don't recall ever bottoming out or hitting anything to cause a hole. Funny thing to me is it looks like electrolysis or a corrosion hole? Perhaps I don't have a large enough or the right type of anode on the boat.

Anybody got advise on the hole, how or where to get it repaired, or the size and type of anode I should have?

Additional information: My anode is shown below it is 1x3x0.5 inches and sits below the water line. I have ground off the paint on where the anode mounts to the boat. In this photo I recently used a wire brush to expose new zinc. I am not sure of the make-up of this anode if it is pure zinc or a mix of magnesium and zinc or if it matters.



The only electronics on my boat are a Raymarine fish finder connected to a golf-cart sized battery. Isolated from the hull, however I did have a short for where it contacted the hull (turning off my fish finder intermittently over a few trips) until it blew a fuse and I discovered the problem. Could this have caused my hole, located on the opposite side of the boat from short contact?

I also have an electric start Mercury outboard connected to a separate battery, but I have never had any issues. The boat is 4 years old. I never leave it in the water overnight, and always wash and rinse both boat and motor with fresh water after a crabbing trib.

It seems odd to me I would get a hole burned clear thru my hull.

Thanks for any help,

Vandaddy.

[namu mac]

Does you electrical system use the boat for ground or do all your ground wires go to an isolated terminal strip that is connected to the battery?

[camA]

i dont own a boat, but when ever i need to fix something, aint nothin that super glue and duct tape cant fix lol

[Peninsula Steel]

It definitely looks like a corrosion/electrolysis problem. If you had hit something I would expect an impact dent around the hole.

Your zinc looks new. Is that the same zinc you've had on the boat before the problem was discovered? Typically, electrolysis gets nasty when zincs have corroded away, been neglected and not replaced when they need to be.

I'm not an electronics guru but could a short or improper circuit with your electronics be contributing here? Someone better versed on the specifics could probably answer that and give you tips.

If the damage is small and confined(check both sides of the hull around the hole) it should be easy enough to weld and repair.

Good luck......hope it works out for you.

[honker1]

Had similiar holes on my Starcraft after I purchased it. The previous owner said he never had it in saltwater, but I believe his nose is still growing.
JB Weld is a good solution for one small hole, but mine was go badly damaged that I had some tig closed and in wide spread damaged areas I used Marine-Tex (Gray) and a wide putty knife. Happy to report no leaks in 3 years. Last piece of advice. Do a close check for some more weak spots or leaks in the off season.

[willie brian]

we have had similiar problems ,so if you have one spot there is probably more I would take to a boat person before you have nothing left

[willie brian]

if there is one there is more.need more zinc and jb weld helps helps cover the holes

[troybuz]

A few thoughts...the hole could have formed from the inside??? Sometimes debries (brass or stainless shavings, salt, etc) can find a spot to collect and cause corrosion.
Is the boat morred in salt??? Could be from a shore line.
That could also be salt type crevis corrosion????
Take her to Motion Marine and have them fix it, and also confirm that you don't have a hot boat.

[tallswedeone]

You should probably pull your floor boards, pressure wash the hull and inspect things further. If it is just a couple of holes weld them up. If there is extensive corrosion welding may not be an option since corroded aluminum will just melt. In this case I would cover the areas with coat-it on the inside of the hull.

[Coors]

I had the same type of thing happen to me, and it ended up being a pin-hole leak in my gas line that over time coroded(?) thru the bottom of the boat. Ended up having to replace a 1ft by 3ft peice of alum. Just a thought.

[Boats]

Yeah.. could be stray current in the marina. It doesn't always come from your own boat.

Wasnt' sure if your keep your boat moored or not.

Also wasnt' sure what thickness of aluminum.

Sorry you have having the trouble.

[dieselpwr]

Make sure there are no grounds connected to your hull. That is a sure fire way to cause this.... Sure JB weld is great but spend the extra money and take it to a weld shop and have it plugged and remove grounds from hull, problem solved.

[cmb1998]

Originally Posted by dieselpwr

Make sure there are no grounds connected to your hull. That is a sure fire way to cause this.... Sure JB weld is great but spend the extra money and take it to a weld shop and have it plugged and remove grounds from hull, problem solved.

I don't think thats quite true. Every inboard boats electrical system is grounded through the hull, via the motor mounts.

Later,

Chris

[Grass Hopper]

You are right Chris,

Inboards do ground the block to the hull... But that should be the only ground attached to the hull..

Some boats have all the electrical grounded locally to the hull. This is not a good thing.

All electrical items should be return loop grounded with a negative wire returning to the battery or common ground point. As mentioned the only ground to the hull should be from the block.

Originally Posted by cmb1998

I don't think thats quite true. Every inboard boats electrical system is grounded through the hull, via the motor mounts.

Later,

Chris

[gunndawg]

Hey vandaddy,

If you want to drag that little bugger south to the Oregon City area, I'd be happy to weld it for you no charge. Looks like a small matter, might be a thirsty one though.

Cheers, Tony

[Fuse Master]

I posted on this same issue, here is what I did. http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...n+to+your+sled

[VanDaddy]

Thanks Gunndawg.

Thanks Fusemaster - that was an informative link.