How to repair leaks in aluminum boats aluminum boats are a staple of the boating industry and is exceedingly durable requiring a minimum of maintenance. they will tolerate being dragged out of lakes on the keel repeatedly and carried on the back of a pickup truck or gently pulled out of the water on a boat trailer.. Now the main culprit.....the main leak is coming from directly at the keel seam at the bow of the boat. the leak is directly underneath the front floor framing (don't know official term for the aluminum v framing) at the point where the keel starts to bend upward to the bow tip.. My 18' aluminum jon boat had the same problem. i raised the front, washed it well, and applied blue rv silicon on the outside, but my boat stays on my parents lake. that was three years ago and it still doesn't leak. if the hole in your boat was put in at the factory it probably had a rivet in it. if you are going to put your boat on a large.
Aluminum is light, strong, corrosion-resistant, non-sparking and can be fixed with an hts-2000 brazing rod without a welding machine. pitting, cracks and crevice corrosion are three of the drawbacks of any aluminum boat over the long haul. sometimes aluminum boats will develop small leaks and need repair.. I've noticed i have a small leak somewhere along the centerline of the boat. trouble is i can't find it. i've filled the boat with a few inches of water, but no water shows on the outside of the boat. the only place that shows water is on the back end of the keel molding (right under the transom) there is a small pee hole that dribbles.. My friend has an aluminum boat that is taking water between the bottom of the boat and the keel, so evidently there is a split somewhere under the keel. the keel is about 100 gage or so and i believe the bottom is about .080. the keel is stitch welded about 2" on 12" or 18"..
