HELP, I have a hole in my boat!!

[Fisher of Men]

:'( I got home from the lake yesterday after having a really fun day with my wife and seven year old daughter to find my needle noses (or corner of seat hinge) poked a small hole (about the size of a BB) in the bottom of my 1 year old jonboat. :'( I know there are several options to take, but what is the BEST and MOST PERMANENT way to repair this hole. If this were my old waterscamp, I'd be trimming Dr. Pepper cans and sealing them on with marine Goop (it was so old and hole-ridden, it didn't matter), but this is what I take my family out in. I have learned to respect and trust the advice of my fellow BR buddies. Could someone offer some sound advice on how to fix the hole?

I'm kind of bummed about this because the bass are beginning to spawn. :'(

[fishinfool]

You could always do like the girl on the commercial does, put a tampon in there and keep fishin! JK of course. Is the hole small enought to fill it with silicon? Is this an aluminum boat? A picture of the hole location may help to make advice a little easier to give and more efficient. Sorry to hear about your misfortune!

[JayDub]

size of a BB... I say caulk it with silicone or whatever.  On my aluminum boat, I caulked the seams with Polyuerthane caulk called NP 1 (my dad is a roofer and uses the stuff on his roofs). It worked great and is paintable.  I even filled a big hole with it.

[Team_Dougherty]

try this.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0001390010655a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&QueryText=hole+repair&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.22&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=hole+repair&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jsp

Paul

[cart7t]

Bass Pro shops sells that stuff too.  It works good from the guys I've talked to who used it.

[Ben]

I've used those sticks you heat and apply with good results on old ragged boats but if you want it fixed right, take it to someone good with a tig welder and have them weld it.  That's the best and shouldn't cost more than $20.

[Glenn]

A hole that small?  Welding will create more problems that it will solve.  Fill the hole with Sikaflex-292. Sikaflex-292 can replace rivets, screws, welds and other mechanical fasteners in building and repairing boats of all types.  It's the bomb!

[Madhouse27]

Glenn, where do we get this magic potion?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I would fill the hole with a small tapered head bolt secured with a lock washer and nut on the inside.  seal with 3m 5200 marine adhesive/sealant.

[flechero]

Glenn, where do we get this magic potion?

Right next to the Fat Ika's!! ...lol ;D

[Triton21]

JB Weld works for me.  Get at any auto parts store or Wal-Mart.

[Glenn]

JB weld doesn't flex, and aluminum needs to flex. You'll fix the hole, but will area around the patch will eventually weaken and leak. Sikaflex flexes and it's designed for submerged applications.

I picked some up at a marine supply store when I had an aluminum boat. Call them directly at 1-800-688-7452 to find a place near you that carries it. It comes in white or black. I found white online here .

P.S. You may be tempted to get Sikaflex 291. Don't. While it has a faster curing time and it's cheaper, it's not as durable or as strong as the 292. 292 only costs a couple bucks more and most notably, is particularly designed for aluminum, whereas 291 is more general purpose. This is not an area where you want to take short cuts.

[bassmasta7]

There is no need for you to be bummed because texas A&M beat Syracuse.

[JayDub]

There is no need for you to be bummed because texas A&M beat Syracuse.

Heck yea baby!  ;D

[robe0531]

Walmart sells some stuff that is like jb-weld but it is for aluminum i used this product last year on a small hole in my joh-boat and it has been fine ever since

[Fisher of Men]

There is no need for you to be bummed because texas A&M beat Syracuse.

Thanks guys!!  Yes, I am proud of my aggies.  I hope we can hang with LSU later today.  From the looks of that Glenn Davis it might be hard to contain him though.  It's still a big accomplishment to make the top 32.  With Gillespie and a program with some energy, we'll get better.  I hope the same for our football program.  

Guys, thanks for all the tips.  The weather is wet here and I won't be able to get back into my fishing hole for a few days due to the mud anyway.  I'm considering two or three solutions.  I'll get back to you with my results.  

-Fisher