MIG or TIG on an aluminum speed boat

[takoateli]

Guys, OK, I get it. Thanks! : - )

What should be counted towards my sanity is I came here and ran it by you guys first. I realize I can't do this job. Thanks for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

It looks really easy on YouTube though.

: - )

Greg

[FusionKing]

So does heart surgery
Now with all that said, you should go ahead and make an effort to learn how to weld with the different processes so you could possibly at least do some more basic repairs when needed.

[go2building]

Still didn't here if the tig welder will do ac welding

[tommy2069]

they do have some rods you can use with a torch that has very good results when used . they are very costly but they do a good job.

[ja baudin]

Post a pic of the damaged area that needs repairing. It might help with some repair options. Might be some boat guys here like myself.

[Helios]

So does heart surgery

[dondlhmn]

Guys, OK, I get it. Thanks! : - )

It looks really easy on YouTube though.

: - )

Greg

Yep...pretty much anything that you watch someone else do that is really good at whatever it is LOOKS EASY, but that is the thing....if a person makes whatever they are doing look easy (flying a helicopter, rolling strikes at bowling, doing brain surgery, winning a pool tournament, doing real pretty TIG welds, etc..) it just means that they are good at it and got that way usually by hours and hours of practice..maybe for months and months or even years and years.

[Broccoli1]

How you end up in a small town in Venezuela with a Nice Speed Boat and find a Harbor Freight welder?

[Helios]

they do have some rods you can use with a torch that has very good results when used . they are very costly but they do a good job.

Yeah, and they're made of ZINC...same thing they make boat sacrificial anodes out of!

I think I'd sooner use Elmer's Glue-All.

[takoateli]

Thanks to everyone who posted!

I don't know if the TIG machine that is available does AC myself. My friend in town who saw the machine only sent me some specs and not the actual model number or a pic.

The boat went through the rapids and is badly bent and all the structural trim around the edges is gone and the middle seat is broken out. The boat is of riveted construction and not welded, which also gives me some concern because perhaps it's an alloy that doesn't weld well.

The boat is actually in the Amazon jungle, and the small town is just where we do our shopping.


No, those aluminum "welding" sticks that you use with the torch work really great. Their melting point is far enough below the melting point of aluminum alloy that it's pretty easy not to puddle the work. The repairs do turn black with exposure to water over time, but the repairs do seem to last and seem to be very strong. There's really no way out here to properly repair and aluminum boat, as this thread attests to, so they are a really good second best. In fact I even gave a Yanomami Indian friend a Burnsomatic torch and a few rods and he was able to repair an aluminum canoe that got a puncture from a collision with a rock. The torch was a bit wimpy and didn't work the first try, so I told him to take the boat and leave it out in the sun on a really hot sunny day, and at noon time go out and put the torch on the spot, move it around and keep waiting to see if you can get the stick the flow. The solar "preheating" worked. So that attests to the low skill level needed to use those rods if a hunter, gatherer, gardener Indian in the jungle can use them. I assure you he has no other welding or soldering experience.


Again I want to tell you all how much I appreciate your input. I'm always struck by the kindness and generosity of all the professionals who populate the various forums and take the time to pass along what they know to those who are needing their help. Thanks!


Greg
http://gregihnen.me