i bought my first boat last year but have been to busy to work on it. When i finally got around to it i saw that about 10 ribs in this 16ft. river jon where broke. When i took it to a guy to have welded he said i would have to remove the ribs then re-rivet them in after he weilded the ribs togather or it would cost a furtone for him to do it all. Along with the ribs there are a lot of other things that need weilded like the brace on the transom and a spot on the railing of the boat. An a big crack on the front of it. i bought the boat for $600 with a small motor and trailer. An have about $300 in other stuff bought for it . Plus, about $200 for the title transfer and stuff. This boat is pretty much just a hull right now. So i was wondering for what i have in it should i trie to fix it or take the lost on the money an just get a new boat and use what i bought for the old one on the new one.
I asked the guy that had it before me he said he had no clue they were broke he only used it a few time. Hes an older gentlemen thats had a few strokes thats why he rarly used it. My guess though would have to be that the owner before him was a duck hunter that used the boat to break ice. The boats covered in some kind of sealent or bondo stuff. So someone had to of known at one point.
Sounds like it had a larger motor and structure has been removed from it like bench seats. Usually if you are cracking things like ribs you have some flexing going on. Broken supports. Same thing. I would shop it around and see what some other welders say.
alright i'll trie that and if i can get my brothers cheap camra to work i'll trie to get some pics of it up tomorrow some time.
Another thought for you to ponder. If you get it fixed up you will know what shape it is in... if you buy another boat, you'll not necessarily know anything about it. Best advice, let your conscious guide you. Another thought, you may check with your local high school craft shop and see if they will take it on as a project.
I saw a 12' flat bottom jon boat in Sportsmans Wharehouse for $600. Use that as a guide to fix or not. Removeing the ribs will wear you out. You will never rivet them back in place like they are now. A pop rivet wont hold like the factory rivets. Look for a different welder and add up the costs of any future cash layout. Then you can make an educated decision. Good luck Jerry
i would for sure shop around different welders.. a buddy and i fixed up an old jon this winter and needed a few things welded. Admittedly not as much as you are needing by the sound of it. But we were able to find a welder that did our work for 1/4 of what we had assumed it would cost, i sure wouldn't think you should even think about taking the rips out. good luck
There may be a welder in your area, that is also a catfisherman with no boat. You might be able to work out some sort of deal,and possibility meet a new fishing buddy and make a new friend. Good luck getting your boat fixed.
Sounds like a new Jon for under $1000 would last years and be ready to roll. Welding is expensive. Thats a good boat project for a Tig Welder. It can quickly become a money pit and you still have an old boat that may crack again. You can put it on Craigslist free and recoup some of your money. Always fill a used Jon with a foot of water before you buy. Wait 5 minutes and look underneath. Mark leaking rivits with a magic marker. To many leaks walk away and keep looking. Looking for a good used jon boat is like looking for a good wife. Takes some keen lookin but when you find a good one its worth the effort.
It being cracked ribs it wouldn't need to be TIG welded. It could be welded with a MIG spool gun. If it were in direct contact with the water I would opt to have it TIG welded.
I weld just about everyday and over the years Ive gotton not bad at it I could do all the work myself and save time and money , but from the sounds of this boat it seems like way to much work , I might change my mind after I saw some pics, but as of now Id consider selling
ive used alluminum epoxy to seal up cracks in my john boat and it still dont leak, i dont know how how well it would work for supports. this might work for a quick fix http://hobbies-leisure.drleonards.com/Hobbies-Leisure/Home-Repair-Tools/Mighty-Putty/46999.cfm it says holds 350# might be worth a try??????? up to you someone will probally tell you its a bad idea????
