Ok I inherited a 14' aluminum boat and trailer that I am starting to work on. it was last registered in 92 and has spent the last few years parked in the field behind my house. It has been tipped upside down to prevent it from collecting water and debris. It has a rivited hull and I was concerned about leakage. before I put too much work into it I would like to make sure it will not leak but at this point I don't really have a way to take it to a body of water to easily. My question, is it feasable to fill up partway inside with water and check that way(it is off the trailer right now and sitting on the driveway)?Should I be worried about the weight of the water adding extra stress to the seams? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
    I think i will get some pictures and start posting my progress from being a basically bare bones boat to a fishing machine.

Brian

Brian I thingk it would be fine to fill it part way at least to above the water line. It is on the trailer right? I would make sure the hull is clean before filling so if it does leak you can pin point where it's comming from. I wouldn't worry too much about pressure on the seams, they will hold. Let it set for an hour or so. This will tell you if it leaks or not.

Harry

I would also connect the trailer to your tow vehicle to distribute a lot of the weight off your trailer tires.

Thanks guys. It is actually sitting on the ground right now. thats why i was concerned. I pulled it off to work on the trailer. I am repainting the trailer and I need to do some wiring plus replace the tires. its a bit of a project right now.

Brian

Brian, if the bottom of the boat inside floor has a flat bed. I would check the boat rivets by seeing if the they are loose. I have a 14' Grumman Semi- V hull that has a false be flooring. I filled the boat with water and now has water under the false bed and just won't dry up. For some reason, the best idea would be is to get Gel coat and do the full bottom of th hull and this will seal any holes or loose rivets. There is another item you could buy and it is great for metal. The item is called Alvin Lab-Metal just a 48 oz. can would cost almost $60.00 including shipping & handling. This has worked on my boat, but the floor still sound of water, so I'm going to remove or just put a hole in the floor to drain it out! But try Gel oat or Alvin's Lab Metal compound.
Dennis

Thanks Dennis. I did not consider that. I will need to check it out. I have not looked that close at the floor yet. My father used this boat for a while after he sold his hydroswift. he stopped using it in 92 and has not been in the water since. it will be a big project. I need to go through the wiring and also relace the tires/wheels and check out the bearings. Probably the rollers also. Plus I want to add a few upgrades in fishing accesories.

Brian

I question the use of gelcoat as it is made for fiberglass rather than aluminum. There are many coatings suitable for aluminum that will adhere better and last longer. Tom

we had a 12ft aluminum that would leak at the rivet we would get one guy on the inside with a hammer and one guy
on the outside to buck a hammer on the rivet and have the guy on the inside rap the rivets this usually tightened
the rivet and took care of the leak

fill her up the one thing is make sure you have a way to get it our after filling it (drain plug or a pump) can't flip it over sitting on a trailer to drain it. It shouldn't hurt it to fill it up with water we used to do it to the old wooden boats to swell the wood all the time. The aluminum boats are much more solid than them. It takes quite a bit to make a aluminum boat leak if it's well built. Like Peterson said usually rapping the loose rivets a couple times with a hammer and a solid metal backer will usually stop most issues. If you find a pinhole leak in the hull usually you can purchase waterproof rivets at the boat store. Drill a hole to the appropriate size then install the rivet. A good friend of mine didn't have any leaks in the hull of his but he had the truck bed liner spray put on the bottom part of the hull that rests in the water hoping that the scum from the lakes would wash off better. I am sure that would seal any leaks also. It also look real nice too.

fill her up the one thing is make sure you have a way to get it our after filling it (drain plug or a pump) can't flip it over sitting on a trailer to drain it. It shouldn't hurt it to fill it up with water we used to do it to the old wooden boats to swell the wood all the time. The aluminum boats are much more solid than them. It takes quite a bit to make a aluminum boat leak if it's well built. Like Peterson said usually rapping the loose rivets a couple times with a hammer and a solid metal backer will usually stop most issues. If you find a pinhole leak in the hull usually you can purchase waterproof rivets at the boat store. Drill a hole to the appropriate size then install the rivet. A good friend of mine didn't have any leaks in the hull of his but he had the truck bed liner spray put on the bottom part of the hull that rests in the water hoping that the scum from the lakes would wash off better. I am sure that would seal any leaks also. It also look real nice too.

I have a 12 ft aluminum boat that I filled with water on the ground. It did fine and does not have a single leak and it is a sears and robucks from the 60's. I do plan to apply a coating of something to the outside just to give that extra security of no leaks but it will not hurt it to do that while its on the ground. I did have to bail most of the water out with a bucket because I didnt think to check if it had a plug, which it dont, and I didnt have a pump.

I have a 12 ft aluminum boat that I filled with water on the ground. It did fine and does not have a single leak and it is a sears and robucks from the 60's. I do plan to apply a coating of something to the outside just to give that extra security of no leaks but it will not hurt it to do that while its on the ground. I did have to bail most of the water out with a bucket because I didnt think to check if it had a plug, which it dont, and I didnt have a pump.

Buddy of mine had a 18' with numerous rivet leak points. After the water test: which entailed striping the interior,removing it from the trailer,putting it on blocking; we righted the boat. We sprayed the entire interior hull with an epoxy sealer. Then flipped the boat. Sanded the hull,sprayed it with the the same epoxy sealer and repainted the boat with an URETHANE based color paint. The Urethane paint is flexable. As is the epoxy sealer. So far,no leaks. Cost:less then $500 for the material. Can't put a price tag on work. He kept the boat and uses it often. You just have to figure out if you willing to do all the work and it's worth your time doing it. If you send it out to be sealed,it may not be cost efficient.

My Step dad had a john boat that his kids drilled a drain hole in to low . I patched it with some mesh tape for drywall and some jb weld on the inside and out side .

Skeeter I think the way you did it is one of the best wats to find and stop the leaks!!!!!