New boat welds?

[the Ward]

My son and I are looking to get a boat this year to hunt and fish out of. Dealer near me got in a new 1860 vbw G3 jon in for me to check out. I looked it over and the rib welds could be seen in the outside of hull. Is that normal for an all welded boat? I haven't seen any other brands that looked like that, but most boats around here are v hull fishing boats, it's hard to find large jons for duck hunting. I'm headed out the door for work now, but I will check back in later tonite. Thanks for any info/ feedback you can pass along!

[Happy]

Welds tend to discolor the area around the bead due to the high heat. Is this what you are seeing or is the weld actually so deep that it is burning through?

[the Ward]

Welds tend to discolor the area around the bead due to the high heat. Is this what you are seeing or is the weld actually so deep that it is burning through?

Where the weld bead is on the ribs it shows up as a raised outline on the outside of hull where it was welded. Can't tell if there is any discoloration as the boat is painted, I didn't see any burn through anywhere. The welds on the transom look good though. When I look down the side of the boat I can see "welts" where every rib is, like if you had a piece of shrink wrap over a frame and pressed something against it you could see the outline of it. I don't have any experience with welded boats so I have no idea if that is normal or not for welded boats. Thanks for the reply Happy!

[Bolandstrutters]

Where are you located?  I would try to find an Alweld or Seaark if possible.  Most guys around here run Blazer flat bottoms for their jet rigs and they are also extremely well made. 

[Happy]

Sounds to me like the welder was set a tick "hot" and started to melt the outer surface oposite the weld. Thin surfaces are very touchy to weld. Especially aluminum. It may be fine but I would be cautious.

[dirt road ninja]

That is very common on mass produced aluminium boats

[the Ward]

Where are you located?  I would try to find an Alweld or Seaark if possible.  Most guys around here run Blazer flat bottoms for their jet rigs and they are also extremely well made. 

Northeast Ohio is where I'm at. Problem is no dealers carry anything like those around here. I'm finding out it is a much different process than buying a new vehicle, no advertised prices, call for quote, but I'm learning a lot!

[the Ward]

Sounds to me like the welder was set a tick "hot" and started to melt the outer surface oposite the weld. Thin surfaces are very touchy to weld. Especially aluminum. It may be fine but I would be cautious.

That's what I was thinking. 5 o'clock Friday boat maybe lol!

[g8rvet]

I am from the Big Bend area of Florida and we have a lot of options for custom made aluminum boats in our area, some with a national reputation.  Just wanted to say that so you take what I say with a grain of salt.

In our area, there are plenty of G3 boats and plenty of guys that have been frustrated with G3 welds when using them in the salt - not because of the salt water so much, but because of the larger waves.  Not sure if that will be an issue for you, but the G3 tends to carry a bad rap among the local fisherman for durability in big water.  I bought a custom Scandy White for my duck rig.  If I was using it in fresh, not big water, I would not worry about the G3 in particular, but I may worry about the one you looked at.   

[the Ward]

That is very common on mass produced aluminium boats

This is what I was wondering. I spent a couple nights after work scouring the internet looking at pictures of welded boats and couldn't find any that looked like that. But I found a u-tube video of a  tour of the g3 factory, and in one segment they show the welds on an unfinished boat.  You can see the discoloration on the outside of hull where it was welded but due to the angle of the camera, you can't tell if there is a welding welt/shadow there or not. So I didn't know whether it was a Q.C. problem on this particular boat or if that's the way all welded boats are.

[the Ward]

I am from the Big Bend area of Florida and we have a lot of options for custom made aluminum boats in our area, some with a national reputation.  Just wanted to say that so you take what I say with a grain of salt.

In our area, there are plenty of G3 boats and plenty of guys that have been frustrated with G3 welds when using them in the salt - not because of the salt water so much, but because of the larger waves.  Not sure if that will be an issue for you, but the G3 tends to carry a bad rap among the local fisherman for durability in big water.  I bought a custom Scandy White for my duck rig.  If I was using it in fresh, not big water, I would not worry about the G3 in particular, but I may worry about the one you looked at.   

Thanks for the info G8rvet! The area I'm in has several large lakes, and I'm only about an hour or so drive from lake Erie. Think i'm going to pass on this boat and keep looking.

[renegade19]

I am from the Big Bend area of Florida and we have a lot of options for custom made aluminum boats in our area, some with a national reputation.  Just wanted to say that so you take what I say with a grain of salt.

In our area, there are plenty of G3 boats and plenty of guys that have been frustrated with G3 welds when using them in the salt - not because of the salt water so much, but because of the larger waves.  Not sure if that will be an issue for you, but the G3 tends to carry a bad rap among the local fisherman for durability in big water.  I bought a custom Scandy White for my duck rig.  If I was using it in fresh, not big water, I would not worry about the G3 in particular, but I may worry about the one you looked at.

You are in my opinion 100% correct.  My G3 has a crack along the weld on the very front point of the deck where it meets the hull.  I attributed it to the beating it takes running big water.  BTW, mine is in the Midwest and has never seen the ocean.

[MK M GOBL]

Hull thickness and quality of aluminum make a difference in an all weld boat, I did at one time have a riveted boat... never again it leaked all the time and was not a good ride. We have a number of "custom" boat builders in the area and can get a boat built the way you want it. That first boat I had was an .08 hull and it dented, rippled on the bottom and had the boat eye tear out, next boat I went to a all-weld hull at .125 much more Heavy Duty and now I went to a 3/16" commercial hull and it is pretty much indestructible. Now this last hull is HEAVY, my next hull will be back to the .125 thickness.


MK M GOBL

[g8rvet]

I have a 125 that is still pretty heavy.  I have high centered it on solid stumps in the lake I hunt more times than I can count.  No problems.  I prefabbed some float pods out of plywood and took them to a buddy that welds aluminum to make for me and they have made a big difference as they act as trim tabs as well as giving the boat more flotation in the rear.

I am really fascinated with the Prodrive SPX boat, it is a self bailing design, as the deck is above the waterline and it has large scuppers.  If they would make it in a V front (not ideal for surface drive motors) it would be the perfect boat for me.  That front rake style can be pretty wet in a chop.  Fine in the summer, but can ruin a duck hunt for sure. 

[Bolandstrutters]

We have a lot of out of staters come to Missouri to buy these types of boats.  If you are willing to travel, look up Troutt and Sons in St. James Missouri.  They rig up some awesome Alweld, Express, and Blazer boats.  I would look at .100 gauge aluminum bottoms, a good mix of durability without being overly heavy.  I'm constantly surprised of the abuse that these boats take on the local rivers around here.  I've only cut open my .80 gauge blazer once in eight years and I run it over gravel bars and logs just about every weekend.