I been welding pontoon boats and tuna towers for 22 year's . Started out with a spool gun now I run an ESAB rebel 205 ac tig an run it of my trailblazer . A little trick when you have water running out like that I carry quarter inch aluminum rod and I Only drill a 3/16th hole . That way you can bevel the end of the rod slightly and tap into the hole and weld around the outside edge of it and cut it off. Kind of like a cork in a bottle.

I bought a spool gun to work on my son's aluminum boat. That's an experience. First, i realize the importance of getting oxidation and paint off first and how important it was compared to steel. Then making sure when you check for leaks it's completely dry before welding back over the leaks i thought were patched with my tacks. Also remember if you use acetone, you don't forget where the rag is left when you start welding. If not the intense heat you feel with your helmet on while welding will quickly remind you. Live and learn.

You fixed an aft platform and outboard motor mount for California Parks. You did a great job. The round tubing at the edge of rear decking is kind of important on a pleasure or fishing boat. Grounding lines, fishing line. , even anchor chains slide over a round tube radius at the edges much easier without damage or breakage. Also, round tubing is easier on hands if you have to tug or lug on the boat. I not critical about your repair, just thought I’d mention considering the tubing for anything you might do in the future.

Those sun trackers usually have a half compartment at the very back of both toons that will hold a few gallons of water. I always drill a hole at the bottom at the end cap then a hole on the bottom about 8 or 10 inches from the back of the toon to get all the water out of third compartment. I wouldn't hesitate to drill multiple holes in a compartment with a ton of water just never bigger than 3/16". Taking the plug out of the top of the pontoon will help it drain much faster as well and make it easier to weld up your drain holes too. Awesome video, keep'em coming!

Thanks for the stop and go skill of welding thin material. I had a Trailblazer in 1988 and welded alum. truck frame rails. Went to Legend's for truck road service, for ac at idle and batt. charging. It wore out. So now I have a air pack Bobcat 200. Just purchased a spool gun and having to relearn some old skills. So very timely tutorial on welding thin material. Thanks! Redding Calif.

Been missing your videos. Glad you are back on line

Interesting. Skill and knowledge required. Welding is no joke. From Cat 637’s to pontoon boots. Looks like you gotta know your shXt!

Great job, wish we could get a rig tour of that monster truck you got!

Just a little tip if you have to do another job like this again where you have to drain the water out of pontoons. The water will drain much faster if you drill another small hole on top of the pontoon chamber you're trying to drain. It's like house plumbing that needs vents to drain properly. No vent, drains very slow because the air pressure isn't stabilized to match the pressure outside the pontoon. Kinda like when you see people poke holes in beer cans, nothing comes out until they open the can of beer, lol.

Nice job. I repair a lot of pontoons myself.. the little trick that I do is if I'm welding a hole on the bottom in the front of the boat I will Jack it up at a steep angle that way all the water will roll to the back if I'm welding on the back I will put the nose of the boat down so the water all drains forward. Anyway just a little trick I use. But anyway good job

Nice fix Greg, I'm looking at a spool gun setup in the near future. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work 👍.

just the Medication I need on Tuesday...thank you so much

Ohhh boy, welding aluminum is a different thing it self. I worked in a foundry in maintenance,we had a portable weld cart set where we could run stick , mig , tig & air arc & plazma.

Trackers....avoid like the plague, they go cheap on the pontoon thickness. Even older pontoons I've seen scuffs, dents and scratches and still hold water better than these new Trackers. Good welding!

man those are thin.. good job , keep the vids rolling.. enjoyed

5 gallon buckets saves from the mud. I took 35 gallons out of the last 1 I did. There were 2 sections had bungs welded in with screw in plugs. I gtaw welded the 1 I did. I had to fix a hole slew of crap someone else put on it and the guy didn’t know it when he bought it the boat was in the water didn’t see it but got curios when he got a call from the lake saying his boat is sinking…. Hmmm. I think I’d rather do good clean aluminum all day compared to some of the steel jobs I get. Carry on good sir ti s a fine job you be doing. Love the rig and plasma cutter I have a 1000 power max but just don’t have the umph I think it should.

Supplementary fishing channel? Good work. Interesting challenge!!

Nice repairs! Thanks for sharing! 👍wish you could have caught a fish!! lol!

Takes some skill to weld that shit with a spool gun. I just finished a similar repair yesterday that someone else "tried to fix" which is always fun. if you need them to drain quick a lot of them will have plugs on the top that are hand tight pop that out when you drain and weld it will help drain and help with blow back. You may still get water permeation on that first toon if the tear continued past the 90 Degree bend but for off the back of the truck great work.

Actually just had my first aluminum experience welding on a real u jacked up aluminum boat trailer, what a pain in the ass! Lol I eventually got it and realized the importance of cleaning the material, it was a learning experience though, I’ll know for next time.

Adjust the trailer jack so the water runs to the holes to drain and away from the holes to weld.

You were working and fishing! I just retired. I think I'll just fish.

Nice bit of work. Maybe for the one that leaked so much, put a hole on the top side and put a few PSI air pressure in it?

cool head gear!

Nice Job brother.

Ya patiently wait while fishing! Lol awesome

Nice repair! What are you powering the spool gun with?

Im haveing to do a very similar repair right now.. weld seam cracked about 4 inches from hitting stump.. i drilled hole in bottom to drain. Just curious of machine settings you used? I was running 22/440 but had some issues, mostly near area with water. Gonna use torch tomorrow like you did and see if it does better

best part is watching you cast from that big ole rock

A little R and R on the job never hurt nobody!!!! Bad A.. aluminum welding on those pontoons!

Did you fix all the sources of the water in the different chambers? How thick were these chambers? What wire did you use type and size? Nice Job.

The bulkheads inside the last pontoon I replaced the nose on weren't welded fully and had holes in them to allow water to flow between compartments. There was a drain plug at the back so all I had to do was lift the front up high enough to drain it all.

Throughly enjoyed this repair. What wire did u use? What parameters also? I’m hoping to get a few jobs here in Michigan.

I know ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I did much the same kind of "brute force" body work and now I have two artificial shoulders at 75. Doc said I just wore em out.... Ah the young, LOL.

considering the beating those things take and the ease which aluminium cracks, I cant believe they dont have drain plugs in those pontoons. Hole in top would have helped them drain a lot quicker.

Just wondering why you used a spool gun as opposed to a tig? Great job by the way.✌👍😃

Another option would have been to use a ball been hammer and dimple the hole up into the pontoon to stop the drip then fill the dimple. What ever works int the field. What are you running your spool gun off of from your engine driven machine?

Awsome

With pontoons being so thin, how do you keep from punching thru?

😀 👏 👏 from 83441lbs CAT to an aluminium pontoon boat. 👍

Camera also at got soaked. You’ll have to call it wet and wild welding.😆

dude the aspect ratio? u reminiscing on HBO's The Wire? 🤣

How many years have you been on your own?

Hey do you remember the wire and setting for this?

Living the DreaM on the Lake..........

Greg, where is your business located?

This one with a crooked tip, you didn't show how to do it, I have one of these to fix this weekend, if possible have tips, thank you

🤣 The fin was completely separated from the pontoon - front, sides, and rear. A large open hole in the pontoon. How did you seal up the rear of that hole, under the fin? The welding material you applied was certainly not runny enough to get under that fin.

Wonder if you could use like a small shop vac next time suck the water out of the tanks

shaver lake?

Jack up the front

why didn't you tap it and plug it?

That will still leak from the crack under the fin.

Boop... borked the 69th comment number to an even 70... lol

That wire wheel on aluminum will eat your lunch…, won’t it 😏!

Shasta?

Well darn it if you could of caught a fish it would have been a very successful day.

I'd put $ on it still leaks...

PacNorWest. My guess was Texas...oh, you left us on a fishy cliffhanger.

heating its batter using fire torch