Aluminum Cartop Boat Transom Gussets (jakeru's #16)

[jakeru]

It seems like I've been doing a lot of marine work lately.

I did some welding work on a small aluminum boat, which the customer plans on using for recreational crab fishing. This was pretty light weight, I think you'd call it a "car topper". The hull was about 1/16" thick aluminum.


The owner was modifying/beefing up the transom, probably because he got a new motor with different shaft length, or more power. He snapped the original transom gussets off and installed a pressure treated lumber to reinforce the transom, and wanted me to weld the gussets back on, as well as to fill a couple holes in the aluminum transom.


I prepped the aluminum to remove old welds (kind of nasty, factory MIG welds on aluminum boats seems to be common) which I did using a flap wheel (and light pressure and care where it sanded away material, to keep the aluminum hull material from thinning out.) I used some big "F" clamps to position the transom gussets against the transom for welding.


Since the gussets were not a perfect fit to the hull with the new/modified transom, I tack welded the gusset to the hull where it fit tight, and then used a hammer to bend the gusset's welding flange down close to the hull for final welding.


Then I TIG welded down along one side of the gusset on each of the two gussets. I used my foot pedal for current control and 5356 filler rod. It was kind of an awkward position, as I had trouble getting my head down to where I had really good vision of the puddle. I extended the tungsten out a ways to help me see the puddle. Not the prettiest TIG beads ever, but certainly strong (and good enough for what they need to do.)


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I also filled two holes at the back of the transom.


I prepared them by removing the paint and oxidation from both sides the best that I could, and then clamping a plate of copper backing with the F-clamps. (You can see the copper in the picture, below the wood piece.)


I then welded them up from the outside (inside was not very accessible as it was just behind the wood transom support piece.) It took a lot more welding current than I would have guessed to fill these holes (probably because of the copper backer!)


I got this job done for less time and cost than originally estimated. (Originally estimated 2 hrs, actually took only 80 minutes.) Since I just charge for the time I actually spent, you wouldn't believe how happy the customer was! He gave me a really nice "tip" consisting of a really nice looking piece of smoked salmon (he had caught and smoked himself), and a really hefty, 50 pound bag of lawn fertilizer which I will definitely put to use (as the customer installs lawn irrigation systems for a living.)