Is gluvit necessary on a welded aluminum boat?

[JelloPNW]

First off I wanted to say thanks for all the awesome content you guys are always posting. I've gotten so many great ideas about how to restore and reconfigure this boat from y'all! I just ripped up about 150 lbs of rotten old plywood, carpet and rusty screws and it got me really excited for this restoration project.

The boat I'm working on is a 15' Gregor U-151 welded aluminum that is in overall very good shape without a single detectable leak. I'm still considering applying a coat of gluvit to the welds before installing a new deck just to be safe. Do you guys think this is overkill? Would it be possible to apply a coat to the inside of the seams and then put a deck on top of it for UV protection? Or would it make the most sense to apply the gluvit to the outside of the hull and then paint it for UV? I'd like to avoid painting if at all possible as it feels like an unnecessary expense.

Again thanks for all the awesome content you guys. I'm looking forward to having some of my own to contribute soon!

 

[MTboatguy]

It won't hurt, but if you crack a weld after you apply it, it will probably leak again, Gluvit seals leaks, but I have never found it to hold when you hit something hard enough to cause a crack , if you gluvit the inside of a riveted boat and then pop a rivet, it is going to leak.

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard

if you have no leaks then no, not needed

if you hit something that cracks a weld or punctures a hole, deal with getting the hull welded at that time.

 

[JelloPNW]

Thanks guys, you saved me a lot of time and money. Now on to the more fun things like pressure washing!