Following this
Keep in-mind not all welded boats are created equal
The blanket statement welded better is not really true
I can be, but not always
Hank
My friend had structural problems with his welded jet boat. Not just the skin. If he kept using it, it might have literally broke in half. He doesn't slow down in rough water, so his boat takes a beating.
He hauled it back to the manufacturer to get repaired. Then again, after the first repair failed. And he thought it was the toughest welded boat made, after countless hours of research, talking to local guides, users, etc. before buying it.
He also took the boat to a local repair shop that fixes all the major brands. He said he learned a lot, and the gist was that there were a wide variety of brands in the shop getting repairs. They all had issues, if used hard. And the shop told him what was wrong with his boat. It was a structural design issue by the manufacturer. And they said the OEM repair wouldn't work, but he took it back to the manufacturer to retain his warranty. And the repair failed, as predicted.
I know others, with different brands of welded boats needing repair. Makes me wonder how much bro-science or redneck logic goes into the design vs. structural and material engineering, for these consumer grade boats. Seems like the end-users do the final testing.
Another friend runs a charter in AK. He says that he fully expects a welded boat to fail, which will require repairs. He told me to go by the number of hours on the hull (for a used boat), and ability/access/suitability for repair. In his experience, they will all crack, if used long enough.
