Cracked Weld in Arch (310)

rgranger · Aug 13, 2026

I've used local welders to fix parts on my boat three different times. All three experiences were very positive. Look them up and then go talk to them. Stainless is a speacialty. Ask them if they do stainless.

I'm guessing you could find someone willing to come out to your boat to do the weld. Might cost you travel time plus a few beers or maybe a boat ride but that wouldn't suck either way. :beer:

Ralph Johnstone · Aug 13, 2026

rjadelsohn said:
Discovered over the weekend we have a crack in the weld on the starboard side.

Have you stopped to consider how meaningless the term "crack in the weld" is to the many people on this site who are experienced (and in some cases professionals) in welding. Include several pictures of the weld from every angle. Maybe it's serious maybe it's nothing.

Having a welder appear at your boat will likely start north of $500.00 and quickly go up from there for doing very little in the way of actual welding.

Are you interested enough in this problem to supply photos ?

"Help us to help you" has become a pretty common statement around here for obvious reasons.

rgranger · Aug 13, 2026

Ralph Johnstone said:
"Help us to help you" h

One of my favorite scenes

Jerry Maguire: Help Me Help You! (MOVIE #SHORTS)

Jerry begs Rod to cooperate with him.Watch Jerry Maguire Now: http://AAN.SonyPictures.com/JerryMaguireSome of the links in above are affiliate links, we may ...

youtube.com

rgranger · Aug 13, 2026

Ralph Johnstone said:
Having a welder appear at your boat will likely start north of $500.00

Seems like a good deal compared to removing the Arch and reinstalling it just to save a few hundred.

Ralph Johnstone · Aug 13, 2026

rgranger said:
Seems like a good deal compared to removing the Arch and reinstalling it just to save a few hundred.

My beggarly estimation of having a welder appear at this job site assumes ideal conditions. If there are obstacles in getting cables to the job (trailer mounted or possible portable welder) no telling where the cost is going.

STEP #1
Find out if a welding job is required to deal with this "mystery crack".

Let's see if the OP agrees to "Help us to help him".

Ralph Johnstone · Aug 13, 2026

rgranger said:
One of my favorite scenes

Great Scott man ! You've summed up the entire situation where some people will post a problem on here and are prepared to do anything, ANYTHING AT ALL to solve their problem. Anything except take a few pictures and post them alongside their original post. Too much effort.

Many of the SBO members seeing these posted problems have many hours of hands on experience in these areas and are fountains of information. Speaking for myself, I can no longer be bothered offering any information to these posters unless they :

"Help us to help them"

Something ............ anything.

rgranger · Aug 13, 2026

Ralph Johnstone said:
Something ............ anything.

Bookmark the clip...

rgranger · Aug 13, 2026

To the OP.

Without seeing the crack, have you thought about trying JB Weld Marine?

I have used JB on too many things to mention and I keep some in my tool bag at all times.
I have yet to have a JB weld fail on me. It won't stick to certain plastics so you can use the plastic to shape your uncured resin. These work very well...

Ward H · Aug 13, 2026

Gee, all the guy asked was do you have to take the arch off the boat to have it welded or can it be welded while on the boat. Basic yes, no or maybe question.
He didn't asked for an engineering study to be done or is it a safety issue.
Post #2 answered his question.

@rjadelsohn I know in the Cape May area there are several mobile SS welding services around. The intricate SS structures on the private big fishing boats are just too big to unbolt to take to a shop.

I understand Robert Fischer at Tri Phase Tool Co. (732) 370-4737) does small SS jobs. He's in Toms River. One of our club members recommends him. Not sure if he has a mobile service but it might be worth a call.

Project_Mayhem · Aug 13, 2026

I think a lot of this depends on where the crack is. I have a cracked weld at the base of my stern pulpit. I have no intentions of repairing it as it's essentially a washer. Some welds could be done on the boat if it's far enough away from the fiberglass. Ultimately it's up to the discretion of the welder and what they are comfortable with. Some machines and welding processes have more splatter than others. I likely have a burn scar or two to prove it!

Ralph Johnstone · Aug 13, 2026

Ward H said:
Gee, all the guy asked was do you have to take the arch off the boat to have it welded or can it be welded while on the boat.

He also asked if anyone had dealt with this before :

rjadelsohn said:
Anyone ever dealt with this?

Maybe he has a minor problem which doesn't need welding.
Maybe it will cost him a small fortune due to unforseen circumstances to place a welder on site.
The location of the weld also plays into this matter.

Just too many maybes. Why not start here where the infomation is free gratis ? Not saying the information is always correct but that's on the poster to figure out. And finally, what's to be gained by presenting a minimum of information as opposed to the full
picture ?

Just askin'

Indysailor · Aug 13, 2026

Ralph Johnstone said:
He also asked if anyone had dealt with this before :

Maybe he has a minor problem which doesn't need welding.

Maybe it will cost him a small fortune due to unforseen circumstances to place a welder on site.

The location of the weld also plays into this matter.

Just too many maybes. Why not start here where the infomation is free gratis ? Not saying the information is always correct but that's on the poster to figure out. And finally, what's to be gained by presenting a minimum of information as opposed to the full
picture ?

Just askin'

Don't want to start a fight, but I think the simple question "Can you post pictures so we can better help you?" would be enough without the soliloquy.

Ralph Johnstone · Aug 13, 2026

rjadelsohn said:
weld is about 50% failed;

@rjadelsohn , you definitely have this in hand and I agree with your method of repair. Seeing as how the weld crack is so complete, I might also consider some form of reinforcement around the entire base of the tube.

rjadelsohn said:
The question of removal of the Arch, assuming the screws/bolts come out, is will we be able to reinstall

This could be one holy bastard. As previously mentioned, my FG arch is attached with 5200 which means it's not going to part from the deck. Some of the sealant material is visible and cuts like an old vulcanized tire, just like 5200. This is yet to be determined with your SS arch and we're all hoping for the best.

As far as welding in place is concerned, the FG beneath the arch pad will suffer given the length of the weld. Also consider that the bonding strength of the 5200, if it was used, will be gone with the heat. Something was used as a sealant between the arch pad and deck but I don't know if anything was applied in there for strength. Any way you look at it, I would recommend removing the arch for the least post welding worries.

Hoping that 5200 was not used on you arch and looking at my own 1999 H-310, for sure the hull will have twisted once dropped in the water and screwed up the alignment with the arch bolt holes if disassembled. My first thought for realignment would be short pieces of 2X4 in the required places held in place with heavy double sided tape :

Amazon.ca

The shear strength of this stuff is amazing as long as you apply a little perpendicular load which requires a Rube Goldberg imagination and a large number of bar clamps. A few drift pins in unused holes wouldn't hurt either.

Please keep posting on your progress. A very interesting problem and I thank God I don't have it

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Cracked Weld in Arch (310)

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