Busted Manifold on 87 Nautiqe ( jb weld)

ADAM B KENDALL · Outlaw Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 128 City: Smith Mountain

I have a 87 ski nautiqe and both of my manifolds have a little crack in them. I dont think we winterized my boat right and they froze and cracked. Could i use JB weld on them???? How long does it take to dry??? I usually put around 1400 pounds in her, with the manifolds welded can i still weight her down???

Troy · Criminal Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 79 City: Nor Cal

Normally a 24 hour cure time. My brother used JB Weld to fix an exhaust leak on an old Chevy truck. It wasn't at the headers though so the heat was lower. If it works at all the amount of weight in the boat shouldn't affect it. JB Weld is almost like liquid duct tape, you can fix anything with it. But you can fix anything better if you do it right.

skinautique1985 · Outlaw Joined: 26 Feb 2003 Posts: 140 City: Yuba CIty,CA

Try to find some new manifolds man, your gonna cause yourself alot of headache if you dont. JB weld is not weld, it's just very strong metal-like epoxy that is farely heat resistant. It might work for awhile, but I wouldnt recommend doing it, especially if you plan on keeping the boat for any period of time.

driftwood · Posted: Jun 16, 2003 4:01 pm Post subject:

im with skinautique1985 - dont just patch it - jb welding a truck is no big deal - you're not goin to build up exaust fumes if you vent to open air like a truck - you are talking about an enclosed space and potentially noxious fumes - I personally wouldnt do it.

Also - manifolds arent that expensive - check around you will find some cheap enough.

ADAM B KENDALL · Outlaw Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 128 City: Smith Mountain

how much is a new manifold??? I found some in overtons for 180 a peice. It kinda seems high for a 16 to buy.

gusthecat · Outlaw Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 183

You may be able to find some decent used ones. What engine are you running?

MrBlean · Posted: Jun 17, 2003 12:22 am Post subject:

I agree with skinautique1985. JBWeld and other materials of that type are great but they are metal loaded plastic resins and don't withstand high temperatures that well. Even a proper weld repair has it's problems as the manifolds are big chunks of iron so the aea near the weld gets very hot and the rest stays cold. This puts lots of stress on them and they'll probably crack again in future. If it was me I'd bite the bullet and get new or used manifolds. As you've learned, not winterising properly is an expensive mistake.

ADAM B KENDALL · Outlaw Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 128 City: Smith Mountain

i am running a Ford 351 windsor.

Troy · Criminal Joined: 16 Apr 2003 Posts: 79 City: Nor Cal

I didn't do a realy good job of expressing myself in that first post. JB Weld may work for a short time bit I wouldn't use it for a permanent fix. You may also f up any chance of getting a good weld with the JB Weld all over the crack. If the crack extends into the gasket surface welding can be just as expensive as used. Check out getting a used manifold from a marine wrecking yard. This one is in the Sacramento area but will ship thier parts to you. http://www.boatrecycling.com/ A Duct Tape fix is what you will get with JB Weld. Like I said before it's better if you do it right.