Weld or Bolt

[Richard & Diane]

Hi everyone

I need to extend bumpers on the rear of a friends steel multihull house boat.
The bumpers are 1 1/2" NB ( 2" OD ) steel pipe.
They are welded to the transom.
Should we seal weld onto exsiting and touch up paint as required or could we clamp them on.
If we clamp could this cause rust problems in the future.
Thanks to any advice or input on this thread.

Regards Richard

[MikeJohns]

Richard

A different question :-)

Unless you want to simply remove them later I would weld. Seal off the internal void completely. Will be more reliable in the long run re- corrosion.

Hope this helps

[marshmat]

I'd weld.... clamping steel still leaves a crack that is just big enough for water to get in and awaken the Rust Monster.

[Richard & Diane]

Thanks for the info
We will weld on and leave no crack or crevices

[Chapman]

One piece of advice. If the bumpers you are welding to already are sealed against the hull, I would recommend you drill a couple vent holes in them prior to doing the hot work join. In the event corrosion has occured on the interior of the existing bumpers, you could have a very oxygen rich environment in there that could be dangerous to strike an arc against. When you complete the bumper join, simply plug weld the drill holes, grind flush and paint. Better safe than dead I always say.