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I discovered this while wiring the nav lights on my new Weldbilt. These cracks are on the two front corners of the console where it's mounted to the floor. I'm taking the boat in next week to have some fab work done so we'll see what they can do. I doubt it's fixable so I may have them make me a stronger console...ok rant over. Hope everyone enjoyed the semi-decent weather today!

mbweimar wrote:I discovered this while wiring the nav lights on my new Weldbilt. These cracks are on the two front corners of the console where it's mounted to the floor. I'm taking the boat in next week to have some fab work done so we'll see what they can do. I doubt it's fixable so I may have them make me a stronger console...ok rant over. Hope everyone enjoyed the semi-decent weather today!

They look like they can be ground down and welded to me.

What is interesting is there looks like there are holes on each side the crack runs through. Why are the holes there in the first place?

Dubble

Do you think welding would prevent this from happening again?

I wouldn't sweat that

Some folks drill holes to stop cracks... And there is one on the unbroken sides.
I wonder if it was a preventative thing?

I'm with Bman, I wonder if that happened during installation and the holes were drilled to try and stop the crack. Did you out the console in? I bet JB Weld would fix it!

You know what...I never noticed that. Shields put the console I'm for me, but it doesn't look like the holes were drilled after it was painted. I'll take a closer look tomorrow. I just took all the screws out and put silicone down in the holes to keep them from backing out. I feel like I would have seen the cracks then. But maybe not.

mbweimar wrote:You know what...I never noticed that. Shields put the console I'm for me, but it doesn't look like the holes were drilled after it was painted. I'll take a closer look tomorrow. I just took all the screws out and put silicone down in the holes to keep them from backing out. I feel like I would have seen the cracks then. But maybe not.

Silicone won't stop the screws from backing out. You can use loc tight or perma weld, but get the removable kind, I think you want the red thread locker, but just read the package to be sure.

Bman is in theory correct in that a hole drilled in a crack will stop the crack from getting longer however, notice that the crack extends on both sides of the hole. To be effective the hole should have been drilled at the very end of the crack & into new un-cracked metal to prevent it from "running" any further. In some of the cracks this means the hole would have been in the horizontal portion of bend flap indicating to me that the cracks occurred during installation. With as many hold down screws as appear to have been used I would not be concerned about it coming loose......IF it is fastened on four sides! If is it only fastened on three sides then a force applied high on the console may cause it to flex and "tear" the corners loose.

If I had done the work myself I would live with it till it broke however, if I paid to have it done.......!

It is cracked on both corners in basically the same place. Looks to me like when the corner screws were tightened down during installation the torque cracked it and the holes were drilled in an effort to stop the cracks from spreading. The one in the middle of the crack was drilled in the wrong spot even as like has been stated, it should have been at the end of the crack. That should have been pointed out to you after the install as it's a problem.
In my opinion it needs to be welded and if that doesn't work, the console needs to be replaced by the manufacturer or installer. I'm thinking it's a weak point in the manufacture process as it cracked in the same place on both sides. If it hadn't cracked when screwed down it would have cracked after the stress of a few bumps on waves or while trailering.

I'm with Rhett that the cracks, look like to me are due to overtightening.

Upon further inspection, I found ALL four corners of the console to be cracked. All four corners have holes which were made in the manufacturing process somehow. The holes do not appear to be drilled, they aren't perfectly round. Regardless, this console will be thrown away and I'll have a stronger one built to my liking. Here's a closer look.







Pretty decent shots for a cell phone !

In the last close up photo the hole appears to have been made with an awl or punch.

They need to round off those right angle corners on the bottom too. That looks like a prime place to take a chunk of skin off a toe or foot on. I'm guessing there is a problem in the bending process to make the flanges that attaches to the floor. It seems to really weaken the metal.