Welding sequence is the procedure and placement of continuous welds. There are three main components in a welding sequence to control distortion in the construction of aluminum boats, including a Bezier Curve Chine constructed boat.
Three Main Components of a Welding Sequence
- Welding sequence includes welds that are inside and outside. As a general rule always weld the interior of the boat first. The link below illustrates an exception for the Bezier 12.5 being built right now.WELDING THE BEZIER 12.5
- Consider the direction of the weld seams being transverse or longitudinal. Transverse welds are around the girth of the hull. Longitudinal welds run along the length of the hull.Transverse welds are done before longitudinal welds.
In Bezier curve chine construction all the shell plating in the true round section of the hull, at the turn of the chine, are transverse. Other transverse welds are the shell plating of the upper and lower developable surfaces.
Longitudinal welds are at the chine line between the bezier curve shell plating and the developable surfaces, along the keel and along the sheer. See Figure #1 below.

- The last component in a welding sequence is the position on the hull where the first weld will be placed. Always start at the center of the hull and work evenly towards the bow and stern.
Note: The hull is continuously welded only after it has been fully tack welded both inside and outside.
THE WELDING SEQUENCE
Using the three guidelines above our first weld would be a transverse seam on the inside of the hull at the center of the hull in the bezier curve section.
Inside Transverse Welds are First:
Starting with a weld at the above location, the next weld is inside, on the opposite (inside) side of the hull. From here skip forward or back, two or three bezier curve sections. Follow with a weld on the opposite side of the boat. See Figure #2 below.

When the end of the boat is reached, continue with one of the transverse seams on the upper or lower developable surfaces near the center of the boat.
This procedure is repeated until all the transverse seams, shown in (Figure-2) are welded on the inside of he hull first.
Inside Longitudinal Welds are Next:
The procedure is the same for the longitudinal seams as the transverse seams above.
Note: When welding on a particular longitudinal member, do not stay on the same longitudinal until its completion. Instead, Jump from longitudinal to longitudinal - Or from Longitudinal to sheer line - Or from sheer line to keel line. See Figure-3 below.

This completes the interior welding on the shell plating.
Preparing the Exterior for Welding:
Before the exterior of the shell plating can be continuously welded, it needs to be prepared to insure 100% weld penetration. Insuring full weld penetration is accomplished withBack-chipping. Back-chipping is.... The process of cleaning the weld joint of foreign matter, along with providing a kerf.
The below drawings show the progression of this process. A typical transverse shell plating butt joint and longitudinal shell plating joint at the turn of the chine is shown below.

The drawing below shows the inside of the hull, which is welded first.

The drawing below shows the weld Back-chipped. Again, back-chipping cleans the weld joint of any foreign matter and provides a kerf in the previous inside weld. The kerf insures total weld penetration of the joint. Back-chipping can be done with the aid of several hand held power tools.

In the following drawing, the weld on the outside of the shell plating shows all the components have 100% weld penetration.

The last drawing shows that full weld penetration is still maintained after grinding and sanding the shell plating for a seamless finish.

Welding the Exterior:
The weld sequence described and illustrated above in Figures -#1 #2 #3 is repeated for the exterior of the shell plating.
Other Welding Factors, Methods, and Techniques the builder should be apprised of:
- Mig and Tig Welding Equipment
- Welding Power Sources
- Welding Guns
- Length of welding cable
- Welding Gases
- Welding filler wire
- Operator safety gear
- Welding Positions
- Welding Techniques
- Back-stepping
- Fitting the material
- Controlling distortion
- Pre and Post weld cleanup
- Joint Preparation
- And More
There are several good books that go into the details on the subject. One of them is "Boatbuilding with Aluminum" by Stephen F. Pollard.
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