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Coastal Bend pontoon repair
Pontoon Boat Repair in Corpus Christi, TX: Mobile Pontoon Welding for the Bay, Padre Island and Port Aransas
Corpus Christi pontoons see some of the toughest water in Texas. Strong wind most of the year, very salty water in the Laguna Madre, shallow flats, oyster shell and a long drive to any shop. When a tube starts leaking or a bracket cracks, towing the boat across the Harbor Bridge or JFK Causeway is the last thing you want to do. Alpha Mobile Welding TX sends partner welders to Coastal Bend canal homes, marinas and storage lots to repair aluminum pontoons on site. Text photos to start.
Close-up photos speed up your estimate. Visits depend on partner availability in the Coastal Bend.
Coastal Bend repairs
What Pontoon Repair Looks Like in Corpus Christi
Pontoon owners around Corpus Christi split into two groups. Most run salt water: Corpus Christi Bay, Oso Bay, the Laguna Madre behind Padre Island, and the bays around Port Aransas and Rockport. Some run fresh water at Lake Corpus Christi near Mathis or Choke Canyon near Three Rivers. The salt boats come to us with corrosion, pinholes and bracket cracks in thinned metal. The lake boats come with stump damage, cracked cones and bracket cracks from long tows.
Either way, partner welders start with a low-pressure air test to find every leak. Corroded areas are ground back to solid aluminum, small pits and cracks are welded with 5356 filler using TIG or a spool gun, and thin spots get rounded doubler plates. Brackets are rewelded and reinforced, and the chambers are retested before the boat goes back in.
For the full list of services, see our main pontoon boat repair hub. For docks, trailers and other metal work, see Corpus Christi mobile welding.
- Corpus Christi Bay and Oso Bay
- Laguna Madre and Padre Island canals
- Port Aransas and Rockport boats
- Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon
- Corrosion, leaks and bracket repair
Common damage
Pontoon Problems Common in the Coastal Bend
Wind, salt and shallow water are behind most of what we fix here.
Hypersaline corrosion
The Laguna Madre is saltier than the Gulf in many places. Boats used or kept there pit faster, especially under brackets and along the waterline.
Pinhole leaks
Corrosion pits eventually go through the tube wall. A pontoon that sits low at one corner on the lift usually has one or more.
Wind and chop fatigue
Steady wind across the bay builds short, steep chop. Pounding through it works every bracket weld until the weakest one cracks.
Flats and shell damage
Grass flats, sand and oyster shell grind keels and strakes and can split a keel seam or cone on a hard grounding.
Stump strikes inland
Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon have timber and stumps in places. Cracked cones and keels follow a hit.
Storm damage
Hurricanes and tropical storms push boats into docks and lifts, tearing brackets and denting cones.
What we repair
Mobile Pontoon Welding Services in Corpus Christi
Every repair starts with finding all the leaks and all the corrosion.
Corrosion and pitting repair
Grinding pits back to solid aluminum, welding small pits and adding rounded doublers where the wall has thinned.
Tube leak repair
Low-pressure air and soap testing, draining, grinding and 5356 welds, then a second test.
Bracket and cross member repair
Rewelding cracked brackets, adding gussets and replacing corroded cross members under the deck.
Keel and cone repair
New keel guards and strakes, rewelded keel seams and patched or replaced nose cones.
Fishing hardware mounts
Rewelding cracked rod holder bases, T-top and Bimini mounts and rail stanchions.
Trailer welding
Rusted crossmembers, bunk brackets and tongues on trailers that get dunked in salt water.
Why Alpha Welding
Why Coastal Bend Boaters Call Alpha Welding
Fewer long tows, and repairs that account for salt.
Repairs where the boat sits
Canal lift, storage lot or driveway, with no trip across the causeway to a shop.
Salt-aware repairs
Partners grind back to sound metal before welding, because welding over pitted aluminum fails.
Aluminum focus
AC TIG and spool-gun setups suited to thin marine aluminum.
Honest scope
If a log is too corroded to patch, you’ll hear about it first.
How it works
How a Corpus Christi Pontoon Repair Works
Clear steps from photos to finished repair.
Send photos
Call or text 979-250-7486 with close-ups and where the boat is kept.
Estimate
We review the damage and explain price, prep and any marina approvals.
On-site repair
The partner tests, grinds, welds and adds doublers where needed.
Retest
Low-pressure air and soap confirm the chambers are sealed.
Local guide
Coastal Bend Pontoon Owner's Repair Guide
Notes for pontoon owners in Corpus Christi, Padre Island, Port Aransas, Rockport and the inland lakes, from what partner welders see most.
The Laguna Madre is hard on aluminum
The Upper Laguna Madre, between the mainland and Padre Island, is shallow and in many places saltier than the Gulf itself because evaporation outpaces fresh inflow. That extra salt speeds up corrosion. Boats kept on North Padre Island canals or run regularly on the Laguna show pitting sooner than boats on Corpus Christi Bay. Rinse the tubes, brackets and the underside of the deck with fresh water after every trip, and check the drain plugs monthly.
Wind, chop and bracket cracks
Corpus Christi is known for steady, strong wind, and the bay builds short, steep chop fast. Pontoons pound through it, and every wave loads the brackets where cross members meet the tubes. Cracks start at the toe of the bracket weld, often where corrosion has already thinned the metal. Partners grind out the crack, stop-drill the ends if it has run into the tube skin, reweld and add a gusset where the bracket is too light.
Port Aransas, Rockport and the back bays
Owners on Mustang Island, in Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Rockport and Fulton run Redfish Bay, Aransas Bay and Copano Bay. Seagrass beds, shallow reefs and channel edges are easy to clip at low tide, and keels and strakes take the abuse. Ferry and ship traffic near the Port Aransas channel throws big wakes too. After a hard grounding, check the keel seam and both cones before running again.
Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon
Fresh water is easier on aluminum, but the inland lakes bring their own damage. Lake Corpus Christi near Mathis and Choke Canyon near Three Rivers have standing timber and stumps in places, and both change level a lot with drought. Low water exposes hazards that are normally deep. Pontoons that run there come in with cracked cones, split keel seams and bracket cracks from long tows on I-37 and US 281.
Grinding corrosion out before welding
A weld laid over pitted aluminum won’t fuse and fills with porosity. Every corroded area is ground to bright, solid metal before any welding starts. Small pits are filled with 5356 filler under argon shielding. If grinding leaves the wall too thin, a doubler plate with rounded corners goes over the area. When deep pitting covers large parts of a tube, replacing the section or the log usually makes more sense than many patches.
Galvanic corrosion from mixed metals
Stainless bolts, steel lift parts, steel trailer bunks and copper-based bottom paint all speed up aluminum corrosion in salt water. Partners look for pits around fasteners and contact points and isolate or replace parts where possible. Never use copper antifouling paint on aluminum tubes. If a dock may be leaking current into the water, have a marine electrician check it.
Finding every leak
The chamber gets sealed and a very small amount of air pressure, usually a couple of psi. Soapy water goes on every seam, bracket and pitted spot, and each bubble is marked. Thin, corroded metal can split under too much pressure, so a regulator keeps it low. Coastal boats often have several pinholes, and fixing all of them at once is the only way to stay dry.
Hurricane season
The Coastal Bend has taken direct hits, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017 near Rockport and Port Aransas. Before a storm, get the boat out of the water if possible. Afterward, photograph damage for insurance and check each tube for split seams, cracked cones and torn brackets before using the boat.
Near the port and ship channel
The Port of Corpus Christi is one of the busiest ports in the country, and the ship channel runs from the Inner Harbor out through Corpus Christi Bay to Port Aransas. Pontoons crossing or running near it deal with big wakes from tankers, tugs and ferries, plus floating debris near the industrial waterfront. A pontoon that takes a large wake at the wrong angle can slam its cones and load every bracket at once. If you boat near the channel, check the bracket welds and cone seams more often than you would on a quiet lake.
Before the welder arrives
- Raise the boat on the lift or put it on the trailer
- Rinse with fresh water and let the tubes dry
- Pull the tube drain plugs
- Get marina approval for hot work if needed
- Tell us about foam-filled tubes or a center-log fuel tank
Related welding services
Keep your boat on the Laguna Madre?
Send close-ups of the tubes under the brackets. That’s where corrosion starts, and catching it early keeps repairs small.
Service area
Pontoon Repair Near Me in the Coastal Bend
Partner welders cover Corpus Christi, the islands and the nearby bays and lakes. Availability is confirmed for each address, and marina jobs need approval for hot work.
Corpus Christi and the bay
- Corpus Christi
- Flour Bluff
- Portland
- Ingleside
Padre and Mustang Islands
- North Padre Island
- Port Aransas
- Mustang Island
- Aransas Pass
Aransas and Copano Bays
- Rockport
- Fulton
- Lamar
- Port Lavaca
Inland lakes and south
- Lake Corpus Christi and Mathis
- Choke Canyon and Three Rivers
- Kingsville
- Brownsville
FAQs
Corpus Christi Pontoon Repair Questions
What Coastal Bend pontoon owners ask us most.
Is there a mobile pontoon welder near me in Corpus Christi?
Alpha Mobile Welding TX coordinates partner welders who cover Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, North Padre Island, Port Aransas, Rockport and nearby areas. Call or text 979-250-7486 with photos and the boat’s location, and we’ll confirm availability and give you an estimate.
Can saltwater corrosion on my pontoon be welded?
Usually. Corroded areas are ground back to solid aluminum, small pits are welded with 5356 filler and thin spots get doubler plates. If deep pitting covers large sections, replacing the section or the whole log may be smarter. Close-up photos help us tell.
Can you repair my pontoon on a Padre Island canal lift?
In most cases, yes. The tubes need to be raised clear of the water, rinsed and dry, with room for the welder to reach underneath. If the lift can’t expose the damage, the boat goes on a trailer or stands.
Why do pontoons corrode so fast on the Laguna Madre?
The Upper Laguna Madre is very salty and shallow, and salt left on aluminum holds moisture against it. Mixed metals like stainless bolts and steel lift parts make it worse. Rinsing after every trip and isolating mixed metals slows it down a lot.
Do you repair pontoons from Lake Corpus Christi?
Yes. Freshwater boats from Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon usually need cone, keel and bracket repairs from stumps and long tows rather than corrosion work. The leak test and welding process are the same.
How long does a repair take?
A few pinholes or one crack are often fixed in a few hours, including testing and retesting. Corrosion repairs with doublers or several brackets take longer. Timing depends on partner availability in the Coastal Bend, and same-day visits are never guaranteed.
How much does pontoon repair cost in Corpus Christi?
It depends on how much corrosion there is, how many leaks the test finds, whether doubler plates are needed, access and the drive to your location. A few pinholes cost much less than wide pitting or a torn nose cone. Close-up photos let us give you a realistic estimate before anything is scheduled.
Request an estimate
Get Your Coastal Bend Pontoon Repaired
Send close-up photos and tell us where the boat is kept. We’ll reply with an estimate and partner availability near Corpus Christi.
- Free, no-obligation estimates
- Photos help us understand the job faster
- Same-day requests depend on partner availability