War Eagle boats rib welding?

[csurp]

I looked at a couple of War Eagle jon boats today and was surprised by the way the ribs were attached to the side of the boat. The ribs were tack welded at the top and the bottom of the rib but there was no weld in the middle. There was actually a small gap between the rib and the side of the boat. This doesn't look like a very solid attachment to me. Was I looking at a bad batch of boats or is this how they are all built?

[Bkt1]

How they are built. There is no solid bead around the rib

[richg99]

Just guessing, but... All boats flex a lot. It may be that they found out solid welding inhibited the flex and cracked.

If the spot welds do their job, then all is well. They've been around a long time

[jeff_3272]

Aluminum boats flex A LOT. Too many solid welds lead to cracks and tears in the aluminum. Ever seen how much flex wings on a plane have?