Re: Aluminum Boat repair - Rivets?
And again, most individuals with small aluminum boats do not have most of the special tools needed.
What? Your average boater does not have access to two large hammers, or one hammer and a chunk of steel billet?
You can get flat rivets, which do not need a concave punch. Just use one hammer as a bucking bar, and use the other to hit with. Have had to do this on occasion when in a bind. It WILL work.
Or, conventional round top rivets work fine too. The flat hammer will slightly flatten the round head, making the cosmetics not as nice as a factory hammered rivet, but you have to really look at the rivet to notice that, and it is still 100 percent functional.
You do not need fancy equipment to pull 3/16 blind rivets. I have pulled well over 2500 of those on a 20 dollar home depot pop riveter. They aren't exactly weak either. I used them to completely rebuild the deck structure and hatches and all in an aluminum bass boat once, and they will hold a heavy load just fine. I am not talking about holding the sheet onto the structure, but building the structure with these. This boat regularly will fish a couple 200 plus pound people on the bow deck, and when the truck is in use, we have had to use this boat as a utility trailer, and those "non structural" 3/16 pop rivets hold large loads just fine.
I have also used them, in conjuntion with a little 5200 in thru hull applications.
Qualifications:
Owned 30+ yr. welding & fabricating
aerospace/milspec/aviation/marine/structural business
Coast Guard certified weldor
3G unlimited structural
owned/custom built/operate boats to 38'
Commercial
Instrument
SEL&MEL Land
A&P
MSCNE
Any questions?
Your attitude has a lot of room for improvement. I am not disputing your credentials, and I commend you for the effort needed to gain all that. Also, I see nothing wrong with your method of doing this. It works, but it is not the only way. You seem to be so far up on your high horse that in your view of things, because it worked for you, it is the only way to do something. And, because you do have credentials that exceed that of some of us, your way is the only acceptable.
If you had posted once with your idea, that would have been acceptable, or if you had defended your post when/if somebody called your method out particularly (not that it happened in this case - more of a what if scenario). However, you posted your idea, then kept calling down EVERY other idea that was written down, attempting to stomp it into the floor, and kept pushing your own idea as the ONLY one.
From the looks of it, and I haven't searched any of your other posts, but you have developed a nice little reputation, from this one thread alone. Take some time, get an attitude adjustment, and people may start listening to your ideas (not your "facts") on how to do something.