leakey aluminum boat rivets

[fisher80000]

I am thinking about getting an old v hull jon boat for $450 with nothing but a trailer but it has 6 or so rivets leaking is it worth it if so what do i do to fix them and them stay water proof with a 8hp outboard after 30 min it had a half coffee cup of water on the test drive

thanks you guys!!


good fishen

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: leakey aluminum boat rivets

Welcome to iboats! I suspect someone here in the restoration section has some knowledge on how to fix a few rivets!

 

[HopeSheFloats]

Re: leakey aluminum boat rivets

LOL, yeah it's not rocket science or airplane construction ...

Welcome Fisher, simple enough..have someone hold a hammer or block of steel on one side , whack the other side a good one and wha la...of course there's much more defined terminology, and quite definitely better ways of descibing what and how, but this is my way of doing /saying it, worked before & will again....easy peasy as long as your not swinging a sledgehammer. Since joining here recently I've learned that you should also seal the rivets when your done, all of them for piece of mind as far as that goe's...use 'Gluvit'...do a search here for more info....enjoy your new ride!!!

 

[roscoe]

Re: leakey aluminum boat rivets

Depends on how much effort you want to put into it, and how important it is to you, to be leak free.

We kept our old boat floating for 25 years with a handful of sheet metal screws and a small tube of 3m 4200 sealant.

Or you can simply sponge the water up every couple of hours.

Or you can do any number of repairs to stop the leaks.


8 ounces of water an hour is nothing to worry about.

More water than that drips off the fish we catch.

 

[psteurer]

Re: leakey aluminum boat rivets

I would think that $450 for a the boat and trailer is a pretty good price. A half cup of water is not that much for 30 minutes.

Another method to try that is a little easier than riveting it to use short stainless steel screws and nuts. Drill out the suspected leaking rivet exactly the same size as the screw so that the screw treads in. Insert the screw from the bottom and the nut on the top and tighten it down. I have put JB Weld in the hole and over the screw and nut to seal it. Gluvit is probably just as good. If you are a purist, get yourself the correct rivets and learn how to do.