Leaking Rivets!

[Howard Allen]

I have an old (1963) 14' Aluminum Starcraft boat that I bought for very little money from a lady whose husband died. It was not in the water but she did say it leaked. I have determined it leaks from about 40 rivets to the tune of about 5 gallons/12 hours. I have the boat out of the water and have circled all the leaking rivets. What is the best way to fix the leaks besides buying another boat? I am considering JB weld on the inside of the hull for each leaker. I really like the boat so I am hoping to find a way to keep her. It is my first one.

 

[Navigator]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Howard,<br />You could always drill out the leaking rivets and install new oversize rivets in their place. I did this once on an old jon boat and it seemed to stop the leakage.<br />(but then again, I only had to replace 5 rivets

)<br />Nav.

 

[he4givs]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Hey.. I've been down the road of leaking rivets... here is what DOES WORK! Aluminum welding rods that works with a hand held propane torch. It's easy. Just hold the torch on the rivet, and hold the alum rod on it until it melts a pool around the rivet, and your done. I bought a whole tube of 18 rods from Weeks Distributors for $35.00 including shipping... 1-800-547-9353 ask for Randy the owner, he is really helpful. A tube will do more than a whole boat. Try it, you will like it. ***** Bless You....

 

[Howard Allen]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Hello he4givs, (I know he does!)<br />Good to hear from you, your idea sounds like a permanent solution. I am assuming that you are running straight propane in the torch right? Is there any danger in burning through the boat or are the welding rods softer and melt sooner than the hull?

 

[he4givs]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I used a cheap torch and it would not get hot enough, so I called Randy and he said to get the yellow bottle of propane and it would get hotter, but not to over heat it, which I did a little here and there, but the soft rods still filled up all the holes around the rivets. You heat the area while circleing the rod around the rivet, when the area is hot enough, the rod will melt, but you don't put the flame to the rod, but the rod to the heated area.... These are incrediable rods.... ***** Bless You.... The keep on blinking out the name of *****.... See ya..

 

[Erik]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I have a 12' aluminum boat that had the same problem but instead of fixing only the rivets that was leaking, I did all of the rivets. This way in the future no more will leak. The boat is now leak proof and has been for quite a while now.<br />What i used was 3M 5200 marine sealant. It extremly strong, but still flexable. You can get it at any hardware store or marine supply shop. I used it on all the seams that where riveted. Welding the seams is a very good permant fix also. Whatever you decide I would recommend that you dount just fix the leaky ones but all of them cause they will get loose just like the ones you have now.-good luck

 

[Howard Allen]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Hi Erik;<br />Fortunately I have no seam leaks, just rivet leaks. This 3M sealant you used, did you use it on the rivets or just the seams? If it remains flexible doesn't that mean it could be scrapped of when you pull the boat up on the shore? When I decide what method to use, I am going to repair the leaks from, the inside of the hull as I am planning on taking the floor out anyway. That way I think the repair will last longer since I have to pull my boat up on shore as I have no dock no mooring (yet) and I have a very gravelly shore.

 

[joe parker]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

spray in bed liner for pickups ; about $150, non skid and looks nice.

 

[Barry&Lori]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Ya I agree with Joe my buddy did it to his 12footer and it worked great he has no leaks.....

 

[prplhze65]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I HAD A BASSTRACKER THAT WAS LEAKING. TAKE A WIRE WHEEL ON A SMALL GRINDER AND CLEAN AROUND THE RIVETS REAL GOOD. I USED 3M METAL SEALANT THATS USED FOR GUTTERS AND IT WORKED FINE.

 

[Queenston]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I feel for you Howard. I have a 19 foot Starcraft that has become a floating seive because of loose rivets. Does anybody know if these fixes work without having to turn the boat over?

 

[captainjohn]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

hi, i just used a two stage epoxy. ive done a few seams this way, and some holes,not even rivets,flat out holes.i use the boat a lot-pulling it in and out over gravel-some of the patch jobs have held up over 5 years so far... good luck<br /><br />------------------<br />cptnjon

 

[Howard Allen]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Hi everyone, This list is sure great! Here is what I am planning. The boat is on the trailer and I have circled all the leaking rivets. I have purchased some standard JB Weld, some 5 minute JB weld, and some 2 part clear epoxy. I will remove the floor and with a partner heat each leaking rivet up with a small butane lighter. While the rivet is warm my partner will apply one of the materials, noting which is applied to what spot. The warmth will encourage the epoxy to "wick" down into the leaking area (may not as well with the JB weld as it is thicker) and begin the cure. The next day I will launch the boat with out the floor in it to confirm the fix. If OK in goes the floor, if not circle and identify what worked and what didn't. I will do this next weekend and let everyone what worked best.

 

[JB]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Very scientific, Howard. Your results should be very valuable to a lot of aluminum boat owners. Be sure to let us all know how it turns out! Good luck!<br /><br />Red sky. . . . . <br />JB

 

[jdenton]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I fixed a 12 footer with about 20 leaks once.<br />Put boat up on some tall saw horses and filled it up with water to identify leaks from underneath boat. Used the 2 part jb weld on outside (some rivets under seats, etc.). Boat hasn't leaked a drop in 3 years.

 

[jakesdad]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I have an old duracraft and had leaks. I went to the aluminum boat repair board and found that they drill out the bad rivits and replace them with stainless steel nuts and bolts along with some plumbers silicon goop. As long as you have access to the rivits without pulling the floor up.

 

[evin300]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Has anyone ever tried re-setting the rivets? A dolly on one side and a hammer on the other. Just a thought

 

[GoneFishin']

Re: Leaking Rivets!

I've had my share of alum boat leaks too & I've tried just about all the things mentioned in this thread. They all work.. Some solutions last longer that others. My personal favorite-- Carefully drill out the rivets & replace them with 1/4" SS bolts w/ washers & lock washers or lock nuts. Put a dab of the 3M 5200 adhesive under the washers & it will never leak again. (At least mine hasn't & it's been a long time.)<br /><br /><br /><br />------------------<br />See ya later... I'm GoneFishin'

 

[Howard Allen]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

Well here is an update on my experience. JB weld (original type) works well, aplies well and adheres. The 4 minute version goes on a little harder and did not adhere about 50% of the time for some reason. Devcon 5 minute 2 part epoxy went on very poorly (too thin) but worked well. Unfortunately, the worst leaks were along the keel where the ribs and keel were joined. There was not way to apply a sealant to the head since the keel was under the head and then the hull. I tried to re rivet these with about a 70% success rate. I devised a rivet tool from a huge nail that I drilled a 1/4 hole into about 1/8 of an inch. For the rivet head side I made a little anvil with a concave finish that somewhat matched the rivet head. I held the anvil in place with a 3 pound sledge while my daughter hit the riveting tool with a 1lb hammer. After three to four hits she pretty well compressed the rivet. Some of these were so loose you could spin them easily. The boat is out of the water again and I have circled a few I missed and some that didn't take and will use the JB well and riveting tool again. For the one or two that I riveted that didn't take I am going to drill them out and sue the 1/4 SS screw idea with a splash of Devcon during assembly. I will let all y'all know what comes of it in mid August.

 

[toddamous]

Re: Leaking Rivets!

hey howard i had the same problem w/ my 12 ft johnboat. it is alluminun w/ steel rivets. there was a leak in every rivet. the way i fixed it was drilling the rivets out and replacing them w/ stainless steel rivets. i had a stainless steel re-inforcement bar w/ a little silicon seal on it for a little extra.