Looking for advice on fixing rivets on an 1983 aluminum boat

[SirFishesALot]

Hey everyone, new to this forum and looking for some advice. I recently bought my first boat a 1983 aluminum boat. I am trying to get it ready for use (it hasn't been in the water since 2013) and I have noticed that some of the rivets leak and I am also a little concerned some of the seams leak as well.

I am thinking about filling the boat with water to find every leaking rivet/spot and then either replacing the rivet or patching with aluminum rod or epoxy (although I have heard epoxy flakes off when it gets old). I am just not sure what the best permanent fix is. Anyone have any advice for how to patch leaks on an aluminum boat?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Scott Danforth]

do not fill the boat with water. that simply overloads your trailer. put the boat in water and use a sharpie to mark the rivets. then rebuck the old rivets.

google bucking rivets with two hammers.

 

[jbcurt00]

What aluminum boat

Lots of good info

Rivets, rivets and more rivets! (Repaired)

All of us have to learn a new trade when it comes to restoring our 'gently used' riveted aluminum boats. Disputably Starcraft boats are the most popular and prolific aluminum boat of all time and the same rivet questions come up time and time again. Rather than answer each and every question...

forums.iboats.com

 

[airshot]

If you have seam leaks then a good thorough cleaning of the interior then paint on a sealer such as gluvit and or other sealing coatings. Bucking those leaky rivets will help there, but seams will need an interior sealer. If needed there are also exterior sealers that get painted on, but they can get scratched off more easily tgan the interior stuff.

 

[SirFishesALot]

Thanks for the the help everyone. Sounds like a rebucking or rivet replacement is in order. I will probably do the sealant like gluvit as well. This is gonna be my fishing boat and it would be nice if it didn't leak.

 

[SirFishesALot]

What aluminum boat

Lots of good info

Rivets, rivets and more rivets! (Repaired)

All of us have to learn a new trade when it comes to restoring our 'gently used' riveted aluminum boats. Disputably Starcraft boats are the most popular and prolific aluminum boat of all time and the same rivet questions come up time and time again. Rather than answer each and every question...

forums.iboats.com

Well it is v hull shaped and it says Mirro on it but when I run the serial it says it is a McCready Railway boat which from my understanding was a custom boat builder

 

[jbcurt00]

Serial numbers don't id a boat, did you mean HIN? Boat equal of an auto VIN?

What are the 1st 3 letters of # you ran?

 

[SirFishesALot]

Serial numbers don't id a boat, did you mean HIN? Boat equal of an auto VIN?

What are the 1st 3 letters of # you ran?

Yeah I meant the HIN. It is MMR.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Mirrocraft (division of Mirro aluminum in Manitowoc Wisconsin) started making boats in 1954. in 1982 the boat manufacturing branched off and went up to Gillett WI and was renamed to Northport Inc who continuted to make Mirrocraft branded boats.

Not sure who McCready is however my mother worked on early mirrocrafts, and stayed on until well after Mirro Aluminum became Tramontina

 

[jbcurt00]

Yeah I meant the HIN. It is MMR.

Post the full HIN & a picture of the boat and Mirro logo.

Definitely something off, McCready doesn't list any affiliation, buyout of MirroCraft, parent company or etc...

Perhaps the Mirroxxxxx was added by a former owner or worse they swapped HINs/boats/titles

 

[SirFishesALot]

Mirrocraft (division of Mirro aluminum in Manitowoc Wisconsin) started making boats in 1954. in 1982 the boat manufacturing branched off and went up to Gillett WI and was renamed to Northport Inc who continuted to make Mirrocraft branded boats.

Not sure who McCready is however my mother worked on early mirrocrafts, and stayed on until well after Mirro Aluminum became Tramontina

That interesting. I didn't know mirro was ever renamed or changed hands to a different company.

I kind of wonder if this boat was an old mirrocraft that was redone at some point. It is weird that is labeled mirro when the HIN comes back to something different. I was struggling to find much information at all about McCready Railway.

When I get home I can take a couple of photos.

 

[Scott Danforth]

That interesting. I didn't know mirro was ever renamed or changed hands to a different company.

I grew up in a household with a Mirrocraft, mirro cookware, and Mirro aluminum Christmas trees

 

[SirFishesALot]

It has been raining and hailing here like crazy so there was a bit of a delay getting some photos but here it is. You can see the Mirro logo but the HIN comes back to something different.

 

[jimmbo]

In the early 80s one of our Mirrocrafts had something dropped inside, and put a roundish 1 inch dent/tear in the hull bottom about 6 ft forward of the transom, it acted like a little scoop, and produced a nice spray inside the boat. I was about 21 at the time, I put the boat on the Trailer and looked at the Bottom. The scoop was about 1/16" below the hull bottom the tear was about 110 degrees of Arc. I then smeared some Silicone Sealer, on the tear, inside and out, had someone in the boat holding a 4X4 over the dent, and proceeded to hit the scoop from the bottom. Two hits and it looked flush and level. 10 yrs later it still wasn't leaking. It was the Boat further from the camera

 

[airshot]

Back in 1994 when I had a Mirro, my tag started with MMR and was labeled as a Mirro on the decal.

 

[jimmbo]

It has been raining and hailing here like crazy so there was a bit of a delay getting some photos but here it is. You can see the Mirro logo but the HIN comes back to something different.

View attachment 379060

Maybe it's just Lighting, but whatever is jammed up against the Hull inward of the Fender, looks like it may have distorted the Hull. It is something, not stock on a Shore Lander Trailer.

 

[SirFishesALot]

Maybe it's just Lighting, but whatever is jammed up against the Hull inward of the Fender, looks like it may have distorted the Hull. It is something, not stock on a Shore Lander Trailer.

Inside of the fender is a small bunk. Not sure if that is what you typically see on a shore lander trailer. This is my first boat so pretty naive when it comes to boats and trailers.