Repaired leak in our 16ftSS Starcraft.

[Tnstratofam]

Some time ago I replaced the transom in our Starcraft. ( The link is in my sig at the bottom.) After having her out on the water a few times I found there would always be a little water in the bilge area. Now I contributed this to water coming in over the splash well, or us getting in and out of the boat. However one day I noticed some weird looking rivets at the water line of our hull, and upon further investigation realized the water was probably coming in from these suspect rivets. Here is what I found, and what I did to correct them.

First some pics of the rivets in question..




There were 9 or 10 rivets that had this putty or whatever it is on them. I had to use a small chisel to remove this stuff as it was hard as a rock.



Under neath this putty I did not find rivets as I had expected, but sheet metal screws instead.



This was really strange to me as I can't figure out why anyone would think that putting screws in your hull below the waterline, and then using what amounted to silly putty to make it water proof was a good idea. Oh well the things I find on our boat from previous owners never cease to amaze me. I guess in all fairness if you don't know you don't know..

 

[Tnstratofam]

.Duplicate post..

 

[Tnstratofam]

To repair these spots first I drilled out the holes for the new rivets.





Then I coated the new rivets with 5200 and inserted them in the holes I predrilled.

 

[jigngrub]

Lots of people use and want to use screws and nuts and bolts below the waterline in their aluminum boats instead of buying a rivet gun and rivets and doing it properly. Some realize the error of their ways and go back and do it right, others keep wondering why their boat still leaks.

You should be good to go with your repair.

 

[Tnstratofam]

I used the small rivet gun

I used MEK to clean up the new rivets. Then took her to the lake for a test dip..

 

[Tnstratofam]

We had a good trip out on our test dip. No leaks, and the bilge stayed dry all day.



We even managed to catch a small mouth on our trip..



All in all a good day on the water..







It's an easy repair so if you have a similar problem don't be afraid to tackle it.

Happy boating!

Dave...

 

[GA_Boater]

Sometimes it takes a while to find a leaker, Dave. In your first pic, I thought it was just a badly formed rivet head at first glance. Silly putty over a screw!. :facepalm:

It looks like you have to cast outside the boat now. The easy fishing days are over. Keep on having Tinnie Fun. :thumb:

 

[Tnstratofam]

Yeah GA now I've really got to sharpen my fishing skills. The Admiral said we need to keep a bucket on board for bailing purposes. I assured her the only time we should get wet now in the boat is when it rains. By the way the rivets I used for my repair were closed end blind rivets for anyone who might have been wondering.