rivits vrs nut/bolts

texsguns

Seaman
Joined
Oct 29, 2002
Messages
50
as ive said befor i got a mil and 3 questions am having new trim(aluminum)1 1/4x 1 1/4 inch angle replaced all around boat (holds walls to covered bow and rest of the boat because of previous damage by past owners. and redone poorly. rivits need to be removed and replaced. idea is would like to line top of boat with 3/16 plywood stained and polycoated to a very high finish (for looks) if i do so rivits or screws would sandwish the 3/16 wood thru the angle would this be structly sound???
 

John Carpenter

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
336
Re: rivits vrs nut/bolts

Well...I won't claim to be an expert, but I do have some opinions :D My first thought on this was to go with the bolts, however thinking about an older Chris-Craft I own changed my mind. One day soon after buying this boat I became irritated with the number of squeaks and rattles it had so started going around tightening fastenings. Every nut and bolt I found was loose...all of the rivets were still tight. The boat was 20 years old at the time.<br /><br />Another thing to think about is electrolysis. It seems to me that most rivets are aluminum & will cause no problems from being in contact with the aluminum angle. Most bolts are an alloy of steel and you will have galvanic corrosion where it contact the aluminum. I don't know how much stress is going to be placed on these fasteners, but if it is not a lot I think I would go with the rivets. My .02
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: rivits vrs nut/bolts

larry,<br /><br />Bolts are probably a bit easier to deal with. If you use bolts, use stainless steel with matching "nyloc" nuts. Those will not loosen over time.
 

SCO

Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 19, 2001
Messages
1,463
Re: rivits vrs nut/bolts

Id use bolts too. The wood might shrink, then you'll be able to retighten. I've seen aluminum machine screws at Home Depot, but ss is used on alum parts all the time, in marine environments. Check the fittings an any sailboats aluminum mast. Since this is not underwater, and you are doing additional structural work, ss is good. If you look at it and there are closely spaced holes designed for alum rivits, maybe ss strength is overkill, and you can go with aluminum fasteners. Consider loctight if you go with alum and cant get nylock nuts. The only reason I am not 100% for ss, is that I've taken ss fittings off alum masts and found some enlargement corrosion of the alum holes. I wondered if there was some localized galvanic action taking place. Whatever it was, it was minimal and took a long time to develop. Theoretically, Alum is the more anodic matl, so ss rivits ok. The opposite, alum rivits on ss, is not ok. Rivits would corrode away like a zinc anode.
 
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