# Replacing leaking rivets???



## spanky543 (Nov 20, 2016)

So I got the boat home yesterday and it's in pretty bad shape. There are some seams leaking in the bow. I am wanting to replace the rivets. Has anyone done that? I also have a few holes that were either from the old seats or something but I used stainless hardware, rubber o rings, and caulking inside. The o rings have started cracking and I want to install rivets to seal the holes. Will that work? 

Also think I am going to have to take the transom wood off and replace it. Would that be bolted on like it was or could you get rivets big enough to do the transom wood?


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## Johnny (Nov 20, 2016)

> *I am wanting to replace the rivets. Has anyone done that?*


yes of course !!! that is what we do on Tin Boats.

photos will give the gallery an idea as how to provide any solutions 

seams can be fixed with a number of things. G/Flex 650, Gluvit, 3M-5200, etc
most rivets can be rebucked to make them watertight.
G/Flex 650 will also work.
Pappy is an advocate of the medium CA (Super Glue).


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## stinkfoot (Nov 20, 2016)

I would look at https://eclecticproducts.com/produc...oducts/amazing-goop-coat-it-epoxy-sealer.html Solved all my leakage problems without replacing rivets.


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## ericman (Nov 21, 2016)

Are the leaks coming in around the rivets or at the seams? Are the rivet heads sheared off? If there is still some meat left on the rivets, they can be tightened by bucking them a bit more. As for transoms. I've switched over to using 1/4" solid aluminum rivets for "bolting" my transoms together. Put everything together, bolt it with 1/4 - 20 mach. screws and nuts. And then, one at a time, I pull each bolt and replace with a 1/4" solid rivet. Each rivet is cut to a length so that about 1/2" to 3/4" of shaft sticks through the inside of the boat. Then just buck it down, making sure that the head is pressed firmly to the outside of the hull. Done right, you won't ever need to seal it. Transoms I can do by myself, but keel seams and whatnot, you'll need an extra hand, unless your arms are 6 feet long!


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## spanky543 (Nov 21, 2016)

ericman said:


> Are the leaks coming in around the rivets or at the seams? Are the rivet heads sheared off? If there is still some meat left on the rivets, they can be tightened by bucking them a bit more. As for transoms. I've switched over to using 1/4" solid aluminum rivets for "bolting" my transoms together. Put everything together, bolt it with 1/4 - 20 mach. screws and nuts. And then, one at a time, I pull each bolt and replace with a 1/4" solid rivet. Each rivet is cut to a length so that about 1/2" to 3/4" of shaft sticks through the inside of the boat. Then just buck it down, making sure that the head is pressed firmly to the outside of the hull. Done right, you won't ever need to seal it. Transoms I can do by myself, but keel seams and whatnot, you'll need an extra hand, unless your arms are 6 feet long!




It looks more like a seam...I will get some pictures tonight when I get home. I have already gone and coated the whole bottom of the boat with an epoxy coating. I hope it can be patched without having to redo the entire coating...


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## DaleH (Nov 21, 2016)

> As for transoms. I've switched over to using 1/4" solid aluminum rivets for "bolting" my transoms together.!


Just my thoughts (not directed to the OP), but once over a certain HP value (maybe 20hp?) then I myself wouldn't use rivets - they'll flex too much and can fail due to fatigue, i.e., take a paper clip and repeatedly flex the wire ... it will soon break. The one item I don't want to break is the fastener holding my stern together. But your mileage may vary ... 



> ... replace with a 1/4" solid rivet. Each rivet is cut to a length so that about 1/2" to 3/4" of shaft sticks through the inside of the boat.


Be aware that too much of a tail can cause the rivet to tilt off-center and not seal as good as a properly cut-to-length rivet. Worse it can egg the hole ... 

Typically the length of the tail of the unformed rivet should protrude about 1-1/2 to 2 times the *rivet shank diameter* from the back side of the surface being riveted. And when bucked properly, the tail will expand or 'mushroom' to about 1-1/2 times the rivet shank diameter.

A good tip is to practice riveting, as only a few will let you know if your parts and technique are sound. 'Tis better to waste some rivets and some scrap materials beforehand than to blow it because one couldn't be bothered to test their setup.


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## spanky543 (Nov 21, 2016)

Here are the pictures. Looks like one of the rivets is totally blown out...



Here is the seam that's leaking...





Here are the hole patches I attempted a few years back... want to try to replace these with rivets.



And totally on a side note...why are my pictures turning when I post then lol. The first one is upside down....


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## spanky543 (Nov 21, 2016)

I forgot to mention...the seam that looks to be leaking is near a dent in the hull...can I get the dent out without messing stuff up? You can kind of see it in this pic.



Here it is in an old picture circled.


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## DaleH (Nov 22, 2016)

spanky543 said:


> Looks like one of the rivets is totally blown out...


Not a problem. I have a 12' Starcraft that had numerous ones like that. Yes, I had the tools, garnered from the complete new transom skin rebuild to my 16' V-hull, but once you have the proper tooling ... the process is sooooo easy that my 12-year daughter repaired the 12' skiff. See: https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=41042



spanky543 said:


> I forgot to mention...the seam that looks to be leaking is near a dent in the hull...can I get the dent out without messing stuff up?


You move the tin skin back in place, it needs to deflect well back the other way. The only way I would try it would be to put the hull down, where the lengthwise strakes were adequately and fully supported by hardwood blocks, so that the force put against the skin is going to displace that skin only. Afterwards I would re-buck the surround rivets.

FYI, the tooling as used on my 12-footer included:


$50 pancake compressor, $20 air tool and a $15 air line kit, all from H-Freight
$20 bucking bar from Vintage Trailer (https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Bucking-Bar-p/vts-825.htm) and a 
$10-$13 brazier head tool for the air gun, to properly set the rivets (see: https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=41248)

Then just add 1100F alloy 3/16" solid aluminum rivets (https://rivetsonline.com/solid-aluminum-rivets-5-32-to-3-16.html) and go to town!

That's $115 worth of new tools for my collection, but I'm all set if I ever need to work on the boats again! Honestly, I consider it a cheap investment. And yeah, while the Haba Freight items admittedly are 'cheap' tools - they got the job done. You could use a block of metal or a sledge in place of that bucking bar, that surely came in handy in tight spots (under seats, etc.). You can borrow most of these tools from friends, but I would definitely BUY the tool head made for the aluminum brazier-type rivet heads. 

For full disclosure, whereas I had almost 400 rivets to do on my bigger boat, I had borrowed a huge 21-gallon industrial air compressor from a friend. I recall I could get 3 to 5 good rivets set with the smaller 'pancake' compressor before it would need to re-fill back to the pressure needed.


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## spanky543 (Nov 30, 2016)

So I got my new rivet gun :-D

It looks like the holes I patched with the screws and rubber gaskets are 3/16" holes. Here are the results. 








I used an open blind rivet but I am going to switch to the closed rivets for the actual repairs.


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## ericman (Dec 1, 2016)

So, if you're going to go to solid rivets, why pop those in at all?


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## spanky543 (Dec 1, 2016)

ericman said:


> So, if you're going to go to solid rivets, why pop those in at all?



So to clarify I did 1 rivet. I wanted to see if the rivets would work for the holes. I have never riveted a boat before. So instead of buying a whole bag of rivets and them not working. I used one of the free ones that came with my rivet gun :-D


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