Fixing leaking rivets

[Jim McC]

What is involved in repairing leaky rivets ? Is it an easy job ? There's a 14' Lowe Big Jon on Craigslist and the ad says there are a couple leaky rivets. I don't know the year of the boat, but it looks like an older one. Thanks.

[BigAngus752]

38 minutes ago, Jim McC said:

What is involved in repairing leaky rivets ? Is it an easy job ? There's a 14' Lowe Big Jon on Craigslist and the ad says there are a couple leaky rivets. I don't know the year of the boat, but it looks like an older one. Thanks.

I bought a leaky jon, sanded the hull, and sealed every single rivet (several leaking rivets and one rivet that was completely missing) with this:

 

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Marine-Adhesive-Sealant-5200/?N=5002385+3293241623&rt=rud

 

I painted it and used it for two seasons and it never leaked a single drop.  I sold it for twice what I paid for it.  

[Jim McC]

Thanks Big Angus. I sent you a message. 

[Jim McC]

I found out the boat is from 1982. The boat does not have a floor, so it should be easier to see what is going on.

 

Is my best bet having him launch it and see how much water comes in after a short time? 

 

Would you guys consider leaking rivets a minor thing ? Assuming the leaks are not from a seam, etc.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

[Guitarfish]

I think I'd want to see it in the water.  Anything is doable if cheap enough to spend time on. 

 

My 12' Gregor is welded but kept acquiring a quart of water per trip.  I kept thinking the adjustable plug wasn't tight enough. Then I discovered the transom wood was rotting because the nuts & bolts had no sealant on them. Water was forcing it's way in thru the holes.  I replaced the transom wood and sealed all the screws with 4200.  5200 turns hard and tough to remove.

 

 

[Jim McC]

Thanks

[the reel ess]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:10 PM, Jim McC said:

I found out the boat is from 1982. The boat does not have a floor, so it should be easier to see what is going on.

 

Is my best bet having him launch it and see how much water comes in after a short time? 

 

Would you guys consider leaking rivets a minor thing ? Assuming the leaks are not from a seam, etc.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

When I was 13 or so my dad bought a Ryan Craft aluminum bass boat. It was a thin gauge metal riveted boat. He had a 40 HP motor on it. Eventually, some rivets loosened up. We would spend off-seasons drilling them out and replacing with pop rivets with some silicone on each new rivet (before popping it in). It's a weaker design. Thicker gauge metal helps though. But if you were only going to use it with maybe a 10 HP motor or a trolling motor, you probably wouldn't have any problems after replacing the few leaky ones. We beat up on that old Ryan Craft pretty good. I would also mention the welds on ribs across the floor used to crack over time and need rewelding. Just the ones near the front that took the pounding. As you mentioned, you want to check all the seams.

[Jim McC]

Thanks

[TnRiver46]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:10 PM, Jim McC said:

I found out the boat is from 1982. The boat does not have a floor, so it should be easier to see what is going on.

 

Is my best bet having him launch it and see how much water comes in after a short time? 

 

Would you guys consider leaking rivets a minor thing ? Assuming the leaks are not from a seam, etc.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

Leaking rivets are minor. Put the plug in and fill up boat with water hose. Then look under to see where water comes through . I knocked a rivet all the way out once and put JB weld in the top and bottom. It never leaked again 

[DaubsNU1]

Agree with Hawg, fill the boat with water and mark the leak spots. 

 

My 1960 Richline was very leaky...I pulled the motor, pulled the boat off the trailer, flipped it over and used some epoxy aluminum repair sticks to seal it up. Directions call for heating the aluminum with propane torch, then melting the epoxy and sealing it up.  I did this when I got the boat in 2000....had the boat back in the water this weekend...minimal leaking. 

 

Good luck!

[BigAngus752]

On 8/9/2020 at 7:10 PM, Jim McC said:

I found out the boat is from 1982. The boat does not have a floor, so it should be easier to see what is going on.

 

Is my best bet having him launch it and see how much water comes in after a short time? 

 

Would you guys consider leaking rivets a minor thing ? Assuming the leaks are not from a seam, etc.

 

Thanks for any advice.

 

 

Sorry I just saw this.  The boat that you and I talked about didn't have a floor either.  The leaking rivets are caused by grown men my size  standing on the hull between the braces.  After I fixed up all the rivets in the boat I repaired I then made two sections of removable floor using treated plywood with some 1x2 framing.  I made the floor removable so I could drag the boat around more easily by myself and then just drop the front and middle floors in and go fishing.