Leaks fix

[sirslurpee]

Hi guys, I'm new to the site. I found it while surfing another outdoor forum.. Looks like you guys have a lot of awesome mods you've done! I really never thought that you can build awesome decks with storage on normal old row boats :twisted: Looks like I have a new goal with the boat now..

Anyway.. Right now, I'm working on getting the boat a little more comfortable. It's a 14' V hull from the 50s or 60s. Not 100% sure what brand off hand. It's got a bit of a leak at a few rivets. I've been searching the internet and trying to figure out what the easiest way for me to approach this is. I've already played around with aluminum brazing rods, but I can't get them to really stick to any kind of aluminum at all. I was considering JBWeld on bottom and 3m 5200 on top, but I feel like the goop might crack and fall off, or not bond well. I stumbled across Cabelas Aluminum boat patch and ordered some. Still waiting for it in the mail, but I figured I would come on here and ask for some more experienced opinions. Has anyone ever tried the Cabelas stuff? Also, I know it's an option to drill out rivets and re-rivet or rebuck existing rivets, but I have no experience with that stuff at all. I don't want to cause a bigger problem than I already have. What do you guys think?

 

[ober51]

Hi guys, I'm new to the site. I found it while surfing another outdoor forum.. Looks like you guys have a lot of awesome mods you've done! I really never thought that you can build awesome decks with storage on normal old row boats :twisted: Looks like I have a new goal with the boat now..

Anyway.. Right now, I'm working on getting the boat a little more comfortable. It's a 14' V hull from the 50s or 60s. Not 100% sure what brand off hand. It's got a bit of a leak at a few rivets. I've been searching the internet and trying to figure out what the easiest way for me to approach this is. I've already played around with aluminum brazing rods, but I can't get them to really stick to any kind of aluminum at all. I was considering JBWeld on bottom and 3m 5200 on top, but I feel like the goop might crack and fall off, or not bond well. I stumbled across Cabelas Aluminum boat patch and ordered some. Still waiting for it in the mail, but I figured I would come on here and ask for some more experienced opinions. Has anyone ever tried the Cabelas stuff? Also, I know it's an option to drill out rivets and re-rivet or rebuck existing rivets, but I have no experience with that stuff at all. I don't want to cause a bigger problem than I already have. What do you guys think?

Steel Flex from FASCO Epoxies is something to consider. It works very, very well and is about $65 bucks to your door. Here is the link: https://www.fascoepoxies.com/ its called Steel Flex. Beware, it's a bit of a pain to put on, just check out my post on tips! People have used it a lot around here, so ask questions before using. Good luck!

 

[Captain Ahab]

Welcome aboard - use the search feature in the upper right hand corner. Search "leaks" "hull repair" or "rivets" and you should have a few days worth of reading

 

[moloch16]

I used the Cabelas stuff on my rivets recently. I haven't put the boat in the water to see how well it works, but I can tell just by looking at it I fully believe the leaky rivets will leak no more. The stuff gets great reviews and is extremely easy to apply. It may not last forever, you may need to reapply in a year or two, but from a money and effort stand point the stuff seems top notch.

Linky:
https://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0001390010655a.shtml

Edit: I will mention that after applying this stuff I left my Jon in the driveway for a few days and it rained like crazy. The boat filled up with water and stay filled, which indicates the leaks are fixed

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

a leaky rivit is one of the easyest fix's you can do.

simple drill out the middle with a small bit and the rivit will fall apart. add some sealer to the hole and put your new rivit in

a rivit is nothing more than 2 pieces of aluminum mashed together. after time and abuse they just stetch out enough to allow water in

goodluck with it!

 

[russ010]

I've used that stuff from Cabelas and it worked great. I repaired a few holes that were about a quarter size diameter

 

[sirslurpee]

Thanks.. I did search before I posted, because I know how annoying repeat posts can be. I was looking more for anyone with positive/negative results of the cabelas stuff. I did search again and came up with a post someone had that linked to a rivet tool from home depot. It's like a punch, but concave on the end so it doesn't flatten the rivet out. I might try to pick one up today or tomorrow and try that with someone holding a sledge on the other side of the rivets..
Now I gotta ask, if I'm going to make this as easy as possible, how can I mark the rivets as the water is leaking out? I was thinking about using a sharpie but I am afraid it might not dry before the water gets to it. Maybe a paint marker?
Anyway, I figure if I rebuck as many of them as I can (some are under the seats, which are riveted to the hull, so I can't get to both sides) I can maximize my leak-proofing. :idea:

 

[russ010]

You can use a dab of white out.. .then when it dries it will come right off.

But the sharpie should be fine even if it gets a little wet. Wipe off the rivet before you mark it

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

i took my pocket screwdriver and scratched the rivits i saw leaking when we were on the water :mrgreen:

 

[Brine]

Welcome aboard - use the search feature in the upper right hand corner. Search "leaks" "hull repair" or "rivets" and you should have a few days worth of reading

You're right, but to me you won't get too much usable information on rivets if you've never pulled/bucked one for yourself. I think there is enough inquiries regarding rivets to make a home page write up about the subject given the differences in tools, methods, sizes, styles, and applications etc.... I am not the one to do it tho. I've yet to find a video on the net (let alone on TinBoats) of someone bucking a rivet on a tin boat, either with an air chisel or by hand. With as many times as I've seen the topic of leaky rivets brought up, and as many times as I have heard "tighten or rebuck or replace the rivet" I can see why so many people on here have chosen to use an epoxy/coating to cover up the problem instead of stopping the leak at the source. I'm one of them.

 

[Victor Coar]

On the interior I used jb weld and I have no leaks after 1 year of fishing. I also painted the outside of my boat with steelflex.

 

[Ouachita]

Welcome aboard - use the search feature in the upper right hand corner. Search "leaks" "hull repair" or "rivets" and you should have a few days worth of reading

You're right, but to me you won't get too much usable information on rivets if you've never pulled/bucked one for yourself. I think there is enough inquiries regarding rivets to make a home page write up about the subject given the differences in tools, methods, sizes, styles, and applications etc.... I am not the one to do it tho. I've yet to find a video on the net (let alone on TinBoats) of someone bucking a rivet on a tin boat, either with an air chisel or by hand. With as many times as I've seen the topic of leaky rivets brought up, and as many times as I have heard "tighten or rebuck or replace the rivet" I can see why so many people on here have chosen to use an epoxy/coating to cover up the problem instead of stopping the leak at the source. I'm one of them.

See my posts in this thread. https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7755 It is really easy to do but you need to take it slow or you can overdo it just as easily.

 

[russ010]

I'll try to get Tiffany to help me show you how I buck rivets... I think her camera will do video

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

i would go out and get you a cheap-o rivit gun for 20 bucks. they're well worth it

ive never buck'd a rivit but im curious as to how yuns do it

 

[sirslurpee]

If we can get a video that'd be sweet.. I went to a couple hardware stores and couldn't find that tool. For some reason I thought it was on the home depot website but instead it's on an avionics site (whoops.. that's what late nights do to ya)
I think I'm going to just put the sledge behind and use a BFH and try to tap them a bit (being conservative with force obviously) and paint afterwards. I'm not gonna do it today though.. Gonna try to get the garage sorted out so I can work on the boat (and hopefully store it eventually) in the garage.

BTW my Cabelas order came in today.. I'm hoping it will compliment the repair nicely :mrgreen:


-Loggerhead Mike: I was looking at the rivet guns and rivets they had at the hardware stores and it seems like they might not be completely watertight. Have you used that method before?

 

[Brine]

Welcome aboard - use the search feature in the upper right hand corner. Search "leaks" "hull repair" or "rivets" and you should have a few days worth of reading

You're right, but to me you won't get too much usable information on rivets if you've never pulled/bucked one for yourself. I think there is enough inquiries regarding rivets to make a home page write up about the subject given the differences in tools, methods, sizes, styles, and applications etc.... I am not the one to do it tho. I've yet to find a video on the net (let alone on TinBoats) of someone bucking a rivet on a tin boat, either with an air chisel or by hand. With as many times as I've seen the topic of leaky rivets brought up, and as many times as I have heard "tighten or rebuck or replace the rivet" I can see why so many people on here have chosen to use an epoxy/coating to cover up the problem instead of stopping the leak at the source. I'm one of them.

See my posts in this thread. https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7755 It is really easy to do but you need to take it slow or you can overdo it just as easily.

Yes, I remember. In fact I was giving a hint to a certin member that I thought would make a good author of said subject in that thread.

I don't doubt it is easy to do, once you have done it, but it's not like trying out a fishing lure. If it doesn't work, just change it out. I think the consequences are a little more intimidating when your talking about holes in a boat, and seeing it done correctly first hand may encourage more people to try it rather than patching. The fact that there have been so many people on the site resort to a different method seems apparent to me.

Hope I didn't make it sound like no one has ever explained the process, becaue I know it's been talked about. And Oachita, thanks for posting the tool, that did help me visualize it. My point was as much as it has been spoken about on the board, I have yet to find a thread with a step by step like you can for building a livewell, preping for paint, doing electrical wriing, building a deck, applying foam, applying camo clad, steelflex, etc....... I suspect the main reason is pics don't do it justice like a video would, as the process is what is visually missing from the discussion.

Then again, I'm not the sharpest hook on the treble.

 

[Brine]

For example:

[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/g7EUXOA9d78&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/g7EUXOA9d78&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]

I'm guessing this is a blind rivet? And I know thats a cleco next to it! See, I'm learning!!!!

 

[Brine]

Here is one on pop rivets

[youtube]<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/0bGAiC0_i_k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/0bGAiC0_i_k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>[/youtube]

and I got to hear the term "swedge" :lol:

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

if you use a dinky pop rivit they tend to break before compressing enough. you'll be able to eyeball it to tell if it broke prematuraly

when you get a gun check what size fittings it comes with. the biggest fitting it has is the size rivit you need to get. any gun at the parts store or sears will be fine

a 3/32 or 7/64" bit should be all you need to drill the rivit out. about half way into it they should fall apart.

i think i used 9/64" or the next size smaller rivit in mine. most smaller guns wont come with a fitting bigger than that. once you drill it out fill the hole with sealer and compress your new rivit about half way. tamp the sealer back around the rivit and sqeaze it in untill it breaks and your done. you'll spend more time getting the tools out than you will be actually working

good video brine im sure that will help some people alot

 

[grizzly]

the tool you need is a recipricating rotary hydraulic chisel socket, equipped with a die grinding pneumatic faulkner lathe bit, preferably with the laser guide.