best way to seal leaky rivets?

[cgrand]

i have a hand-me-down riveted john boat that i want to fix up for river use...it is leaking pretty badly from the rivets in the bottom. the rivets themselves aren't failing

i had patched them once before maybe ten years ago with epoxy, that worked for a while. is there a better way to patch over the rivets that will seal them? what about those aluminum "putty" products, or even marine-tex? i do not care what it winds up looking like...

[yottyboy]

Roll on a couple coats of truck bed liner.

[wetspot]

I used 5200 and so far it has worked! Been out ~ 4 times, no leaks and no sign of peeling. I must say that this is just a crabbing boat and that I am not running far.
The 5200 will flex some with the boat, many other epoxies are too hard.

Just my experience.

Good luck

[bamaboy473]

yottyboy - 7/21/2008 10:50 AM

Roll on a couple coats of truck bed liner.

....on the Outside.

[My Gal]

Phenoseal if you can find it or 5200.

[tuna875]

West Systems has a flexible epoxy call G/flex Epoxy. I have used it on a PE kayak but I know they repaired an aluminum boat with it (look under their posted projects). There are definitely cheaper ways to perform the repair but I have always been happy with their products.

[cgrand]

that gflex looks like it may be the ticket
the old epoxy patches worked, but they eventually cracked off
the bedliner paint also sounds promising

thanks for the tips!

[jmsavoie]

I have heard...if you are able to have someone hold a hammer as a back up on one side of the rivet, and give the other side a good smack with another hammer, you can re tighten the rivets. Like I said, I have not tried this but seems plausible.

[Dark Toilet]

Jb weld or marine tex should do the job

[My Gal]

jmsavoie - 7/21/2008 10:39 AM

I have heard...if you are able to have someone hold a hammer as a back up on one side of the rivet, and give the other side a good smack with another hammer, you can re tighten the rivets. Like I said, I have not tried this but seems plausible.

Won't work. You will damage the area and make it worse. From a former aircraft machanic.

[jmsavoie]

My Gal - 7/21/2008 8:48 AM

Won't work. You will damage the area and make it worse. From a former aircraft machanic.

Well, there you go! Don't try that.

5200!

[SEASWIRL PAUL]

jb weld dont work at all tried it.

[RussH]

I used a product called Gluvit and it did a great job. It's an epoxy type of product that you just brush on.

Russ

[bear685]

i just did this to 2 flatboats ... 1st after cleaining any rust from around the rivets ... I sanded it a little be sure it was clean-ish. then ... 5200. voila - no more leaks. after i applied a marine uretane paint to some effect. Sherwin-Williams - $40 a gallon. it was a little overkill

[rubinjames]

I have never done that exact job,but, I would try 5200 first.

[phillipgo]

There is a solder made for aluminum, if the area is clean would work best.

[hhi angler]

I would rebuck the rivets, that is using a metal block and a correct size hammer to reset them. Cleans the area with solvent(acetone) then apply the 5200.

[FishOn162]

5200 lasts the longest.

Have had the same problem on my 1976 boat.

Tried Gluvit, sanded and painted the whole bottom with it, lasted one season before leaks returned.

Have also tried silicone caulk. Peels, drys out, cracks.

5200 last a LONG time and is self smoothing.

JB Weld and Marinetex crack.