[jjpugh]

i have a1996 starcraft it has pop rivets and takes in some water. while on the trailer i pumped water into the boat and water was coming out from the bottom seam plate. i did some reading on fixing this and read that you can drill out these rivets and replace with bolts and nylon lock nuts. my questions is am i taking any risk by removing that bottom plate. Im redoing the deck so it will be out to access the bottom of the boat. any info appreciated

 

[Misdirection]

WalleyeWhacker started a thread on the same topic last year and got a lot of good feedback, you might want to search for that thread. But I do recall people saying that as long as you can get at the rivet on the inside of the boat, their fairly easy to fix. If you can only get at the outside, they can be a pain...good luck...

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[Shortdrift]

Craig at Erie Outfitters can remove and replace rivets from the outside. Special rivet and gun.

 

[pal21]

If you go to TinBoats.net you will get the info you need.

 

[muskyhound]

Google bullfrog rivets, if there are pop rivets in the boat those are not what came with it..

 

[jlami]

I am in the process of redoing an '86 Bass Tracker Tournament TX17. The entire back deck is about 7 pieces of sheet metal riveted together with about 160 rivets. Needless to say when I couldn't figure out how to get it back together I resorted to alot of research. Not to mention I had a leakng seam as well...

Fortunately my repair was simple.(I think?) When they build these aluminium boats they coat the seams with an adehesive/sealant during the riveting process. I found the leak and allowed it to dry out for a few days. Once I was confident that there was no more moisture in the seam I took my heat gun to it. The heat gun will reseal that adhesive and from what I understand 8 times out of 10 that will fix the problem. I can only vouch for 1 time out of 1, and I have not yet put it on the water...

You might try that before drilling out the old and putting in the new. I have seen the bullfrog repair kits and they seen quick and painless. A for sure fix that will not bee too complicated. But why spend the $ if you can keep factory rivets and still fix it. Besides, drilling holes in the bottom of my boat made me nervous.

Also check out the tinboats forum. There is alot of good repair/rebuild/restore info on there.

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[MassillonBuckeye]

If you can get to the inside, rebuck the rivets that leak and maybe apply some Marinetex to the seams which is similar to what Jlami is talking about. Sucker should be solid forever at that point.

 

[BottomBouncer]

I just finished sealing a 14' aluminum boat. I did not check for leaks, just sealed it as a preventative measure. I used Gluvit. It seems to be pretty good. I don't see how any water could get through now. I did every rivet and seam.

It is close to $60 for a quart which is more than enough.