I have an old Jon boat, from Sears, that has a bunch of leaky rivets. In the past I had one of these boats, not a Sears but almost identical that also had leaky rivets. I re-set all of the leaky rivets and after a few years some started to leak again. No surprise there. So with the boat I have now I'm thinking of MIG welding around all the rivets on the outside of the boat and then running some beads on the inside bracing because some of the rivets will be loose. I know the welds will add some drag but I really don't care, the only bodies of water this boat will be going in are small so even if the motor quits the rowing distance will be short. Opinions? Thanks, Eric
Which: rivet or re-weld?
Aug 31, 2014
2 Replies
I'd replace the loose rivets with some a size larger in diameter . Part of what seals that hole is the expansion of the rivet shank as you mushroom the end . Rivets that are loose in the hole will neither stay tight nor sealed .
Years ago I made similar repairs using short bolts and JB Weld. I really don't use the boat a lot but 30 yrs later none are leaking.
My thought is you may be "over fixing" with the welding of the braces etc.
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