leaky rivets

joho5

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
456
I have some leaky rivets on my 14' flat bottom boat. I cant single them out so I was wondering whats a good treatment for the whole bottom of the boat and just take care of them all at once?

thanks
 

5150abf

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: leaky rivets

Get a Sharpy and 2 saw horses.

Put the boat on the horses and get some water in it(2''-3'') and start marking rivets, leaving the leaks and just covering them up works for a while but your boat still leaks and it is harder to repair once you have a thick coating of whatever on it, it is a band-aid fix.

Find the leaking rivets and rebuck them, that requires 2 hammers, one inside one out, then your boat no longer leaks and is repaired correctly and you never have to worry about when your sealer is going to fail.

If you are okay with the band-aid approach you want a product called Gluvit, but again I think it would take less time and no money to fix it correctly.
 

joho5

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
456
Re: leaky rivets

Can the gluvit be applied on the exterior surface under the waterline? I was wanting to paint it on the bottom of the boat. Also, what color is it before painted?

thanks
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: leaky rivets

it works best from the inside, as it is a thin liquid when applied, and runs into cracks, etc.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,066
Re: leaky rivets

Gluvit is an amber tinted epoxy but you can tint it to a point.... consult the marinetex web site. Tashasdaddy and I are believers in it.... it flows (actually creeps) into the tighest areas and actually remains flexible to flex with the hull.

5150abf said to buck the rivets with hammers.... I also agree with that. Between making sure rivets are tight, missing or bad ones replaced and the gluvit you will be leak free.
 
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