To rivet or not to rivet...

[jlowmiller]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

ya it really did have a bit of a rough life. I hope I can bring it back, it might be beyond.

 

[sschefer]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

Welding the seams is out. The aluminum is hardened aluminum and welding will most likely cause it to crack. I just had my 18' Starcraft repaired by one of the best boat shops on the West Coast. It was touch and go. I had a 12 inch tear and they tacked it and then riveted on a patch.

If you want to keep it original and make it last another 30 years, replace the rivets. If you're a one man band then use closed end pop rivets, Aluminum/Aluminum. Just remember, if you use closed end pops and later you find a leak, you can't just tighten them up like a normal rivet so use plenty of GluVit too.

 

[jlowmiller]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

I am a bit of a one man band, but I have a few friends with some really big hearts and no sense enough to avoid the futile. I also went ahead and invested the money in a hydro-pneumatic blind riveter and a pneumatic riveting hammer with the the right riveting chisels.

The boats previous owner put a layer of 1/4" - 1/2" layer of fiberglass on the bottom of the boat. We got all that fiberglass taken off, I guess instead of fixing the problem the previous owner tried that, which worked for a while but the fiberglass had evidently cracked because it never adhered tightly to the aluminum.

Attached is some pics that I've put up on my home webserver. I'd appreciate any tips. We've gutted the insides for the most part. The boat was setting in a woods for a few years so the insects living in the rotted wood was unreal. I think the biggest shock though is that on the bottom there is a skid plate (bond-o correct me if I'm mislabeling that) and the rivets were so bad that I with one hand just ripped it clean off rivet heads and all. Most of the rivet heads came off INSIDE of the fiberglass matte too.

Warning Pictures in these links are 800x600 or therebouts
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gT7fdQUckjMYICBlrm5ztQ?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UrqVyPJV_WMuR3TGPr-img?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/68_4T3Y3dYhbhT_gDwSoQQ?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0_Ecm-pWJwVO9sULl0hl7Q?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oyYI2jeUpSqExC5KsuMCxw?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9mH-dMLVZaJCYxXq2mUmiA?feat=directlink

So anyway, you can see the moldy, smelly, water logged foam. I am wonder how/what to use to replace that, and I'm also a bit curious of the rivets that actually "survived" and are still fastened on. I would like to just completely remove every rivet, wire brush all the aluminum, and re-rivet/seal the entire boat with gluvit or the 3m-5200 stuff. Thoughts anyone? Please tell me whether I'm completely nuts or not.

 

[Bondo]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

Ayuh,... I fail to see whatever you're calling a Skid-plate,...

Personally,... I'd replace the missing,+ Not disassemble,+ replace All the rivets...

It don't look all that Bad in the pictures,... Just Filthy...

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

Wow! I looked at your pictures.

Inside - Get rid of that old foam and when the time comes you can place foam sheets into those cut out areas. I find it hard to believe (anything is possible) but it does look like 2 part foam. Scrape it all out so you will have a clear shot at all the rivets.

Fiberglass ontop of the aluminum?? Well someone had an idea and did it...... I am glad you said it peeled away. Just for future reference the only place we will recommend that you use fiberglass in on the plywood for the decking, the transom, or seats to seal it all up.

Once all your re-riveting is done ...... then we will tell you to move onto the gluvit stage and that is when a clean surface can be very important.

Looks like your making good progress!

 

[jlowmiller]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

Welp we got 90% of the foam out today. I never knew foam could get so water logged, and the critters (carpenter ants and termites) living in it were really bad.

New Pictures Below Maybe slightly larger than 800x600

You can see some pitting and metal that has been eaten away by the elements and corrosion, etc.The steel wire knotted brush that I've attached onto my 4 1/2 inch angle grinder really has been taking a bite out of the aluminum. Am I using too heavy of a brush? Should I be using something different? On one rivet head, I actually ground it clean off. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ogPbrv2b3GwJ1wcw7gY6hA?feat=directlink


Next pic shows some very bad seam separation. Underneath the seam there is a lot of corrosion, so much that I'm unsure that it would keep a water tight seal. Thoughts? http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EZ9iAYjXQYwUMlRfBBboxw?feat=directlink

This next pic shows some closer of the seams, and the drain hole. It was pretty round at one point, then I got a little happy with the wire brush. I'm wondering if its not so much that the wire brush is too strong, but more of the fact that the "metal" isn't really "metal" any longer.http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AfxEghtKAMx8rReNnjN4fg?feat=directlink

The last pic shows a different view I think. Another question for you pro's is. I have one rivet whole, that, the hole is mishapen a bit, and is out of round by quite a bit. Is it better to drill it out and rivet the next size up (like 1/4) or should I stick with the same size and try to get it as right as posisble. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_vP4nJyEK8ACCKKc3Le_bw?feat=directlink

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: To rivet or not to rivet...

You are making great headway!

Gluvit after you rivet will fill those gaps and it can be used outside the hull as well as the interior. A few coats of gluvit will creep into those gaps.... you might have to duct tape the inside so it just does not pass through but it will work. Then you flip it over and do it from the inside keeping the hull tipped so it flows into those gaps.

As far as the drain plug you are okay and marine tex can build that up a bit.

You are doing fine. Yes the 4 1/2" brush can be very aggressive and requires a soft touch.