aluminum boat leaking from rivets

slocke

Recruit
Joined
Jul 31, 2006
Messages
5
Does anyone have any suggestions for a product to use on leaky rivets on an older 12 ft semi v Lund?
 

sdunt

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
389
Re: aluminum boat leaking from rivets

The aluminum purests would say you need to tighten up the rivets.

There is a forum on Yahoo called, rebuilt aluminum boats http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rebuiltaluminumboat

In their files sections are several PDF's about riveting aluminum. Barring that, people have used epoxy putty, or some have coated the entire inside with truck bed liner and that sealed their leaks. (Might want to seach for that post)
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,070
Re: aluminum boat leaking from rivets

If you have access to thr rivets tighten them and use Gluvit. You will not have anymore leaks. I would advise against bed liner as a stop leak.
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: aluminum boat leaking from rivets

gulvit works wonders.
 

lark2004

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
Messages
1,080
Re: aluminum boat leaking from rivets

try smearing the gluvit into the gap around the loose rivets first, then while it is wet, tighten up the rivets.

This is how I did all of mine, and it is now very dry inside.
I used to have to bail some water out every hour when I first got it, and now I can spend all day out without a trickle.

The bed liner is still a good idea, not so much from a waterproofing point of view, but to help keep any stray hooks or sinkers out of contact with the hull. From this view, it would almost permantly prevent the two dissimalar metal starting the corrossion thing from happening.
 
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