Can I replace rivets with screws..???

[Cougar_15]

I am ready to reconnect the cap to the hull and I'm having a bit of a dilemma, the manufacture used rivets to make the connection but I'm having a hard time figuring out what size rivets to get. I'm pretty sure that the diameter is 3/16 but the length varies quite a bit depending on where you take the measurement. The spot where the cap overlaps the hull does not lay flush most of the way around, there is a gap between the two... The rub rail also has a lot of areas that have gaps. I'm not even sure if a rivet will hold correctly across a gap...?

So my question is would it be possible to use screws to connect the cap instead of rivets? For the bow there is no access to the inside so it would just have to be screws but the rest of the way around there is access to both sides so I was thinking SS bolts with locking nuts? Or maybe a combination of rivets where the connection is flush and screws where it's not? Would this work or am I asking for trouble?

A little background, my boat is a 15' tri-hull that will be trailed and garage kept and used exclusively on inland lakes.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Can I replace rivets with screws..???

Yes. As long as you use SS screws and rivets you can use a combo of both. I would think that 3/4" long grip on a 3/16 rivet would work fine...... remember to use 3m 5200 or 4200 when you put it together. That joint is infamous for letting water into the boat.

If you have plans of never taking it apart again ....use the 5200.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Can I replace rivets with screws..???

Don't wanna hijack your thread or anything, we are about a month away from getting our cap back on also, keep us informed of how you are gunna do it. We were thinking of running a 1/4" strip of alum bar around the edge and drill and tap threads, then loc-tite our stainless bolts in.

 

[Cougar_15]

Re: Can I replace rivets with screws..???

I think I am going to go with the combo approach of using SS bolts/nuts and rivets (where the back side is inaccessible). I was playing around with it last night and just for kicks I tried putting in a few bolts I had around the house and I was able to close the gap and achieve a flush fit. The bolts allowed me to pull the sections together.​

Bob_VT, so you?re saying that I should use SS rivets too? Is this due to the difference in strength or something else? The hull is fiberglass so I didn't think mixing SS and Aluminum was a problem like it is on a tinny...​

thrillhouse700, so far the hardest part of putting it back together is getting the cap on straight. It took me a lot of time, a few pry bars and wedges and some harsh language to get the holes on the cap to match the holes on the hull. I think my new transom might be a hair thicker than the original (I went heavy with the fiberglass) and there is apparently very little extra space between it and the splash well?​

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Can I replace rivets with screws..???

You can use aluminum rivets...... I was just saying that so you do not end up with rust streaks later in life of the boat