Aluminum boat rivet repair can be easy, fast, and permanent with super alloy 5 aluminum rod and flux, and an oxyacetylene torch. you cannot use propane on aluminum boats, the parent metal will not. We have a video demonstrating aluminum boat repair: fixing leaking rivets in an aluminum boat. we wanted to experiment with using g/flex to fix leaking aluminum boats. i was quite surprised to find that every aluminum boat owner i talked to said they had some sort of leak.. Air planes, trucks and trailers, boats and others are fastened with solid rivets. i'm in south tacoma and have installed millions and millions of rivets. if you have time to bring the boat over to my shop i could help you either re-peen or replace them..
There are multiple methods to repair leaking rivets on an aluminum jon boat. some are mechanical, involving resetting the rivets; some are chemical, using a sealant around the rivets. all the methods have one thing in common: before you begin the repair, you fill the boat with water, to find the leaks.. Rivets are used on aluminum boats because there is a head on each end of the installed rivet and they establish a very tight fit, allowing the boat to remain water-tight. over time (and use) the aluminum flexes and springs back repeatedly to accommodate loads and impact, eventually causing rivets to fail and leak.. Re: aluminum boat repair - rivets? in my experience, most boats with with leaking rivets will also have spider cracks extending from the rivet holes. i remove the the rivet and weld the cracks with a synchrowave tig, redrill and new solid rivets..
