Splash Well Rivet Question

[muskyhunter1978]

I'm in the process of gutting the rear of my boat to replace the transom wood and repair the skin. Part of this process involves drilling out all of the rivets in the splash well that connect it to bracing underneath. These are bucked rivets.

I was wondering. When I go to reinstall the splashwell, what would it hurt to use Stainless panhead bolts, sealed with 5200 and a locking nut? Cant see why it wouldn't work just find, but figured it was worth an ask

 

[flatheadsteve]

If your using stainless hardware install with tef gel or it will eventually corrode against the aluminum.

 

[airshot]

If your using stainless hardware install with tef gel or it will eventually corrode against the aluminum.

Or make sure you have real SS screws, test with a magnet. Real SS screws won't react with the aluminum in your lifetime. Just so you know, they make blind hole rivet guns for just such a use. Not that hard if you want to use rivets to keep it looking original...

 

[thill]

You could...

But for what it's worth, if you use solid rivets, it's cheaper and faster and the results are better.

It may seem daunting, but once you learn how to install them, it's a game-changer! Now you can make ANYTHING!

Also, you will find that using a sharp wood chisel to pop the heads off the rivets and then tapping out the tails with a nail set or any kind of punch is WAY faster than trying to drill each one out perfectly, with little risk of damaging the hole.

So the process is "DINK" (off comes the rivet head) TAP TAP TAP (out pops the rest of the rivet) then you put the new rivet in, and TAP TAP TAP (you set the new rivet in place with something heavy behind it)

After a few, it becomes a really fast process. It helps to have a second person around, especially when working on the bottom of the hull, but the same applies if using nuts and bolts.

Also, when putting things back together, I like to use 3/16" pop rivets in a few spots to hold everything together and in place. Then you can set your solid rivets or even your nuts and bolts comfortably.

Another thing you will want to have on hand is a decent awl, as the holes tend to not want to line up when you put things back together for whatever reason, probably temperature differences. When that happens, push the awl through the holes at an angle, and then straighten to align the holes. Put pop rivets in as you go, if there are a bunch. After awhile, everything will line up like it originally was. If you drill new holes, you will often have puckers in the finished result, so take the time to align the holes.

Best wishes with your project!

 

[airshot]

You could...

But for what it's worth, if you use solid rivets, it's cheaper and faster and the results are better.

It may seem daunting, but once you learn how to install them, it's a game-changer! Now you can make ANYTHING!

Also, you will find that using a sharp wood chisel to pop the heads off the rivets and then tapping out the tails with a nail set or any kind of punch is WAY faster than trying to drill each one out perfectly, with little risk of damaging the hole.

So the process is "DINK" (off comes the rivet head) TAP TAP TAP (out pops the rest of the rivet) then you put the new rivet in, and TAP TAP TAP (you set the new rivet in place with something heavy behind it)

After a few, it becomes a really fast process. It helps to have a second person around, especially when working on the bottom of the hull, but the same applies if using nuts and bolts.

Also, when putting things back together, I like to use 3/16" pop rivets in a few spots to hold everything together and in place. Then you can set your solid rivets or even your nuts and bolts comfortably.

Another thing you will want to have on hand is a decent awl, as the holes tend to not want to line up when you put things back together for whatever reason, probably temperature differences. When that happens, push the awl through the holes at an angle, and then straighten to align the holes. Put pop rivets in as you go, if there are a bunch. After awhile, everything will line up like it originally was. If you drill new holes, you will often have puckers in the finished result, so take the time to align the holes.

Best wishes with your project!

Now here is a guy that has bucked a few rivets....great instructions !!!

 

[thill]

Believe it or not, I've only been doing it for the last 6 years, but yes, I've done a lot of them in that time.

I went back and looked, and it was DaleH that got me started. HE is the man when it comes to rivets.

Oh, and by the way, if you are alone, and have to replace rivets through the hull bottom, a piece of flat steel with a sandbag laid on top of it to hold it in place work well when you don't have anyone to help.

 

[thill]

Just for kicks, here is a re-post of my reaction after I finally tried solid rivets:

------------------------------------
Dale, I appreciate your encouragement very much. THANK YOU!

I got my first batch of solid rivets, and while waiting for the bucking tool, I played with them using two hammers. WOW, they are so much stronger than pop rivets! It's not even close.

As an experiment I riveted two pieces of 3/16" angle aluminum together with a pop rivet. I was able to twist and pull, and basically rip the rivet out without damaging the aluminum.

Then I did the same thing with a solid rivet. When I had a hard time even swiveling the metal around the rivet, I was already impressed. It was almost like it had been welded. But with force, I was able to swivel the pieces around, and then I tried levering them apart... No dice. I bent the aluminum up, but the rivet pretty much unaffected. Okay, NOW I was impressed.

Once I got my air gun tip, it got even better. Now I could fabricate stuff! I made a couple of braces out of aluminum stock, and with 2 rivets in each corner, the piece feels like it was TIG welded.

Wow, I wish I had listened to you guys here years ago! Pop rivets are not even close.

Again, thank you Dale and others who have been trying to steer me toward SOLID rivets for a long time!

-TH
-----------------------------------------

I post this, confident that if you try solid rivets, you won't ever look back.

 

[muskyhunter1978]

Thanks fellas, I'll just reinstall rivets when its time to reassemble this thing.

 

[jlake1958]

You could...

But for what it's worth, if you use solid rivets, it's cheaper and faster and the results are better.

It may seem daunting, but once you learn how to install them, it's a game-changer! Now you can make ANYTHING!

Also, you will find that using a sharp wood chisel to pop the heads off the rivets and then tapping out the tails with a nail set or any kind of punch is WAY faster than trying to drill each one out perfectly, with little risk of damaging the hole.

So the process is "DINK" (off comes the rivet head) TAP TAP TAP (out pops the rest of the rivet) then you put the new rivet in, and TAP TAP TAP (you set the new rivet in place with something heavy behind it)

After a few, it becomes a really fast process. It helps to have a second person around, especially when working on the bottom of the hull, but the same applies if using nuts and bolts.

Also, when putting things back together, I like to use 3/16" pop rivets in a few spots to hold everything together and in place. Then you can set your solid rivets or even your nuts and bolts comfortably.

Another thing you will want to have on hand is a decent awl, as the holes tend to not want to line up when you put things back together for whatever reason, probably temperature differences. When that happens, push the awl through the holes at an angle, and then straighten to align the holes. Put pop rivets in as you go, if there are a bunch. After awhile, everything will line up like it originally was. If you drill new holes, you will often have puckers in the finished result, so take the time to align the holes.

Best wishes with your project!

good idea on the pop rivets to hold your solid rivet work in place to facilitate a flush and square start for the solid rivet. on the chisel to whack the heads: use the chisel so the bevel is down and the flat side up. you will find those head come off a bit easier and less damage to the underlying aluminum. just a thought