Welded vs. Riveted

Do you think the strength you get from a welded boat is worth the extra money over the riveted boat? Will use the boat for fishing, but mostly cruising and duck hunting in the Mississippi. Thanks

Depends exactly where you go and how much you abuse it!

I duck hunted in the deltas of mississippi with a rivet lowe big john for years and its held up fine! Ive run it in stuff I didnt think I could make it out of but it held up great!

Welded is great and its strength if amazing but the best thing you can do is get the boat you can afford

If you can afford a welded then go for it! I just got a newer grizzly 1648 and its great! But if you can afford a good riveted boat I would just go with that!

I'm sort of new to aluminum boats but have been looking for many years. I've seen riveted boats for sale at three times the cost of a welded Gregor I just bought. BTW, the riveted boats I looked at all had silicone in the seams.

Today most of the boats that are 1542 and under are riveted, and anything larger than that are welded. Alumacraft 1648, Lowe Big jons, and Olympic jons being a few of the exceptions.

I recently sold a riveted Alumacraft 1542 that was very well built. And if your looking at a boat that size I recommend the Alumcraft over the Tracker! I put it through the paces in the short time I had it and it held up much better than expected. So much so that when I was looking for something bigger I really wanted an Alumacraft 1648 NCS MOD-V. I actually wanted it over the Welded Tracker 1648 Mod-V. In the end I wound up with something that I wasn't even considering and now Im afraid to take it where I took the Alumacraft.

My thoughts are.....If you are not going to be making contact with hard objects such as rocks, or submerged logs at speed on a regular basis, or banging through big waves and fighting breakers a Riveted hull is going to be fine.

Welded boats are stronger and usually made of thicker aluminum. No question they are all pretty good... But one thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of 20 to 30 even 40 year old riveted boats out there still in great condition being rebuilt, modded, and restored. They must be pretty tough to last that long. Look at all the Alumacrafts, Grummans, and Duracrafts from the 60's just on this site alone that have been re-done.

Depending on what you're going to be doing with the boat you will most likely be just fine with a riveted boat.

My 2 Cents on it.

ah yes welded or rivited, all my boats are welded ...but all the airplanes i fly are in rivited and been that way from first use of metal skin . strange. rivited boats have more metal but thinner .. but welded boats have less drag , sometimes ....i'm so confused :?

3M has some interesting studies on rivet, bolt, weld and epoxy strength comparison in this white paper https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media...SevTSeSSSSSS--&fn=Tough Stuff White Paper.pdf.

very intresting .

I has a rivited 1448 and it has no leaks.Sure i am wanting a welded boat but only will get that when the time comes.It will be 1648 or 1652 or a 1748 or a 1752 i am unsure rite now.jet motor onit when the time comes as skinney water is run

If you dont plan on jumping beaver dams I dont think welded is worth the extra money imo, now that being said alot of people will pay the extra for the piece of mind if nothing else.

It should probably be noted that the reason welded boats are typically stronger is because they are thicker gauge aluminum. A riveted boat and a welded boat of the same gauge, well the riveted boat would actually be stronger. Think of it this way, a welded boat is basically taking two pieces of aluminum and welding them at the corner or seam. A riveted boat is taking two pieces of overlapped aluminum and holding them together with several fasteners. This gives the riveted boat a lot more strength and integrity. With that being said, I like boat riveted and welded boats.

my 17'6" riveted lowe commander has been through a lot of "stuff" docked against rock and wind beaten in the same, over massive waves in lake huron at 35-40MPH, smashed floating trees (ouch) and has not sucked in any water or been penetrated through. a few dings n dents of course but she's my catfishin, duck huntin all round down n dirty boat, if you're still worried bout strength, buy a floating tank!

hotshotinn said:

I has a rivited 1448 and it has no leaks.Sure i am wanting a welded boat but only will get that when the time comes.It will be 1648 or 1652 or a 1748 or a 1752 i am unsure rite now.jet motor onit when the time comes as skinney water is run

Click to expand...

what do all those numbers mean???? i assume not model numbers as they are the same with different mfg.'s............

Length by Width. 1648 = 16' long and 48" wide at the floor

Riveted boats are great. They'll do the job just fine 99% of the time and they're cheap.

HOWEVER...


if You've ever been in a riveted boat, then got into a welded boat, you will want the welded one. It's much more rigid, rides better, typically handles better in turns. Welded boats are thicker material and therefore heavier. They're thicker for a reason. How many times has anyone tried to weld a long bead on a .063" aluminum plate with a spoolgun? It can be done but it tends to "bleed through" the back side of the panel...and theres a much greater chance of burnthrough. So if anything on a riveted boat needs attention (crack, etc), the welding must be done by TIG usually. And that means more money. Even then, sometimes it can't be properly welded because its thin. Advange: welded boat. They're thicker material and if for some odd reason it develops a crack somehwere, it can be easily and inexpensively welded. Most manufacturers of welded boats offer a long warranty period against hull failure anyway. I know War Eagle did at one point offer a limited lifetime hull warranty. I believe DuraCraft did too at one time, however, they're out of business now.

If all you want is a 1432 or 1232 pond hopper that will never see a stump or rock, a riveted boat is fine. But if you are in an area that has submerged trees, rocks, stumps, anything of that nature, or if you're going to hunt flooded timber...or basically do anything that might dent the hull or gunwales, you'll want a welded boat. I prefer welded anyway just because of the MUCH better resale value in this area. After running my riveted 1542 Grumman, then jumping into a 1548 War Eagle, the difference is amazing. I felt much more confident in the WE.

i went with a new g3 welded hull because it has a lifetime warranty.

My personal experience says that a welded boat is better, especially if you plan on running in any kind of chop. When I was a kid, every riveted boat I had leaked like a sieve. Of course, that might have to do with the fact that I drove the **** things like they were jet skis, jumping waves, etc.

On flat water, a riveted bottom should be fine. But if you plan on operating in occasionally rough water, the welded bottom is the way to go.

My boat is riveted. I would have choose a welded one anytime over rivets. I just got a good deal on this hull from a friend. Welded is the way to go, no comparison. Just my opinion.

I have owned Crestliner, Sea Nymph, Lowe and Polarcraft totally riveted deep v's and none of them ever leaked. The 2011 Alumacraft MV 1648 I have now is considered riveted, but has some welding in the construction. (transom is welded to the sides and the mod v bow seams are welded). In my opinion whether you go with welded or riveted is dependent on the use you intend for the boat and your budget. If I were going to be running rivers I would probably go with a heavy gauge all welded boat. Since my boat is primarily for total electric lakes I felt that a lighter riveted boat would be better for my purpose.

trailering along forestry/logging roads takes its toll after a few years. my old riveted boat sprung leaks . i averaged 1500 kilometers a year.

I have two 1448's one is welded and one is riveted . I will never sell the welded one and probaly pass it on to someone in the family . The riveted one is just another boat .