rivet sealant

[bubba7776]

What should I use to seal the rivets on the bottom of the boat, I have stripped the boat of all paint and I am afraid they will leak.

 

[DaveInGA]

Rebuck the rivets and take a look at this link about steelflex:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11977

Hope this helps,

Dave

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

On the inside of the boat you coat the rivets with gluvit.

 

[Brine]

Don't be afraid they will leak, find out if they do. Fill it up with water or put it on the lake (or pool as some of our members have :mrgreen: ). If you're going to fill it up to the waterline with water, make sure you don't blow out the trailer tires or break your trailer in the process. The water get's quite heavy at 8.34 lbs/gallon.

I would try to talk you out of using any coating to stop a rivet leak. Instead, rebuck the rivet. The coatings should be a secondary measure IMO.

 

[bubba7776]

New to all this how do I rebuck a rivet?

 

[Brine]

The most readily/easy way to do it is to have someone hold a sledge hammer (or any hard heavy hand-held obejct) against the back of the rivet, while the other person taps the rivet head with a hammer (ball peen if you have one). Should only take a few whacks. All you're doing is compressing the rivet back such that it creates a tight seal as it once was.

Once you've done your leak test, take a sharpie and circle the ones that need tightening, rebuck them, and repeat leak test. If you aren't able to stop the leaks that way, post up some pics of the leaky rivets, and I'm sure you'll get some good advice on the best way to fix the problem.

 

[ecb223]

I don't know about anybody else ,but I was a crewchief in the Marine Corps and we used a 2 part fuel tank sealent on the aircraft called 8802. I used it on my old boat and it worked great. I think it can be bought at aviation supply houses on the net.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[ecb223]

I got the info off the can
THIOKOL MC-236
mil-s-8802f
It's a really good sealant because it's nor rtv and it doesnt get real hard either.
Eric

 

[dixie_boysles]

I did all of the above and I have ZERO leaks. After it rained one day and the boat had dried, i went outside and circled all of the rivets that were leaking. Mostly the ones on the main front beam. Then I re bucked them. Then I took some Marine epoxy and covered each rivet across the front beam with them on the OUTSIDE of the boat. Just put enough over each rivet for it to cover the rivet head and bond to surrounding area. Than after it dried, i took it to the local watershed and i have ZERO leaks!