leaky old jon boat?

[olduckhunter]

addicted, I fixed one of my jon boats like that. I took a 7/8ths inch bolt bout 6 inches long and drilled an indention in the end to fit a rivet head and held it on the rivet on the bottom of the boat while someone took another long bolt and shop hammer and hit the other end of the rivet. that's been 30 or more years ago and the boat still doesn't leak and it's been through hexx running a river and woods duck hunting jumping logs and ice jams. I told my one friend he might fix it like that. I even had to replace some rivets on that boat. I wrote the boat company that made it and they sent me probably a hundred rivets.

[duckhunter]

The best bet is to lay a floor in the bottom of the boat after you fix the problem. Walking around rivets is a sur way to cause leaks, especially if you have a fairly light aluminum boat.

[Cray]

ODH, this is the best way but a pain as any of these repairs are. First get boat where you can check bottom and mark leaking rivets. Put in plug and put about 6 inches of water in it. Let it set for a while then check and mark each rivet that is leaking. Then get a pop rivet gun and a whole bunch of what are called Blind Rivets. They are a pop rivet that leave no hole in the middle. Drill out all old leaking rivets, use a sander or grinder to clean a spot about the size of a quarter around each hole. Mix a small batch of slow set JB weld. Dip each rivet to head in that,insert and pop. Let that set for 24 hours before moving. You could then also spray some paint over them. When all finished doo as Duck and others said, put a floor in on top of rails and secure in about 4 places on each rib.

[BuckeyeKdog]

I'm with those supporting the blind pop rivets, 3/16" and 1/4" Determine grip range based on material thickness. Drill out bad rivets, clean with scoth brite pad, dip end of rivet in sealer 3m 5200 or some of the resiliant epoxies such as west marines Gflex 650. If the rib is loose it wont hurt to force (inject) some sealer between rib and hull.
Install rivet and clinch (pop). Let cure usually 12 hours of so. Then plywood deck the inside bottom to distribute load. Cut PW to fit, sand edges, drill mounting holes, clean all surfaces of the plywood then seal with 2 or 3 coats of marine epoxy make sure you get the edges well sealed. Although it takes a bit of time, sealing the edges is critical IMO. I build a dam using making tape and keep adding epoxy until I have a full liquid surface. Most will be absorbed by the plywood so dimensions are not usually affected. after epoxy coating test fit and sand if needed. The even though its not necessary, I put a bead of silicone caulk/sealant on the ribs where they contact the plywood, Screw decking into place. Once you are happy, epoxy over the screw heads. Also, you may want to add a manually activated bilge pump during the floor addition,

[saltyDawg88]

My buddy had a Flat bottom that leaked around the rivets also. He cheaped out and bought a caulk tube of marine goop and covered every rivet with a generous blob of it. Now, 6 years later it still does not leak. The Goop flexes with the boat. He let it cure about a week before using it. Looking at it I have to say it is still working and no leaks. Oh, and he did clean up every spot he could with some rough steel wool.

[DRSPECK]

OK, Here is the fix. I have a 12 ft. alum boat. it also had some leaks. Get what is VULKEM 116 Polyurethane sealant, It come in a tube that will fit into a regular caulking gun. It gets hard but remains flexible. It wont peal off. Iit is good in wet, low, and high temps an is easy to apply. it will remain forever. Put it on let it cure an go fishing. I am a mechanical contactor and have used it for years.

Dr. Speck

[RM Fishin]

Going to visit Bill tonight andI will ask him what the name of the tape! CRSA!

[SeaRay]

I used this tape on my camper roof and it sealed perfectly. I have also used it to cover holes in my transom when I moved a depth finder. It was developed for the Navy to seal underwater tanks.


EternaBond

[kickingback]

GOOP! It works great! Pound the rivets as much as possible to get them back together and put some goop on each rivet and you are set. I use it on my jon!

[skeetbum]

I have to start by saying that there are many good ideas here already. I have a few hints to help along the way. To clean the aluminum before sealing a loose rivet, take a spray bottle with some muriatic acid and have a bit of water nearby to flush it when it's deemed clean enough. Tilt the hull a bit and work from bottom to top allowing the water to run off. Adding Marine tex(the gray stuff) and working it under the old rivet has worked for me in the past. Removing any flaky paint and corrosion is key to ever getting it to seal.
As for sealing the plywood for the floor, thin the first coat of polyurethane or fiberglass resin or whatever you use 50/50 allows it to soak so much deeper than straight product. At Correct Craft we used fiberglass resin thinned with acetone and set to kick (harden) slow allowing it to soak in deep, and a second coat the next day. I did rework on 10 year old boats, and these were ski boats that were wet every time they were used, and never had to replace any wood.
Cray is also spot on with others I have heard of doing this.
You might also consider an aluminum floor to keep weight down. My stick steer boat had one and the metal wasn't very thick, and only pop riveted about every foot or 16". I'm not small and it never came loose or dented.
Just some input, good luck with the project.