What is the best solution for fixing leaking rivets on a aluminum Tracker boat???? It is a 17' with a 50 hp outboard, so it would need to be fixed while on the boat trailer. Any advice appreciated!!!
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What is the best solution for fixing leaking rivets on a aluminum Tracker boat???? It is a 17' with a 50 hp outboard, so it would need to be fixed while on the boat trailer. Any advice appreciated!!!
If you can gain access to the top and the bottom of the rivet. If the rivet is just loose. You can reset said rivet by having someone hold a peice of steel on the butt of the rivet, and whack the head a couple of times with a ball peen hammer. Or you could order a rivet set and a gun and reshoot the rivet.
Here's a link for all the riveting tools you will need.
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I have brought old aluminum boats back to life that had 2' of their side taken out by a stump or a rock. It was a job, but in the end, had a much stronger boat.
I sealed a small hole in my boat with jb weld.Depending on how many are leaking you may have to grind off the old rivet and replace with a rivet and rubber washer.Anyway welcome to the site.
i have the same boat found out the rivets on the keel was loose and leaking took out the floor rebucked the rivets then i put some marinetex 5200 sealent on the inside then i drill holes in keel and fill with foam not a leak one now
Go to lowes or homedepot and get a tube of vulkeem, in the roofing dept. Clean area around rivet squeeze a little of the sealant on the rivet and smooth it out with your finger make sure the rivet is covered plus about 1/2 in around it let sit for 24hrs and you are ready to go,takes 5min. did that about 5 yrs ago and havent had a leak since.
I found some stuff called water weld at the auto parts store and fixed a rip about 4" long in an old flat bottom. After I put in the water discovered another area that was leaking. The first repair was while dry and the second was wet. Both held. Easy to work with and cures in about two minuets. Instructions say you can drill it, sand it, ect. It's made by JB Weld. No mixing. Just knead it and mold to decried shape.
re-shooting the rivets is important! If the rivets remain loose, and they are covered with a sealant, they are not doing their job as far as structural integrity goes. You can use a sealant around them, then re-shoot. Snug them buggers up and you shouldn't have others coming loose due to a few loose rivets. If allowed to stay loose, you can end up having others work loose in the same area, which in turn oversizes the holes they are in. Do it right and you'll get years of service out of it. Do it wrong, and you'll be doing it again before you know it.
Hey dedawg1149: Thanks for info. Mine is leaking from a hole in the bottom of the keel. The leak is probably somewhere along the length of keel and running out of the drainage hole. (along with smaller leaks from hairline cracks fanning out from rivets along bottom outside edge of boat). I have a few questions??? Did you take off the keel ?? Are there rivets under the keel??? THANKS AGAIN, DOUG....
Reseat the rivets then get you some spray-on bedliner and coat the entire inside of your boat. No more leaks.
first off you need to go under your boat and push up on the keel and see if you can wiggle any rivets . it will probably in the front were it bends and starts going to the nose.i took the bottom floor out you have to remove console seats and the bottom floor,there are no rivets under the keel but if you dont rebuck the rivets they will also crack .to fix the hairline cracks i drill a small hole in both ends of the crack to keep it from spreading.i then baught some aluminum putty at walmart it is in a tube you just kneed it up and put it on then sand.take a 1/8 drill bit drill a hole every3 feet in the keel at the bottom of the keel and just through the keel dont drill through boat spray in some expanding foam till it weeps out two cans did mine let it dry then clean up the excess