Riveted aluminum boats leak, it’s inevitable that sooner or later you’ll see moisture around a rivet. The moisture might slowly build until water starts running down the hull from the leaky rivet. If the problem isn’t fixed, you’ll be wearing knee boots and carrying a bailing bucket on every fishing trip to keep your feet dry and your boat afloat. We’re going to give you some tools and tips to keep your feet dry and seal up those leaky jon boat rivets.
You can seal and fix leaky rivets in an aluminum boat by applying a chemical sealant such as Gluvit around the leaky rivets or by mechanical means, re-bucking the leaky rivets.
In this article, we’re going to cover the tools and materials needed to seal and repair jon boat rivets. We will talk about the way to chemically repair the leaks and also mechanically repair the leaks. We will break down the steps from finding the leak to finishing the repair.
What tools to use for fixing leaky boat rivets
- hammer
- plastic paint scraper
- sandpaper
- paint brush
- rivet bucking bar or bucking tool
- china marker
What materials do I need for fixing leaky rivets?
- gluvit
- solvent
- dry rags
Step 1 How do you find a leak in a riveted aluminum boat?
As always, the first step is to find the leaky rivets. You can do this by filling the boat with water from the inside and then marking where the water leaks on the outside of the hull. This is the best way to find leaks other than marking them when you’re actually using the boat on the water.
How to buck a rivet
Once you find the leaky rivets it’s time to get a friend, a hammer, bucking bar, and bucking tool to re-buck the rivets. A rivet is made up of a rounded head attached to a shank. The end of the shank opposite the head is the tail.
A bucking bar will be used on the tail of the rivet inside the boat while the bucking tool and hammer will be used on the rivet head. Your friend puts the bucking bar on the tail of the rivet while you put the bucking tool on the head of the rivet and hammer the bucking bar down. When you hammer, the rivet shank will be compressed and flatten out, increasing its diameter and filling the hole where water is leaking from.
What is a bucking bar?
A bucking bar is just another name for a steel block that’s used to back up a rivet while you hammer it flat
If you do not have a bucking bar or bucking tool you can use a hammer and anvil. The bucking tool, however, protects the head of the rivet so it stays rounded and not flat. If the hammer and bucking tool are too much to handle, or you have no friends, there is another way to seal leaky jon boats rivets, Gluvit!
Prepping leaky jon boat rivets for repair
Since we are relying on a chemical bond it is important to have a clean mating surface to bind to. Use a solvent to clean the areas around the leaks to prevent dirt, oil or other substances from inhibiting the Gluvit to mix, set, and bond properly. After the solvent has dried, the next step is to sand the area to be repaired with 80-100 grit sandpaper, this removes any loose paint dirt or other debris that was not taken off by the solvent.
As a final surface prep measure, clean the area again with solvent to remove any residual residue or contaminants and let it dry.
How to seal leaky jon boats rivets with Gluvit waterproof epoxy
Yes, gluvit is expensive compared to similar products, but so worth it not to have to deal with water seeping in your boat or worrying about if that other sealant you put on is going to crack or peel off. No other sealant or epoxy is going to outperform Gluvit when it comes to sealing boat leaks. There may be cheaper alternatives such as jb weld or 5200, but get the best and go with Gluvit.
Gluvit provides a hard protective coating that flexes with hull movements. Gluvit’s flexibility is great for withstanding the movement of a boat hull to prevent cracking. Its long working time allows penetration into cracks to seal, bridge and strengthen hairline cracks or holes. Gluvit also acts as a barrier coat to minimize water absorption and galvanic corrosion, Gluvit provides abrasion resistance to protect hull sides and bottoms from damage by grounding on beaches or rocks.
Gluvit comes in a kit with hardener and resin and must be mixed before applying. We have detailed the steps below.
As we mentioned before, first finding the leak involves filling the boat up with water from the inside and marking where it leaks on the outside of the hull. Once the leaks have been found, mark or circle them for reference. Next, comes the seal
How to apply Gluvit to an aluminum boat
- mix Gluvit resin and hardener in 5:1 ratio
- apply Gluvit to leaky area with a brush or roller
- use a foam brush to smooth out the Gluvit
- the mix has a 60-minute working window to allow for covering larger areas
- after 1st coat cures for 12 hours, a second coat can be applied
- for added protection coat the rivet inside and outside of the hull
- test out your repair and get on the water!
Now that you’ve seen two different methods of sealing jon boat rivets which will you try? We’d like to hear your experiences with repairing leaks. Let us know in the comments below, thanks!