Fixing Leaky Rivets???

Does anyone know what would be the best thing to repair a leaky flat bottom with. I would suspect somthing that is flexable but durable. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

JHall

If you have access to the rivets……..hammer them.

Hit the head with a hammer and use a maul against the “mushroom”. Hold the maul tight against the mushroom, as you hit the head. A few good “taps” is all it takes. You want to hit it softer than you would pounding a 16P nail……….

You can also buy spray coatings. It works, but is messy and doesn’t look very nice……….If you have a false floor to cover, I would do both……..

To find your leaky rivets, fill the boat with water to cover the rivets and mark which ones leak……..

ANOTHER THING THAT I HAVE USED IS ALUM WELD PUTTY, NEVER USED IT ON RIVETS BUT IT WORKED VERY WELL ON SOME CRACKS I HAD ON MY OLD FLAT.

Gary has the right idea. I just did that with my old 18′-0″ flat and it worked great. You can buy new rivets for dirt cheap if they bust while hammering them. Sorry I didn’t have another idea, but that is what worked for me.

I had this problem a few years ago when I used a jon boat and trolling motor to fish strip-pit lakes in Kentucky before being forced to move north. I tried eveything I could find and none of it worked well. I even had a rivet ot two pop out and leave a hole.

Believe it or not, the winning product in my mind was Duct Tape. Yes Red Green really does know what he was talking about. I’m not sure how this would hold up on a fast moving boat but the tape would last for about a half dozen trips before I had to replace it and the inside stayed dry as a bone. I think the sun did more damage to the tape as the boat laid in the yard than the water did.

I did put some silicone in the whole before covering with duct tape I believe.

Good luck.

My grandmothers cookie dough might work, its like cement though and may weigh down your boat!

Another alternative is truck bed liner. I got it on sale at Menards or all places. I have used it and it works. Not pretty, but it works. I put it on the floor inside. Got the added benefit of roughing up the floor so it wasn’t so slick.

Rvrrat,

Did you do anything to prep the surface before using the bed liner gunk?

My boat had been painted camo a few years before so there was still some left. I used an electric drill with a wire brush to get what I could off, but didn’t do an exhaustive job. Then there was something I put on that was suggested on the bed liner instructions. It was some sort of acid, but for the life of me I can’t remember the name. That was all I did before applying the liner. I looked this weekend and saw a couple of places where I sit/stand alot are wearing down now, but the boat is still dry.

This was my “last resort”. I tried pounding the rivets and JB Weld (on the outside). Those steps worked for a while, but I eventually got some slow leaks back. So far the bedliner is holding up (three years) and this boat is not babied at all.