pop rivets

P

Prindle2

New Member
I noticed on pop rivets installed in factories both sides sit flush. However the pop rivets I have leave a short protrusion on one side. I was thinking about removing a piece of the aluminum rub rail and was wondering if there is anything I can do so there is not a ring of these protrusions around my boat.

Thanks,
Matt
 
Matt,

I just looked at my '69 SF and the "pop" rivets do not penetrate the underside of the rub rail. There is a site that has instructions for installing or replacing rub rails (I can't find it right now). The way I remember the steps are;

1. Remove the rail by drilling out the rivets. Use a larger bit that will remove the head with out drilling into the rail. If possible remove the rest of the old rivet.
2. Mark on the deck with a grease pencil where the old holes are.
3. Make any repairs to the edge/seam. Fill the old rivet holes with thickened epoxy.
4. Test fit the new rail in place, off-setting the new holes from the old if possibile. Use a rubber mallet, "lightly" to ensure a tight fit.
5. Mark and drill the new holes.
6. Install the new rail with 1/8" diameter x 1/4" long aluminum rivets. The rivets will expand in the deck flange to secure the rail in place and not show on the bottom side.

Hope this helps, Good luck.
 
Ohh, ok, sorry I did not realize they don’t go all the way through. I live 30 miles from the beach I keep my boats at, so I was trying to figure it out before I drove out there. Thank you for your help.

Matt
 
Hey there,
I've had very good results using some medium tech adhesives. You may have heard of Plexus. Kenworth and Peterbuilt truck bodies are bonded together with. Maybe you've heard of GAMBLER Bass Boats, we used to use this Plexus stuff but now use a product called Weld-On for bonding the boat hull and deck joint. We also use Weld-On on our Sterling Flats Boats, not at the hull/deck joint but on a "wing" section of the deck, people walk on this wing. I personally did the tests on both products, both are very dependable to bond things together, metal has to be scuffed before bonding, fiberglass tears apart before the bond fails, also helps to seal the joint, replacement of trim in the future will require grinding but it can be done. I never liked the rivets, hard to install, hard to drill half way through, hard to get a tight fitting trim. I find I don't hit the dock quite as hard knowing what I have to do to change the trim.
So much for my two cents,
Terra firma is for farmers
Jeff
Jeff
 
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