12-21-2003, 02:29 AM
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]As some of you know I have been working on trying to find a couple of “pain-the-a*#” rivet leaks in the floor of my boat. I was encouraged by another BFT member to post what I did to fix the problem, so here it goes.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3] [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]First off I tried fixing the rivets like most boat owners. I filled the boat with water from my garden hose three different times this summer, marked a couple of rivets that I thought were the problem and tried repairing them with epoxy, JB Weld, silicone, etc, etc.. I even rehammered the rivets and I still had a couple of small leaks. Nothing serious, but enough to get the bottom of your tackle box wet. Anyways, I bought some of the same stuff you put on truck beds and last week I painted the inside, bottom of the boat and it successfully sealed leaks. I’ve tested it twice in the freezing weather here at Bear Lake its looking good. Plus, I got an incredibly sound proof AND slip proof bottom to boot!. So if anyone out there has the same problem I do, and I know there are since I fished in a few leaky boats before, I recommend trying this method out. I even dropped a pair of pliers in the boat and the only sound I got was a dull thud instead of the usual clanging and banging that happens. I'm beginning to wonder why all aluminum boats don't come with that sealer if they don’t already come with a false bottom that is carpeted. The prep work was tedious (about 6 hours), but the end result was really worth it. Make sure to follow the directions on the can EXACTLY or the stuff will not stick. Everything must be entirely clean of oil and grease. Finally, apply two coats of the bed liner material, again as the manufacturer suggests, which makes the coating a lot thicker. Finally, this stuff is next to impossible to get off your hands so wear the latex hospital gloves. The stuff I used was Duraliner and I paid $59.99 for a gallon which did the entire bottom of a 16’ boat. My friend did his truck bed with some cheaper stuff he bought a Wal-Mart and the quality of the product was not even close to the Duraliner. The Duraliner was only $10.00 more per gallon. If anyone is interested to see pics of the completed job, just send me a PM and I’ll try to get some back to you, but you'll have to wait a few days since Santa Claus is bringing me a digital camera for Christmas. [/font][/size]
[signature]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3] [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]First off I tried fixing the rivets like most boat owners. I filled the boat with water from my garden hose three different times this summer, marked a couple of rivets that I thought were the problem and tried repairing them with epoxy, JB Weld, silicone, etc, etc.. I even rehammered the rivets and I still had a couple of small leaks. Nothing serious, but enough to get the bottom of your tackle box wet. Anyways, I bought some of the same stuff you put on truck beds and last week I painted the inside, bottom of the boat and it successfully sealed leaks. I’ve tested it twice in the freezing weather here at Bear Lake its looking good. Plus, I got an incredibly sound proof AND slip proof bottom to boot!. So if anyone out there has the same problem I do, and I know there are since I fished in a few leaky boats before, I recommend trying this method out. I even dropped a pair of pliers in the boat and the only sound I got was a dull thud instead of the usual clanging and banging that happens. I'm beginning to wonder why all aluminum boats don't come with that sealer if they don’t already come with a false bottom that is carpeted. The prep work was tedious (about 6 hours), but the end result was really worth it. Make sure to follow the directions on the can EXACTLY or the stuff will not stick. Everything must be entirely clean of oil and grease. Finally, apply two coats of the bed liner material, again as the manufacturer suggests, which makes the coating a lot thicker. Finally, this stuff is next to impossible to get off your hands so wear the latex hospital gloves. The stuff I used was Duraliner and I paid $59.99 for a gallon which did the entire bottom of a 16’ boat. My friend did his truck bed with some cheaper stuff he bought a Wal-Mart and the quality of the product was not even close to the Duraliner. The Duraliner was only $10.00 more per gallon. If anyone is interested to see pics of the completed job, just send me a PM and I’ll try to get some back to you, but you'll have to wait a few days since Santa Claus is bringing me a digital camera for Christmas. [/font][/size]
[signature]