rivet or weld?

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Hey guys. I am restoring my Sears 1648 jon boat (riveted) and am planning on building a casting deck out of aluminum angle. I have access to an aluminum welder. Is it wise to weld the supports directly to the hull or should I just rivet them in? Thanks.
 
Either way you do it, try and connect the supports the the boat's ribs or seats, not directly to the hull .... if you can help it.

With that said, I'm a big fan of welding. You can get a bit more creative with your design since you aren't limited to creating good rivet placement spots. I also think welded support structures are cleaner and usually require less material.

Granted, rivets can be removed more easily than welds, but that shouldn't be a big issue.

I would, however, rivet the decking down to the supports instead of welding it down .... unless you are 100% sure you won't ever remove it.
 
Thanks for the input. As you can see, I have little option than to weld directly to the hull for the front and most of the sides.
boat.png
 
Looking at what you have there, I would add a couple extra ribs up front and I would spot weld them in to keep the hull heat to a minimum. I wish I had access to a welder when doing my boat.
 
with rivets you can disassemble with a drill quite easily. not so much with welds. i would weld a few good anchor points then go rivets.
 

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