msasso said:
I am very handy and don't see the job as a big deal but i know nothing about rivets. what rivets do i need?
Last year I re-revited my '97 Starcraft back together after getting a complete new tin transom inside & out. I got info from Andy at Starcraft customer support.
To determine the correct length you need, you add up the thickness of your tin you're riveting back together and add the allowance. The allowance is the the amount of the shaft or tail that needs to stick through the tin before you start bucking it, which is typically 1.5 times the diameter of the shaft or tail. A 3/16" rivet (0.1875" diameter) should stick through about 0.281" and when bucked, the tail should then be flattened so that it is now 3 times as wide than it is thick or high.
Believe me, after a few tries in a test piece you'll have the method down easy, as my 12-year old girl just re-riveted back together an old '78 vintage Starcraft 12-footer that I bought for her as her 1st boat, which had some loose rivets.
For rivets, I used 3/16" diameter 'brazier head' solid aluminum (soft 1100F alloy) rivets, of 3/8" and 1/2" lengths, see: https://www.rivetsinstock.com/rivets/solid-aluminum-rivets/brazier-head-solid-aluminum-rivets.html . I used a $20 air hammer from Harbor Freight, a $10 brazier head hammer tool from various on-line sources (See: https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=41248&hilit=brazier), a block of metal as a bucking bar (or this one here, $20: https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/Bucking-Bar-p/vts-825.htm) and a borrowed air compressor. I have since bought a small pancake compressor and it works, although would not be ideal for larger jobs.
If you know the quantity and lengths you need, I bought in bulk and may be able to send you some.