Leaky Rivets

Hey guys so I have an older 14ft Lund I'm slowly restoring, when I'm not fishing out of it. And well a few rivets have started leaking and it's taking on more and more water so now I have to fix this problem. I filled the boat with water and marked the leaky rivets, I imagine there will be more as I fix others. I want to use solid rivets to fix them as most are directly on the bottom and I have no floor so lots of access. But my question is what size and length rivet do I need to replace the ones in my old Lund, and how do I ensure I don't make the hole any larger or egg shaped when drilling them out? Or do you have a better method? Thanks in advance

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Try re bucking them first

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Drilling Rivets 101
https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=45289&p=454767&hilit=Drill+rivets+center+punch#p454767

Yep, try re-bucking. But if they are sheared off and thin on the outside, you may need to replace. If you do, don't drill them out, simply grind off the mushroomed end on the inside and punch them out. Putting in solid rivets in a floor IS a 2-man job, though, so employ someone you trust with steady hands. No matter how perfect you get the new rivets in, though, I always smear JB-Weld around the rivet and then touch-up the paint. I have yet to have a problem. JC-Rivets has a good diversity of solid aluminum rivets. Depending on where your rivets are leaking, i.e. just at a seam, or a rivet through a rib, will depend on how much rivet you need. But you should be okay getting 1 inchers. I always push the rivet through and grind off what I don't need, usually 3/8" to 1/2" for me, leaving enough to mushroom down. IF some of the rivet holes have truly been getting stressed to the point of oblonging, you can replace the 3/16" rivet with 1/4" rivets. You'll have a noticeably larger rivet head on the outside, but who cares? Only God is perfect.

Exactly, length is predicate on how many layers of X or Y thick aluminum you’re putting back together. If needed, I have a ton of 3/8, 1/2 & 5/8” ones, plus some 1” ones to custom cut down to fit; all 3/16” in diameter.

I do pretty much as Eric does, less I use a flexible goop on the rivet to help it seal.