Rivet replacement

New to forum, new to hobie sailing. I just bought a '84 H-16 and one of the things I am tackling is a lot of loose/missing rivets. I have never worked with rivets before and am trying to wrap my head around the process. I have seen a recommended riveter on here, and lots of posts on not using aluminum, but am still looking for some more help on what rivets to buy (size, anything but aluminum OK?). Also any suggestions on the process of drilling them out/replacing from someone with more experience than myself (probably almost all of you on here) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

_________________
--
'84 H-16

The support on the Hobie Forum is amazing, do a search on 'rivets', 'rivet guns', 'drilling', it's incredible what you will find.

Remember that Hobie rivets are made from a stainless steel alloy whose trade name is MONEL, they have to be S/Steel as Hobie's sail in a harsh environment, think salt water. To install a S/S rivet, you cannot use a Walmart $7.99 rivet gun, well for more than one rivet. Borrow an air driven rivet gun, rent it OR get the 'scissors' style, like Xander uses.

DO NOT buy aluminum rivets from your local hardware store, they are not strong enough. Support your local Hobie dealer, even for fiddly little old rivets. Your dealer knows what you are looking for...download the catalogue on line if you do not already have a paper copy.

Drilling out the old rivets is a trick.....go to the search function here or on YouTube and search for Surf City Catamarans or Jeremy Leonard...he has great Hobie repair techniques including drilling with high quality cadmium plated drill bits...what you want to do is to drill the head of the rivet off, and then push the body of the old rivet through, so you don't damage the diameter of the hole.

Good winds and have fun, welcome to the Hobie way of life.

_________________
2015 H16, with spin,
SOLD 1989 Hobie SX18 Sail # 1947 "In Theory..."
'Only two things are infinite, the universe, and human stupidity. But I'm not sure about the former.'

Most, if not all, of the rivets you will encounter on a Hobie are 3/16" diameter of varying length and with a domed head. The best material to use is monel, but stainless steel also works. Both of these materials are plenty strong, but the monel will cause less galvanic corrosion with aluminum components. The only time you should use aluminum rivets is for low-load applications. In those cases, aluminum is actually a preferred material since galvanic corrosion will not be an issue. When in doubt, use monel or stainless.

A high-powered rivet gun is preferred for pulling stainless/monel rivets, but a basic hardware store gun will work if you've got the hand strength (you will need a lot). Be sure to wear safety glasses.

For removing old rivets, the best method is to remove the head of the rivet using an oversized drill (1/4" to 1/2" drill) or a cold chisel. Then use a punch to knock the remaining rivet shank inside the part you're disassembling. This is a better method than trying to actually drill out the rivet, since you don't risk making the hole oversized.

sm

Thanks for the help guys, exactly what I needed to get rolling.

You are right John, I've answered so many questions just browsing posts. I look forward to learning a lot about my new boat.

_________________
--
'84 H-16

Has anyone replaced the corner casting rivets on an older boat? I wonder if this would give me a more seaworthy 1982 vessel or if its more in the vein of... if it works, don't screw with it. These ancient rivets gotta be tired and most of the time I'm sailing in pretty big chop.

If any of the rivets you are replacing are in the mast remember to first put a rivet casing in the hole then the rivet. The casing insures water tightness. You can get them from Hobie or Murray's Marine. A leaky mast on a turtled boat quickly becomes an ancor.