replacing mast tang rivets on new comp tip

I've replaced a broken comp-tip on my hobie 14 last weekend. This weekend I need to reattach the mast tang.

My question is this, after drilling the old holes clear of the epoxy used to put on the new comp-tip so that the casings and rivets can go in, should I use a small amount of epoxy to hold the rivet casings and seal it,? Or just drill, apply tef-gel, to casings, place tef-gel coated tang on mast and then rivet?

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'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

I believe the rivet casings are aluminum, which should limit the amount of corrosion at the holes. I would coat the entire tang surface and rivets with a quality marine grade silicone sealant (like 3M). This should seal out water and prevent galvanic corrosion. Hobie also places a barrier tape between stainless hardware and aluminum extrusions in some areas. You could put a layer or two of electrical tape between the mast and tang as an added level of protection.

sm

Thanks srm.

I was mostly concerned about the water getting into the rivet holes of the mast.

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'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

You would use rivets and rivet caps. The caps (like a closed end cup) insert into the mast and then the rivets into the caps.

These are all stainless parts.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Thanks Matt.
I had ordered a new comp-tip from Murray's that arrived with stainless rivets and caps. After drilling out mast for rivets using caps (larger hole than rivet alone) I coated caps, mast where tang would attach, and back of tang with tef-gel then fastened it all together and cleaned up small amount of squeeze out.
I am a big guy (240 lbs.) and fairly strong, but would heed advice about using a larger rivet gun than the small one handed one I used next time!

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'89 H14 'Jaws'
'85 H16

For $20, the heavy duty rivet gun from Harbor Freight has served me well for many years. My only complaint is that it tends to jump slightly when the rivet pulls and the sharp edge of the rivet mandrel can scratch the aluminum of the part you’re riveting. You can prevent this by putting some down force on the riveter to hold it against the work piece. Otherwise much better at pulling stainless rivets than a basic hand riveter.

https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-17-1-2-half-inch-hand-riveter-with-collection-bottle-66422.html

sm