Replaced cheek block on mast

I recently replaced the broken cheek block on my mast. It was easy to do. Drilled out the old rivets with a 3/16" bit. Installed the new block with new rivets and caps.

Important: I would not attempt doing this with the typical rivet gun you may have in your garage. 3/16" stainless steel rivets are tough. I was able to borrow the rivet tool in the attached link from a mechanic friend. It is a $250 tool.
https://www.afsmarson.net/Products/Tooling/Hand_Rivet_Tooling/39031.php?l=en

If borrowing is not an option for you and you don't want to spend $250 there is a "Heavy Duty" rivet tool at Harbor Freight for $19...however, I have no experience with it at all. It is probably perfect for intermittent use.
https://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-17-1-2-half-inch-hand-riveter-with-collection-bottle-66422.html

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Blue Hawaii
77707
Angola-on-the-Lake, NY

I would say the Harbor Freight tool is perfectly fine for home use. I purchased one several years ago and it still works well (I’ve used it with SS rivets up to 1/4” diameter). One note, you need to keep a lot of down pressure on the tool to ensure the rivet head sets flush. The HF tool also has a tendency to jump when the rivet pops, which can cause the sharp edge of the mandrel to drag across whatever you’re riveting, causing a scratch. So you need to be aware of that.

For drilling out 3/16” rivets, I would typically start with a larger diameter drill bit- generally around 1/4”. You just want to drill off the head of the rivet and go no further than that. Then use a punch to drive the remaining shank into your part. If you use a drill that’s the same size as the rivet itself, you run the risk of drilling too far and oversizing the hole. I would only use a 3/16” drill (or one size smaller) if I drilled off the head and the shank is being stubborn and doesn’t want to be driven into the part. Just my experience.

sm