Thread: advice on using solid Ali rivets

On a hull that old I honestly wouldn't bother trying to reset old ali rivets. They are old, likely worn and corroded and if there's been movement in the skins there could be a wear point inside on the rivet's shank. Smacking it could just crack it leading to a failure and the rivet popping apart in use. Ask me how I know this one - "Why are you sticking your foot there at that stupid angle?" - "Oh, right - guess we will head back now...".

bjp is right with aircraft - although they have a much less corrosive operating environment and a much better selection of inspecting and testing kit to know when to replace them. Also aircraft don't usually get bounced off things like boats do so don't usually have such a rough life.

Sounds rough, but a stainless gutter bolt with elastomeric sealant of some form and a couple of plastic isolators is one of the better options for this job as you can set the tension no question to keep the skins in place. And tighten it up once you've had the thing out and it's had a bit of a flex and bang about - which is bloody hard with a one-time rivet!