Anyone have a TIG welder that would be willing to help weld the rivets on an old jon boat? From what I have been reading it is the best way to stop it from leaking.
I can do it and have done it before. From my experience, the areas welded tend to crack after a fairly short period of time. Small patches over the rivets seem to work better, but if there are more than a few, it can be labor intensive & be a bit pricey.
A suggestion I posted a few yrs. ago: Put the boat upside down, scuff up the area around the rivets and put a small glob of 3M 5200 marine sealant over them. Smooth it out with a wet finger and then cover it with a small strip of duct tape, then let it cure for a few days. Good to go. Leave the duct tape on for a little extra protection. It’ll wear off after a while.
I did that to an old jon boat I had(after trying to weld it) and it was leak free for a few years.
If you want to patch it, give me a call.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
I agree with Bob, welding is not the best choice for that. 5200 will seal almost anything, put it won’t be pretty 
I would use West System G-Flex epoxy, it is made for the job and does it better than anything else I’ve seen.
Here is everything you need to know to fix it yourself…
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/fix-leaking-rivets-in-aluminum-boats-with-g-flex-650/
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Thanks for the tip Happy. Decided to go with a product called gluvit…same concept that you mentioned Cracker but found it cheaper online!
Gluvit is a good product, older technology than the G-Flex, but still a good product and probably better than welding. I use Gluvit to encapsulate aluminum fuel tanks and it is good stuff.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Before I knew better, I replaced the rivets in an old jonboat. I ordered the Mil-Spec Aluminum rivets from McMasterCarr. I put a dab of “Permatex” under the head and hammered them down. I had a friend help me by holding a big hammer against the head while I “peened” the rivet from the other side.
That was probably 20 years ago and that boat is still going strong with no leaks.
It’s probably the quickest and easiest fix you can do.
218WA Sailfish
The "Penn"sion Plan
RDW i’m with you! Have done that to a lot of Alu. boats, all have lasted years!
Here’s a cheap fix for ya. Hit up wally world and pick up a bed liner kit. Turn your John boat over, clean it really good and then us the bed liner kit.
I’ve mig welded and got so mad at myself as I blew a hole out bigger and had to gob up an area to correct. I’ve also tried some of the aluminum rods for a stick welder. 
If you have a seep the bed liner works wonders and as you scrap it off on mud and sand flats, just use the extra that you will have to redo.
You can also go the extra and line both sides. It also acts as a sound deaden-er.
If you have your heart set on welding, contact Trident Tech and see when there Welding Class meets and go by there and see if they will do it. I did this several years back and they did it as part of an instruction and it only cost me $200 for the parts. They finished it in a couple days. Don’t know if they still do this but definitely worth the call
The method RDW described works great as well. Have done this on Jon Boats before and never had them leak. Buy a friend a few beers to hold a large hammer for a few hours
Grady 282
A-Salt Weapon
From a cost standpoint, if you’re just limping something along, is the 5200 going to be the lowest cost?
Saying “I am offended” is telling everyone else that you cannot control your own emotions, and thus you need everyone else to do it for you.