Our Sunfish WAVE needed a rivet to hold the deck edge trim in place, the old rivet had torn loose from the deck edge at the end of the aluminum trim piece, a common problem. The deck edge could be repaired with thickened epoxy or redrilled, but at the end of a trim piece we don't mind adding a second rivet.
We use 1/8th inch diameter aluminum rivets with a 1/6ht - 1/4 inch grip range.Drill the old rivet out with a 1/8th inch diameter metal bit, being careful to not go through the bottom of the trim piece, or in this case, drill a fresh hole net to the old rivet.
Test the fit to see what grip range will work best.
Pull the rivet with a rivet gun.
Check that there are no burrs on the top of the rivet. If there are, use a metal file to smooth the top of the rivet. Check the bottom of the trim also for sharp edges.
We have had our kayaks 7 years and they get exposed to a lot of sunlight, it was time to replace a few of the carry handles and the seats as they were UV damaged. The seatt back zippers failed and the covers were faded. The handle webbing tore away on one end, leaving a weak handle attached on only one end. We were pleased to find that the manufacturer Pelican has a nice Parts tab on their website so we ordered new comfort carry handles, seat bottoms and seat backs. The parts arrived and they came with the installation hardware, a choice of 3/16th inch closed end rivets or screws.
Skipper suggested leaving the old hardware in place and drilling new holes, but I of course wanted to drill out the old rivets and get rid of the old seat back panel. The first rivet was drilled cleanly but the second got chowdered up and left a hole that was too big for the rivet. I figured out later I could have left the old plastic seat back tab in place, maybe trimmed down to just the small base, with the oscillating multitool, and installed the rivets right through it. I ended up drilling two new holes just above the old holes and sealing the old holes with 3M 4000 Marine Sealant.
The other seat I was more careful and drilled the rivets cleanly. For the seat strap attachments on one boat I drilled the old rivets and on the other I cut the old webbing at the attachment point and installed the new strap right next to it. Then for the handles I cut off the old webbing and attached them right next to the old attachment points. 4 new carry handles spread out over 2 kayaks.
The new seat bottom gel is not as thick as the old seat, but it was not worn and we use our own extra cushions anyway. The RamX material that the kayak is made of has held up amazingly well.
We like the Premium Icon because the foot rests are adjustable, and we have other kayakers in the family who are tall. We also like the high visibility yellow hull. New carry handle on the bow, makes dragging the kayak down to the beach easy.
Skipper's boat SACAGAWEA has pink duct tape tabs on the bow and stern, her pedals usually don't get moved. On the other boat CLARK we have marked pedal positions with Sharpie so they can be reset quickly.
We hope everyone has battened down the hatches and is ready to ride out the storm. Boaters are a resourceful bunch. Set the watch and take care. We have doubled up all lines and will entertain the usual visitors with mess abouts as they present themselves.
Big news, the grapes are coming in.
Mast step had some resin chips, so we repaired the chips with THIXO thickened epoxy.
Now on to rivets. The deck edge and trim should have nice clean holes like this.
Unfortunately sometimes the trim has been drilled all the way through, steel rivets have been used or rivet remnants remain. This has to be cleaned up and rivets replaced with aluminum rivets.
Here's our riveting video about rivets.
The fiberglass Sunfish built 1960 to the mid 70s also have rivet nuts for the coaming.
Rivet nut video.
She's off the Finishing Dolly and ready for rigging!
Finished up the final bits before sea trials for VIPER. Inspection ports, deck hardware, coaming, gudgeon, bailer.
Cut a larger hole for the aft inspection port with a DeWALT jigsaw, taped the deck first to reduce scratches. The hole is drawn using the port cap, flipping it over and tracing around the outside of it. Don't trace around the outside of the mounting ring, you'll have a really big hole :)
Sealed the port with a bead of TotalBoat Seal. One trick we have is to run a bead of sealant around the port outer ring, put the ring in place and give it a 1/2 turn to spread out the sealant. Drilled holes for the hardware. Secured the ports with #6 stainless steel machine screws, washers and stop nuts. I bought screws that were long enough so I can reach them to put on washers and stop nuts, plus I bought a deep socket that will hold the nut while the screw is tightened. One BIG tip is to buy a couple extra washers and nuts, because they are hard to find if they get dropped inside the hull.
Drilled pilot holes for the bow handle #8 x 1 inch stainless wood screws, oval phillips head.
Drilled piilot holes for the halyard cleat and halyard block, installed with #8 silicone bronze screws long enough to catch the 3/4 inch wooden backer blocks under the deck. It is a good thing to see dry wood shavings come out when the pilot hole is drilled.
Drilled the 3/16th inch pilot holes for the coaming rivets. It is important to buy the proper rivet, aluminum 3/16th inch closed end. They need to be closed end so water will not get into the hull. I also put a small bead of sealant in the rivet hole before installation.
Tapped the edge trim into place with a rubber hammer. Drilled 1/8th inch pilot holes for the edge trim rivets, which do not need to be closed end but they need a grip range of about 1/2 inch. Once again it is easiest to buy the rivets from a Sunfish Dealer. Be careful to only drill through the top of the trim and the deck edge, not all the way through, that is enough to hold on the trim. If the drill goes all the way through, take a file and remove any sharp burrs that are finger slicers. We also go back and file the top of the rivet to make them smooth.
Installed the gudgeon with #10 stainless machine screws. The metal backer plate inside is tapped for the screws, no need for washers and stop nuts. I add a small dab of sealant around each screw hole before installation.
Installed the swivel cam cleat and the sheet hook. The screws for the swivel cam cleat come through under the cockpit lip, they do not go inside the hull.
Added a retaining line to the daggerboard, so it doesn't float away during a capsize. Skipper prefers the simple line over a bungee, it makes it easy for her to pull the board out one handed when beaching. Otherwise she keeps it down most of the time, or if on a run the water pressure holds it where she wants it.
Woot! Sunfish parts from YANKEE BOATING CENTER showed up aka Sunfishsailboats.com They include a recreational line kit (halyard, sheet, outhauls and daggerboard bungee), coaming rivets, trim rivets, bailers, drain plugs and bow handles. ALso ordered some sail repair tape.
