Yes, this is an excellent thread. I had some leaky rivets and didn't want to deal with the headache either. I just used some cheap epoxy.
I purchased some paint from Home Depot- it's in the roofing aisle and is used to seal aluminum and sheet metal sheds. Did the inside of the boat with it today.
Tomorrow, going to use the rubberized undercoating. I will probably be taking it out this weekend to see if she leaks. I will keep you all posted.
I've tried much of the options mentioned here. Problem I found in my situation was much of the leaking was thru rivets along the keel where the boat bottom and keel join up. Most of the remedy's work for a period of time the problem was that the boat bottom flex's (particularly in rougher water) and over time the seal would work loose and the fix was no more. Found JB weld worked the best/longest out of everything I tired.
So if your leak is on a static portion of the boat or if one is sticking to trout ponds the fix will likely last quite a while. If you are travel at speed on larger water bodies anticipated fix will only be temporary.
Has anyone tried using dum dum? (putty that comes in strips or rolls, most people would on here would be familiar with the RV version). It's pretty flexible and shouldn't crack like JB Weld probably does over time.
A fellow mentioned copper rivets in an aluminum boat. That is a no-no. Copper and aluminum and you get corrosion. Not nice. Someone mentioned pop rivets. They are not as strong as a solid aluminum rivet so I don't think they would hold up very well on the main seams. If you are really stuck the you can get a blind pop rivet and try that but I would use a sealant on it as well. I do use pop rivets on coffee cup holders and small rope holders but not on a major anchor rope holder.
BJay
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