It’s somewhat of a heated debate between many owners… do I get a riveted or welded boat? There are success and failure stories on both sides of the equation and so I wanted to summarize the key differences between both types of boats and the common experiences from boaters out there on the subject.
At the end of the day, there isn’t necessarily a “this is better” kind of decision, just both types of boats have their pros and cons. Welded and riveted boats are made and repaired differently and carry their own unique aspects. We’ll put the two side by side and then elaborate on the features and aspects of each later in the post.
Welded vs. Riveted Jon Boats
We’ll cut to the chase here and rank a few different aspects of each boat next to each other. Later in the post we go into more detail as to the specific pros and cons of each boat and unique aspects of owning each.
Overall, riveted Jon Boats are easier and less expensive to repair than welded Jon Boats, have similar longevity and the same or slightly less durability. Riveted boats tend to leak a little more (although the reviews are mixed) but often cost a little less than welded boats.
Here are a few factors (explained in more detail later in the post) side by side:
Structural Integrity: Welding wins
Both boats are very durable, and aluminum boats can last decades if not longer because they are lightweight, flexible, and are not subject to corrosion. Welded boats are effectively one piece of metal and have fewer connection points than their riveted counterparts. Because the metal is melted and fused together rather than just bound by rivets, it tends to be stronger and harder to break.
Repairability: Slightly favor riveted
We go into much more detail below about how to repair each type of boat, and they are very different to repair. I gave riveted boats a slight advantage here because the repair and replacements of rivets is easier to do yourself without much experience, whereas welding takes either prior experience or you taking your boat to a local shop and paying to have it repaired.
Leaking: Welding wins
I gave welded boats the advantage here although you can find plenty of other blog posts and forums that would say their riveted boats have never given them an issue. I favor welded boats here because in principle there are fewer places for a leak to start (i.e. it’s just limited to the actual weld spots). On a riveted boat there are hundreds of spots where the rivet can cease to be watertight and let water into the boat. Welded boats have hulls that are one solid pice of metal and so unless you puncture the hull there aren’t as many opportunities for leaks to start.
Lifespan: Tie
Both boats will have their unique requirements in terms of repairability but both boats should and will last you a very long time if properly maintained. See our article on “How long will a Jon Boat last?” for more information on this subject but at a high level they can last you decades if you look after them properly (i.e. storing them correctly when not in the water and cleaning them properly).
Price: No winner (let me explain)
A “winner” on price is too subjective to assign a winner here. Based on my research and experience riveted Jon Boats will be less expensive than fully welded boats, but that by itself doesn’t mean that riveted boats “win” on price. They are not the same boat and so you can’t quite compare value to them. It really comes down to your particular situation and if you’re wanting to pay more for the various features and durability of a welded boat.
In the rest of this post we’re going to breakdown each boat into more specifics and also discuss some of the ways to repair each boat since that is one of the main differentiators between these two construction styles.
Riveted Jon Boats
Rivet technology has been around for a long time and is a relatively simple (but ingenious) way of binding two metals (or other materials) together without actually welding it or fusing them together. It’s incredibly common and can be seen in everything from airplanes to bridges to boats.
How Rivets Work
Here’s a a great 34-second visualization of how rivets work. It’s not unlike nailing two pieces of wood together where they are still two separate pieces with a connecting agent (like a nail, or a rivet). Compared to welding, riveted metal is still made up of separate pieces rather than fusing them together as one.
Are riveted boats more common than welded boats?
In my experience you’ll see a fair mix of rivets vs. welds out there but the larger and higher end boats seem to favor welds. Rivet technology has been around since the bronze age (we’re talking 3,000 BC) so it’s a tried and true method. People will swear by their riveted boats and mention that they’ve never had any issues with them over the years. As we know, Jon Boats are super durable (see “How long will a Jon Boat last?“) and boats that are well cared for can last decades if not longer, which includes riveted boats as well.
Older models (which will be more common than brand new models every year) are more frequently riveted boats and not welded. It’s a slightly less technical process to install rivets than it is welding and is harder to do incorrectly. Because of this you’ll probably see more riveted boats than welded but again both are extremely common.
How do you repair a riveted Jon Boat?
Repairing rivets is something you can do without a ton of experience (unlike welding). Repairing rivets really breaks down into two categories:
- Repairing and sealing the rivets: If your boat is a little leaky, you can isolate which rivets and areas are causing issues (we’ll explain below) and make some simple repairs to alleviate the issue.
- Replacing the rivets: If you’re making some structural changes or repairs to the boat (adding some bench seats or replacing damaged or missing rivets). This is relatively easy as well but will take a little bit of simple equipment.
Repairing Leaky Rivets
If your boat has leaks but all of your rivets are still present, then you are experiencing some leaky rivets! Luckily this isn’t too technical to repair but will take several steps. Basically you are going to need to add an epoxy into and around the leaky rivets and make it water-tight again. Here’s the process:
Step 1: First I recommend a marine epoxy such as West System G/Flex (check price on amazon) that is waterproof. It’s a flexible but very stiff adhesive sealant that works on more than just aluminum as it’s designed to bond to metals, plastics, and even woods. It’s waterproof and holds up with the flex of an aluminum boat and absorbs shock well to keep it from leaking.
Step 2: You’ll need to actually let the boat leak for a while and get water in it, then pull it out of the water onto a trailer or elevated surface. Take a paper towel to dry the bottom of the boat and then see where the leaks are still coming from (there will be a drip). Take a sharpie and mark where the leaks are coming from and then you can flip the boat over so that the hull is facing up and we’ll get to work.
Step 3: Now that you have identified what rivets you need to repair it’s time to reseal them to stop the leaks. Personally I think that if you’re already going through the trouble to do this process you can just touch up all of the rivets on the hull so that you don’t have to repeat the process as other rivets start to leak. Dry the boat completely and then take a wire brush and scrub down the surrounding surface of every rivet you are going to repair. The idea here is to remove any paint and debris so that the epoxy can actually get down into the rivet and seal it. Then add a marine solvent to the same area to remove any contaminant that’s left on the aluminum. You’ll end up with a hull that has a bunch of little bald spots all over it.
Step 4: If you have a blow torch, go over each of the rivets very briefly (like one second) to get rid of any remaining water or salt in there. This will heat up the metal slightly and lower the viscosity of the epoxy (make it less runny) so that it can get down inside of the rivet. Next apply the epoxy with a syringe around the rivet so that it can sink into it.
Step 5: Now that you’ve gone through and sealed all of the leaky rivets, it’s time to let it dry and cure. If you have a heat gun to cure the epoxy this is a pretty quick process (you can sometimes be back on the water in an hour). If just using ambient temperature (letting it sit out) it can take 10-12 hours to cure. Make sure to follow the instructions on the particular epoxy that you use.
Replacing Rivets
You might find that you need to replace rivets entirely if for example you’re making structural changes or repairs to the boat (adding/removing a bench seat that is riveted to the hull and sides) or replacing damaged or missing rivets. You can find some good YouTube content on people doing this but the main consideration before you go out and buy rivets is to not only check the size of rivets that you’ll need but ensure that you are getting waterproof rivets if you’re working on a section that will be in contact with water (i.e. the hull).
Are riveted Jon Boats expensive to repair?
Generally speaking it is pretty inexpensive to repair and replace rivets assuming you have some of the right gear. We’re really only talking about a few pneumatic tools though a lot of people already have in their garage. The big plus of repairing and replacing rivets is that you don’t need much (if any) prior experience doing this, whereas that’s not the case with repairing welded boats.
Are riveted Jon Boats durable?
As discussed above, rivet technology has been around for literally centuries. It’s simple in design but effective in its purpose. If you ask enough people or read enough forums yes you will undoubtedly find people woe about their leaky riveted boat, but you’ll also find many people have never had any issues. Plus, they are relatively easy to repair and replace should you encounter an issue.
Welded Jon Boats
It’s hard to argue with welding in terms of stability since the process is literally fusing two individual pieces of metal to become one. So if your Jon Boat is welded, it is effectively one piece of metal. And since it is effectively one piece of metal (although there are connecting points) there are often less places for your boat to leak.
How common are welded Jon Boats?
From a historical perspective, welding is a relatively new technology as it has been around since the 1800’s, whereas rivet technology traces back to the B.C. area thousands of years ago. That being said, welding is obviously incredibly common now in all industries. I have found that lots of newer Jon Boats tend to be welded construction and the larger and more expensive Jon Boats tend to flaunt this technology. However, they’re still making brand new Jon Boats with riveted technology and so both are very common. In my personal opinion, welded Jon’s look a little sleeker and prices for these boats are usually higher than their riveted counterparts.
How do you repair a welded Jon Boat?
Welding repairs can happen for a lot of reasons, be it a leaky boat or maybe you accidentally punctured a hole in the boat on some rocks. Salt, mud, and grime can get into the cracks of a weld and cause corrosion and that is difficult to get out. Because of this you must really clean the surface that you’ll be repairing to remove any paint, debris, or any other foreign substances. From there, the actual weld job is a technical process and requires experience to do it correctly.
I’m not a welder and so I won’t give you the step by step instructions here. But unless you’re proficient in welding you’ll need to take your boat to a local shop or hire/convince a friend to lend you a hand.
Is it expensive to repair a welded Jon Boat?
Depending on the complexity and extent of the weld, it shouldn’t be very expensive to have a fabrication shop complete a small repair for you (maybe even under $100 but it will really vary). One way you can save yourself some of the expense is to have the boat thoroughly cleaned and wire brush the areas that are to be welded. This will reduce some of the prep work the shop will have to do on your boat and bring down the hours involved.
How durable are welded Jon Boats?
Companies manufacturing new Jon Boats will tout that the all-welded boat has superior durability to their riveted counterparts. And this makes intuitive sense if you think about it since the boat is really one large piece of metal instead of having tons of riveted points that can be compromised. Unless you just puncture a hole in the hull, welded Jon Boats will really just leak from the welded seams (if at all) instead of having hundreds of spots all over the boat where water could get in. This makes it a little easier to repair just a certain section of the boat and might require less maintenance over the long run.
Aluminum is incredibly durable and does not lend itself to corrosion and so a welded boat if maintained can last decades if not longer. It’s important to keep your boat clean when not in use so that dirt, salt, and particles don’t seep into the weld seams and cracks to deteriorate over time.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, don’t stress out too much over either boat type. Both boats have been around for a long time and manufacturers today are still making brand new boats with both riveted and fully welded designs, which means they still sell well and both hold up just fine.
At the end of the day it comes down to your specific preferences and the boats available to you to purchase. If you have a good deal on a boat that’s in decent shape and it’s riveted, don’t let the rivets hold you back. They hold up just find and are easy to replace and repair if needed. The new welded boats would personally be my preference for their sleek looks but you can’t truly go wrong either way. Hopefully this helped rank the two a little more side by side!
