# Riveted V.S. Welded jon boats advant/disadvant



## BowKat04 (Feb 27, 2005)

I'm going to be buying a new jon boat in a couple months and was wondering what are the advantages and disadvantages of a riveted versus all welded jon boat? Thanks.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

I owned a Bass Tracker Jon boat that had about a dozen of the rivets come undone underneath. B.T. was real good about it though. Being the boat was less than a year old they gave me another boat. But part of the transom was not welded on it, and it took on water. Again B.T. was good about it. They offered another boat for me but I did not want to try a third time. So they bought the boat back from me.


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i would always go with a riveted, if a weld would fail (and they do) then it is harder to weld an already welded area.aluminum welding usually make the surrounding area soft. as athe above post ,it would not be a tracker though.if needed years down the road rivets can be replaced and/or just retightened if you have any leaks.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i personally think it depends on the quality of the boat.(you get what you pay for)
riveted jons do have the advantage of easier repair due to leaky rivets,but then those rivets are the weak point also.cheaper welded boats can be prone to damage from twisting and other issues.
but a good quality heavy gauge welded boat will take a beating and last for years.there are probably more than a few guides,fishing camps that use welded boats themselves and for rentals.
my boat is an older(1979) 14 foot fisher.it's all welded,has seen almost 30 years of fairly rough use by me and previous owners.hard telling how many rocks,stumps,docks,ramps,etc it's done battle with.but in the past 5 years i've not been easy on it.and to this day,it has not one weak spot or leak due to welds.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Im sure whatever brand you look at will tell you theres is better then the other. I think all the new boats shoud hold up justfine whichever you want, I will tell you the double riveted hull models will run you another 40% in price at a minimum. Me, Like Misfit, have a 14 ft welded alluminum semi v john boat and it doesnt leak a drop and i beat it up pretty good, its an older model, guessing mid 70's and its got some dents and all sorts of scratches and like I said, runs true and is a real workhorse.

Let us know what your research show you as the preferred model. 
Im headed to the Dayton Boat show in a hour or so, so Ill ask some questions and see what the consensus is.

Salmonid


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## BowKat04 (Feb 27, 2005)

I'd personally for piece of mind reasons would rather go with a welded one but financially the riveted may be the way for me to go right now. I know I wont be taking it out in the rivers only a lake my parent in laws live on. Getting a leak is what scares me.


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

The main difference to me is the weight. The welded ones are alot heavier. I have always had rivoted boats and they did me fine. One year, I went into debt and bought that 16 foot welded ranger. What a joke. It was so heavy, forget having a 9.9hp push you anywhere. The ranger boat itself was junk. Not because of the weld, but electrolisis. The dealer didn't ground the trolling motor right and while it searched for ground, it burnt hundeds of holes in the hull. I mean it. Hundreds of holes in the bottom of the boat. At first, they tried to blame me. Then they sent it back to the factory for a complete re-build. I wanted a new boat but they would not give me one. They said that they have the right to fix mine. I lost my boat, without a loaner for two months of good fishing. Never, ever buy from Ranger. I got the boat back and traded it for a Lowe 160 rivoted. With the same size motor, it runs twice as fast. To me, its all about weight. The welded ones use a .100 ga. metal and the rivoted ones use .70. The makes a big difference in the total weight. Welded is better, but not until they let us add a couple more horses to get the same speed that we used to. I'm not for a big raise in HP, but maybe 5 or 10 hp to get these heavier boats around and off the lake in a storm.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

chopper,i have to disagree with much of that.hull thicknesses vary on all jons,depending on factors such as size,quality,etc.
they can range from .43 to over .100,and some have heavier bottoms than sides,whether welded or riveted.the welded ones may not be of the lightest gauge,but they aren't always the heaviest.
my boat is fairly heavy gauge with added weight of some mods,but i consider it far from a sled when it comes to speed.


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

Misfit, I may be wrong on saying all welded boats are this or that, but that is what ga aluminum I was dealing with. The welded was 100 and the Lowe rivited was 70. I fish all hp restricted lakes and I have been playing the speed game for many years. I do alot of fun fishing with my family and bass touniments. I always want to keep the big hp boats off our restricted lakes don't get me wrong, but the lack of speed can be a safty concern. I fish down in the hills alot and a storm can come over the hill and catch you off guard. My wife hates gettin caught in lighting. Me too. I know that weight seems to be everything about speed. When this one friend of mine fishes with me he brings my boat to a crawl. He is heavy and he brings alot of tackle. My boat won't even come up on plane. It plows, and that is harder on the shore line that what a little more hp would do for us.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i do understand what you're saying.just pointing out the many differences in jon boats in general,as opposed to one brand/type.
i've also had the experience of having a "extra heavy duty" passenger in the front of my boat and fearing the bow would disappear
never again,LOL.like it or not,we all have to contend with the hp restrictions and safety can be an issue on some.but i think you feel as i do,and would rather sacrifice a little speed for the other advantages they offer. 
if you're not in the "super heavyweight" divisionyou're welcome to join me for a trip this year on hoover,and we won't have a speed issue


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

Misfit, I am a skinny old man of 55. I would really like to fish with you. I do have a little trouble with eyes at Hoover. I am going to the Hoover seminar in Feb. I hope to meet you if you go.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Misfit, I am a skinny old man of 55


 good.when we hit hoover,you can do all the work,and give this fat old 60 year old a break  
look me up at the seminar.


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## heyjay (Mar 22, 2005)

This is straight from the Lowrance website :  Transducer cavitation

Many boat hulls create air bubbles that pass over the face of a transom mounted transducer. Many aluminum boats have this problem due to the hundreds of rivet heads that protrude into the water. Each rivet streams a river of air bubbles behind it when the boat is moving, especially at high speed.


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## CatawbaLayoutShooter (Jun 3, 2006)

I'd rather be on the lake with a broken rivets vs a ripped weld..:T


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## tunnelengineer (Mar 6, 2006)

My welded boat is a lot thicker gauge metal sheel than most any riveted boat out there. It hasn't leaked a drop ever. I have never seen a riveted boat that is perfectly dry. 

They are both good. Check what every aluminum boat manufacturer out there and you will see that welded hulls perform remarkably. 

I would let this swing your decision either way. Just check out the boat for bad rivets if its an old model.


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## ErieAngler (Apr 15, 2006)

BowKat04 said:


> I'd personally for piece of mind reasons would rather go with a welded one but financially the riveted may be the way for me to go right now. I know I wont be taking it out in the rivers only a lake my parent in laws live on. Getting a leak is what scares me.


What matters the most is the thickness hull as far as stress/abuse absorption. Then you need to consider the mfg quality. Anyone can rivit a boat together, give me a welder and there isn't a chance in heil that the boat's going to last long or take much abuse. Ive owned both and I believe both make solid boats. Rivited boats are much easier and cheaper to fix if a problem does arise. If you end up with leaks on a welded boat its usuall due to stress cracks because a weld wont flex like rivits do. And when you run into stress cracks, you run into a perpetual problem, its nearly impossible to stop it. So honestly, I think you're better off with a rivited boat, if your worried about a little leak, get a bilge pump, or a manual pump. But I think at the end of the day you're better off, especially if that boat will take much abuse.


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## bassteaser1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Someone said they have never seen a rivoted boat that was dry....I'll fish all day in my 83 Sylvan Backtroller and it will be bone dry.The big thing is a quality built boat,I don't have one loose rivot.If speed is an issue with a small outboard than look at hull design.Don't get a deep V with a 9.9 and expect to go very fast,put it on a 15' Mod-V and you will move fine.


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## fugarwi7 (Sep 20, 2006)

Welds crack and rivets loosen...that is just a fact...I think it depends on the craftsmenship of the builder that determines how long a boat lasts, regardless of rather it is riveted vs welded. I have a welded hull with over 2000 hours on it and it has seen all kinds of water conditions...ran hard on the lake but babied on shore (maintained with TLC) and when I pull the plug after each outing, I don't get a drop of water. My advice is do your research and buy a boat from a reputable manufacturer that stands behind their product. 

Even with that, who's to say the guy on the welder or rivet gun on a particular hull isn't having a good day (hung over, stoned, or some other distraction) and is prone to make a mistake that ultimately results in a failure on the water. After all, it is a manufactured product and failures occur...think about your tow vehicle...Ford and GMC products have all failed at some point in life, but we keep buying them! Boats are no different!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Welds crack and rivets loosen...that is just a fact...I think it depends on the craftsmenship of the builder that determines how long a boat lasts, regardless of rather it is riveted vs welded.


absolutely.unless you're a victim of murphy's law like me,a good quality boat of either kind should give years of trouble free service.
that said,even with the abuse i dish out.my little 28 year old welded jon is rock solid.no cracks,no leaks.......................well except for a couple small entry points resulting from my constant drilling holes for various purposes 
i kinda forgot to patch one or two,but they're on my to do list 
in the meantime,taking on a pint of water in a day doesn't really bother me


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## fugarwi7 (Sep 20, 2006)

misfit said:


> absolutely.unless you're a victim of murphy's law like me,a good quality boat of either kind should give years of trouble free service.
> that said,even with the abuse i dish out.my little 28 year old welded jon is rock solid.no cracks,no leaks.......................well except for a couple small entry points resulting from my constant drilling holes for various purposes
> i kinda forgot to patch one or two,but they're on my to do list
> in the meantime,taking on a pint of water in a day doesn't really bother me


I forgot Rick..your aka is "Murphy"  
As for the pint's...those are for me, not the boat!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL.i thought you were a fifth kinda guy


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