Smoker Craft...are they welded?

[Berryessa Boater]

Delete Word

Who said any thing about pop rivets?

You are correct, eliminate the word "pop", I was thinking what they eventually "Do"....appreciate you catching my error.....Mark

 

[kokaguy1]

Smoker Craft

I failed to mention in my reply yesterday that many of the leaks I discovered were around the rivets.
After now owning a welded boat I will never own another riveted boat again they are totally two different qualities of boat. The riveted boat such as the Smoker Craft have a good price point however and for the first time buyer it's a good way to get into boating, but I would say if you plan on keeping the boat for a long time (15+ years) I would spend the extra $$$ and buy a welded boat.

 

[SilverBullets]

You are correct, eliminate the word "pop", I was thinking what they eventually "Do"....appreciate you catching my error.....Mark

If rivets eventually "pop" I'm kinda surprised Boeing uses so many of them on their airliners...just saying. I've riveted together alot of airplanes over the years... I think the main concern with rivets is the quaility of the job (hole size, right rivet material and installation) and the inspection process.
That said I've seen rivets on brand new boats that look like a 10 year old put them in with their eyes closed. If...I repeat "if" they were installed correctly there's not much chance of them ever popping out with normal use.

 

[Berryessa Boater]

Lear Jets

Hello Silver Bullets; I was wondering how long it would take for someone to bring up airplanes, that being said. My question to anyone thinking of buying a welded vrs riveted boat is this....All things being equal.....meaning price.....would you rather have a welded or riveted boat?, I believe 99 per-cent chose welded....the 1 per-cent....well...there has to be "1" in every crowd......Mark

 

[SuperD]

Okay, enough of the Ford / Chevy pissing match. Monte has gotten enough opinion to make an educated decision.

 

[SilverBullets]

Yep...it really comes down to price range and useage.

 

[Bduck]

I use to have 2 seperate aluminum boats rivited. I fought with leaks all of the time. Overtime, with the vibration of the motor, weight added in the boat, rough waters, all of this plus other abuse, rivits tend to work loose and elongate the hole it was seated in. A constant battle of leakage. A welded boat is a excellent way to go. If your spending the money for a rivited boat, go the little extra for a more quality built boat.

 

[spanishfly]

I own a smokercraft sled and it is weleded. This boat has been put to bouy 10 and has done a great job. Love the boat and would recommend it to anyone with a budget.

 

[saltyseadog]

lodge series is welded

 

[Kokanme]

My 12 ft Valco was manufactured in 67 and it's riveted. I've owned it awhile and haven't had any problems with leakage to date. I can't say the concern about leaking hasn't crossed my mind a time or two and if and when I upgrade to something larger, I'll probably look for a welded hull. Some of the lakes I'm on are heavily used by the wake boarding crowd and those boats can throw a wake thanks to the water bladders they use and this little boat has taken some inadvertent pounding from time to time because of it, so I'd say it obviously boils down to the quality of craftsmanship in the construction.

 

[smokercraft]

Rivet or Weld

I have a 15' SmokerCraft Tracer with rivets and love it. I to am a lads union member and WABO certified and believe there is something to be said for deflection. If a job is done correctly and without abuse I believe both boats can be reliable for many years.My last boat was a 1964 starcraft with rivets and no leaks. That all the proof I need.

 

[Excaliber]

Rivets doesn't mean the boat is of lesser quality. Lund's are riveted and they are nicer and better built than Crestliners, G2, Smokercraft etc.

If you are talking larger boats like Alumweld etc that is an entirely different boat and boats of that type are all welded.
If you are talking Gregor versus Valco then by all means go welded.

The boats that are riveted tend to be smaller, lighter dual purpose boats that can be used to fish bass, walleye out of not just troll.

 

[smokin' Kokes]

fished a 21ft Starcraft riveted alum. cabin boat for years back in the 70s early 80s. 440 Chrysler on a big Merc outdrive
had removed the flooring and made side access to shoot in marine grade poly foam.
made a stiff non flex sealed fishing platform that could not sink
ran offshore for tuna and halibut.
fished off the end of the S. Jetty for 30lb lings
made the trip across the Columbia River bar may times.
good koke fishing boat. set in the warm cabin and drink fresh brewed coffee listening for the reels to sing.
never a leak. lighter and faster than any welded alum or glass boat. self bailing deck

Brains and Balls, US CG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knz51leymyc

 

[WAD]

riveted or welded

Smokercraft acctully makes both, the sled type boats are welded in Stayton Oregon about 20 miles from me. As to weather they leak or not is really on how you use it the guys the run the Big rivers seem to have the leaks the guys that mostly fish lakes and calmer water dont seem to have the problem. Ive done both so talking from experiance

 

[Full_Monte]

Yes, thanks, Guys...I did buy a welded boat. It's an interesting discussion here. I think one of the reasons that airplanes are put together with rivets is that sometimes mechanical or other work has to be done inside a wing or body panel, and removing rivets is a lot easier than cutting through welds.

 

[skookum9]

Congratulations on the new boat, Full_Monte! I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

A question for the guys on here that had some welding knowledge, as well as any others with some of the boat building knowledge. I was reading here about the comparison in strength of the riveted boats versus the welded boats and I was wondering if anyone knew if the materials used were the same on both boats or not. Since I have been trying to learn a little about welding aluminum, I have discovered that aluminum is not aluminum is not aluminum. The typical boat building aluminum, (in some applications), is 6061 AL. This is because of its ability to handle being welded. However, the aluminum that is used in aircraft and space design is not weldable but is several times stronger than 6061. Some of it is also much more resistant to saltwater and corrosion than the more common 6061. This being the case, my question is if the riveted boats are using these superior metals that their rivets allow them to use. If so, I would think there would be a good deal of merit to buying either one. One may well have stronger joints but the other may be a much stronger and lighter boat that may actually significantly outlast the welded boat. The odds are, however, that a lessor expensive boat, (which most riveted boats are), probably uses the same less expensive material as the welded boat.

 

[SuperD]

When you research boats in either category, welded or riveted, the thickness of metal between manufactures and models varies widely. So Skookum, comparing a 1/16" thick piece of a stronger material and a 1/8" thick piece of a weaker material becomes a lab test project.

 

[Wooly Russ]

A good majority of boat hulls have forming or bends as part of their constrution, and are made from 5052, or in the case of some of the higher end makes, 5086 (more corrosion resistant). 6061 is used more for bar or extruded shapes, such as channels, tube, angle, even custom shapes like chine and gunnel forms. 6061 does not like sharp bends, and it also looses quite a bit of it's strength in heat affected weld zones. Part of the reason 6061 chine and gunnel extrusions have become so popular, are you get a good mechanical fit-up without having to be precise on the joint cuts (the sheets fits into a groove), the welds are usually on the inside, giving a nice trimmed out look on the outside, and the mechanical joint helps offset the loss of strength from welding.

I have noticed a newer line of boats from Smokercraft called "American Angler", and I believe these are all welded.

 

[skookum9]

Wooly Russ, thanks for the info. You sound like you have some experience in the field and if you don't mind me asking, I wonder if you could tell me what material you would suggest I use for a project I want to build. I am looking to build a frame for a rubber boat that will possibly be exposed to saltwater at times. I want it to be very strong but as light as possible. And I am more inclined to weld any joints rather than try to bend the material. My obvious easy choice would be 1 1/4" 6061 with about an 1/8" wall thickness. This would obtain the strength I need but would be a little heavier than I would like to go and I'm not convinced of it's durability in saltwater. I have considered 5083, sort of an alternative to 5086, but I'm really not certain of what my best solution is. It may be best if I just keep it simple and stay with 6061 and keep it beefed up like that but I would like to know your opinion if you don't mind sharing it.

 

[Wooly Russ]

6061 tube would be more common, and affordable. It also has good corrosion resistance. Try to avoid joints that overlap, as that is more prone to corrosion. The oxide coating that developes overtime (anodizing is an oxidized coating) is what gives aluminum it's protection. Areas that are shielded from the air, and are hard to flush clean, can pit because this oxide hadn't formed. If you're going to weld your frame together, a wirefeed welder will normally have a smaller heat affected zone. If you're going to use a tig welder, try not to over heat the joints.

My 2cents