The next decision was which securing method to use for the aluminium angle. Welding is generally considered to be gold standard however a few boat welders I spoke to said to stay away from welding if possible as they have seen some disastrous results, specifically cracked hulls.  They also recommended using the aluminium angle and place it down on the ribs then secure it with rivets.

After some investigation into the rivets I found quite a few people doing exactly this. The advantages of the rivets are I will have total control over the process and can enjoy the doing the job myself (I can’t weld), it’s cheap, and if any of the rivets go I can just drill out the centre and re-rivet it. Disadvantages I’ve considered include rivets can let go or become loose over time, and I have heard some stories of aluminium cracking around drill holes. That said I have heard just as many reports of aluminium hulls cracking after welding or just through normal wear and tear. Ultimately I think a lot of this comes down to how you manage / treat your hull. I’ll keep you posted on what sort of durability I get.

So which rivets? The choice was between Aluminium with stainless steel centre or AA = all aluminium. To reduce the likelihood of galvanic corrosion I decided to go with the AA. These are technically not as strong as the SS centre but I compensated sightly by using a larger rivets which seem pretty strong when used properly. rivet. The rivets I used are 4.8mm x 14.3mm AA open backed blind rivets.

Cheers

Matt