I had a little SeaKing 14 footer when we lived in AK that we trolled for trout a lot in. The buddy I traded out of it had bucked all the rivets and given the bottom a thick coat of Gluvit from WestMarine, it didn’t leak a drop. Another bud that used to go fish with us would take his Chrysler Little Fisherman riveted boat and he had better not leave the launch without a bailing can, that thing leaked around every seam and rivet in it.
I will say that while I prefer a welded boat, I’d rather have a riveted hull that leaks a little but has a good reliable motor than have the best welded rig going with some finicky POS motor that runs when it wants to. Especially if I was running rivers or any body of water where wind can be an issue.
