Mast Step "casting" and recommended rivets

[JONNYBRAVO]

Mast Step has come away from Front Beam, all rivets broken. Luckily came away when dragging cat up the beach! What rivet is recommended to fasten Mast Step back to beam, Stainless or Aluminium?

[Pete]

I would use monel rivets.

[impulse545]

And dip them in duralac before rivetting.

[madboutcats]

Aluminium is too soft, stainless is brittle doesnt pull up easily, doesnt spread as far behind the hole, reacts with the beam and doesnt mould flush to curved surfaces very well. Monel is a fraction softer, doesn't react very easily, pulls up bigger inside the beam, pulls up flush on curved surfaces, wont break your rivet gun and no mast supplier would use anything else. Duralac ensures theres no reaction (corrosion) and seals the hole

[impulse545]

Good explanation madboutcats.

If you haven't used monel or stainless rivets before you might want to try and borrow and scissor action or a pneumatic rivet gun. I have a small old style heavy duty riveter and I regularly use it on monel and stainless rivets 3/16. It's hard work!!!

[NixonJr]

if you have a compressor at home/work and plan on doing alot of rivets,

you may want to get yourself an air riveter - these really do save your arm alot

[JONNYBRAVO]

Thanks all

Mono rivet it is with duralac, thanks all for your help.......off to whitworths I go.

[madboutcats]

I use a rivet gun that has 2 arms on it about 2 foot long like a hedge pruner, their not too expensive and will do the mono rivet you need. Before you get the rivets check your holes and make sure they havn't corroded bigger than the holes in your mast step, if thats happened you will need to carefully drill out your mast step to the next size rivett. The rivetts don't cost much, if you check out the rivetts on your boat you can buy a handfull of different sizes that you might need to keep in your sail box. If your unsure of this you can take the cat to your local Binks and if you've got it cleaned up ready to rivett they'll sell the rivetts and do it for next to nothing

[cruiser]

Where wold one buy Duralac from?

[Loose Change]

Where wold one buy Duralac from?

https://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?item=59733&search123=duralac&intAbsolutePage=1

there ya go ..$32.95