Kayak and Fishing Forum banner

Split-tail rivets

6K views 19 replies 8 participants last post by  Phoenix 
#1 ·
Been looking for these. Found a couple of brand names (Bulbex and Bulb-tite) but can't find any suppliers except for trade suppliers. Has anyone bought these from retailers? If not I'll try the trade suppliers.
 
#2 ·
Dave

I couldn't locate split tails on the GC, but by experiment, engraved three grooves in a normal rivet to weaken and it worked great.

I had a split tail rivet as a reference.

Might add when doing work on Gunston's scupper pro, when we saw how thick his deck was we used a standard rivet with success, the rivet expanding OK without pulling into the plastic; split tails or modified rivets would be first choice though for normal work
 
#3 ·
Peril: Are split tail rivits those rivits covered in a black material that spreads out inside when pulled up tight? If so, you can get them from Shawn at FishYak.
 
#4 ·
They're the ones Duncan. I found a trade supplier near my work so will check them out tomorrow. I reckon the price of a pkt of 250 won't be that far off the price of a handful sold singly plus postage. And I'll be able to supply the local community.

Also found another brand name - Klamptite. Some of the US kayak fishing online retailers sell these.
 
#6 ·
YakAtak said:
This might sound stupid, but what are you going to use the rivets to attach?
Fair question. Many things. Initially rod holders and sounder pedestal. Thinking of d-loops for anchor trolley. Later, probably not much.

Anticipate an initial demand around 20.

Then Gatesy's got a new yak and Occy's getting one if Wavedance pull their finger out and there's a few other guys around with new yaks so I'm sure we'll consume a few of these.
 
#8 ·
YakAtak said:
OK so what is/are the advantage/s of using rivets over bolts and lock nuts?
Because you can work on one side only. They aren't as strong as bolt and nut but they are better than self-tappers and ordinary rivets. If you have access inside and the application is demanding, such as trolling for pelagics, then go the bolt, washer and nyloc nut. Without inside access, you have to use wellnuts, rivets or self-tappers.

Nice and quick to fit too
 
#10 ·
YakAtak said:
So the cobra doesn't have a lot of below deck access?
Standard fitout has a large rectangular centre hatch. This provides some access. There is an option of a large bow hatch, with a tapered shape, which will provide much more access. I have yet to take this up, but will likely do so in a few months. There aren't any standard hatches providing access to the rear.
 
#11 ·
YakAtak
Those rivets can be used to attach almost anything; eyelets, straps, rod holders, hatch frames..... I've used rivets extensively on my three yaks. I prefer to use #8-#10 SS bolts and washers for mounting things on my yaks, but the rivets work for the inaccessible spots. I carefully weigh my options before using rivets. You need to take into account what is to be mounted, how much stress might be put on the the rivets and how many rivets will be used. Rivets provide acceptable grip strength, but will tear through the plastic if excessive force is applied. High profile objects such as rod holders should be mounted with at least 4 rivets. I've been rolled going through the surf a number of times :shock: :x :evil: :oops: and have only lost one rod holder that was attached with rivets.
I've got upwards of 140 fasteners in the deck/hull of my Malibu X-Factor and more than a third of them are rivets. Most of those rivets were factory installs. I would have used bolts on almost everything had I rigged it out from scratch. The size and number of hatches on the X-Factor almost completely eliminate the need for using rivets (unless speed of installation is a concern). My Ocean Kayak Prowler 15 and Drifter were a completely different story. Almost anything mounted aft of the rudder pedals requires the use of rivets. I wasn't thrilled about using so many rivets on those yaks, but they've held up well.
 
#12 ·
I could be accused of overkill when it comes to some of the installations on my kayaks. My X-Factor came equipped with flush-mount rod holders that had been attached with rivets. I hate the idea of having such large holes cut into my yak and only having 4 rivets holding everything together. I removed the rod holders, cut the hull to change the mounting attitude, plastic welded material to close the gaps and then reinstalled. I also used an aluminum backing plate to provide additional strength around the hull cut. The backing plate effectively distributes any stress that is applied to the flush-mount rod holder and rod leash eyelets. The attached picture shows the finished installation. Not pretty, but bomb-proof. You'll also notice that Malibu uses rivets to mount the hatch frames. I'd rather have bolts, but those rivets are very difficult to remove.
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Im with you Doug. I use great big bolts and plates for all my stuff. Im sure its over-engineered but thats ok.
 
#14 ·
Why do my plans to buy in bulk always go awry? Must be a slow learner. A pkt of 250 cost just over $100 incl GST and would take over a week to order. The guy I bought the yak from sells them for $1.10 each. As I'll only need about 20, I'll just buy what I need.
 
#16 ·
Dave
Check out this link
RS Components

It has those sorts of rivets and you can buy them online, never used their site before but 4.8 mm dia split rivets at 1 to 9 mm grip length are only $21.70 for 100.

I'm pretty sure you can get these in Bunnings for about $10 for 50, I'm going there tomorrow arvo so will report back.

Also, probably a good time to remind everyone about this website for s/s nuts and bolts Small Parts
Cheers.......Nick
 
#17 ·
Flump said:
Dave
Check out this link
RS Components

It has those sorts of rivets and you can buy them online, never used their site before but 4.8 mm dia split rivets at 1 to 9 mm grip length are only $21.70 for 100.

I'm pretty sure you can get these in Bunnings for about $10 for 50, I'm going there tomorrow arvo so will report back.

Also, probably a good time to remind everyone about this website for s/s nuts and bolts Small Parts
Cheers.......Nick
Nick, I've already checked two Bunnings stores. Couldn't find any. Let me know how you go.

The ones I'm talking about are available from kayakfishinggear @ USD3 per pack of 10, but adding in mailing costs means its not worth it. They are different from the Bulbex ones in your link above - they have an anticorrosion coating
 
#18 ·
Flump - just checked the RS web site but couldn't find them. What do RS call them?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top