Mast rivet sizes ?

[cruiserpete]

Hi all,

Thought I'd ask if any one knows what size rivets our masts take and/or is there a good way to tell?

About to refurbish the mast and would like to know what to get before 'ripping' things out. Want to add a mast head antenna as well as the backup transom mounted antenna, a mast head wind direction transducer and lastly a new mast head all round white light. I'll need to add a new backing piece but because of the low weight of the above items rivets will suffice.

Cheers,
Pete

[Steve]

Wye Knot just remove the head of the existing rivets with an outrageously oversized drill bit, punch out the remaining part of the rivet, then gauge the hole in the mast with a drill bit and use a new rivet to suit that. Paint all rivets and all stainless steel /aluminum component joints with duralac and bob is your uncle. If you have corrosion in the old rivet hole you may need to go to a larger rivet or weld up the existing hole.

[no way]

Generally 3/16 dia with a suitable pulling length for the thickness of the parts you are trying to rivet noting the above comments. Monel is best but you'll need a good rivetting tool not plier type