Have many others had to replace the rivets in their Bell Wildfire seats? I nearly got wet last night when all three rivets let go on the right side of my seat, but quickly caught myself. (I only weigh 170) I have replaced one rivet previously on the left seat hanger, now all three on the right. Three alumunum rivets per side seems pretty skimpy.
Try using
stainless steel rivits instead of aluminum. They’re much tougher. Adding another couple wouldnt hurt either. Another way to increase the strength would be to use larger diameter rivits. I don’t know it this applies to you or not, but although aluminum doesn’t rust, it does corrode. If your boat has been ezposed to salt water or if it has been subjected to road spray during the winter when salt or other snow melting chemicals were applied, that would explain the deterioration.
Marc Ornstein
Dogpaddle Canoe Works
Custom Paddles and Cedar Strip Canoes