Here is a pesky problem. I have a good number of Hobie rivets, but when I received them, they weren`t labelled or sorted - they were all mixed together. Now I am unsure how to match the appropriate rivet to the appropriate part/application. I have the rivet guide from Hobie, but unfortunately it gives no hint of how to identify rivets by their dimentions (ie. length X diameter).
Can anyone provide specifics?
Thanks
Dave
When I do this, I take the part number from the rivit guide and look at the price list in the back of the catlog. That gives the dia, length, and material of the rivit.
Hope this helps...
Ahhhhh....yup! That definitely helps. I guess that`s what the smart folks call cross-referencing!
Good stuff - just printed it out for the toolbox.
Thanks
Dave
Nick,
I just went through and cross-referenced the Hobie rivets as you suggested. The main rivet sizes are Monel 6-4, 6-6, 6-8, and 6-10.
Having no real experience with these rivet identifiers, can you tell me how to derive length and diameter from these numbers? By the look of things, and from the few rivets I`ve already replaced, the diameters of those above are all the same - only the length varies. So, what`s a 10 length or a 4 length for example.
Dave
I have no idea what those numbers mean. Usually when buying pop (blind) rivits you get a range of thicknesses they will work for, but that won't work here (ie 6-6).
Since they come in 1/16" in dia encrements and 1/8" length increments it might be as follows:
6-6 is 6/16" (3/8") dia and 6/8" (3/4") long.
6-4 is 6/16" (3/8") dia and 4/8" (1/2") long.
Maybe someone else can shed some light on this.
Could it be mm (as in millimeter). I remember having the same problem. I found pretty much only one common diameter for the SS rivets used on a hobie 16. I ended up using only the longest and the second to the longest rivet style - and the selves of course where needed. actually sometimes I used the sleves for "shimming" widened rivet holes.
Patrick
A 6mm dia rivet is about 1/4" dia. I don't think there are any rivets that large on the H16
I am glad to see that my question was not as "dumb" as I thought it might be.
The problem remains though. I have a little bag of several sizes of Hobie rivets with no way of really identifying them.
I wondered if the second number was a millimeter measurement, but I just don`t know and it seems silly to guess - there must be a measurement correlation.
I looked through past posts and it seems the question has never been answered fully and the issue has been carefully "danced" around on several occassions. Apparently, I`m not the only one reluctant to admitt that they don`t know what those little numbers (ie. 6-6) actually mean. Hopefully we can "crack the code" of the rivet here! And, what an accomplishment it would be!
Dave 
6-6 is read (Diameter - "Effective" Grip Length) Effective grip length is less than the length of the rivet tube.
6-6 rivets are 3/16" diameter x 3/8" grip length.
Diameter is by 1/32" increments (6/32" = 3/16")
Grip length is by 1/16" increments (6/16" = 3/8")
Looks like the rivets are 1/8" longer than the "Grip Length". The pin has to pull into the rivet tube a bit to expand it enough to work. I measured a 6-10 rivet tube length as 6/8" (grip length is quoted as 5/8" ).
The code has been cracked!
Thanks Matt. I was kind of hoping you would save the day.
That certainly clears things up. Now I can determine what the various rivet shank lengths are supposed to be. Then I can match them up to the Hobie part number on the Hobie rivet guide, and ultimately use the correct rivet for the job.
Many thanks.
I have a feeling that Newbies for many moons to come will be accessing and printing this post!
Dave 
Herrrreeee he comessss to savvvve the daayyyyy, Miiighty Matt is on the wayyyyyyyy!!!!
Matt,
Where does Hobie get their rivet casings? TIA
Casings? The sleeves for waterproofing and expanding the diameter? I can check later.
That's them. Thanks for looking.
http://www.howardengineering.com
I doubt they sell to the retail market though. We order by the 100,000.
I doubt they sell to the retail market though. We order by the 100,000.
How many years does that hold you? 
One thing I have found is that Hobie doesn't price it's fasteners much different than any industrial supplier. So, for small numbers of fasteners, there is no reason to not get them from Hobie. I have tried to find the rivet "shims" elsewhere and I can't get them in small numbers for a reasonable price.
That would be a couple years supply here.