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[Edmund]

I am looking to get a used 14' jon boat. The seller says there is a half an inch to an inch water in the back after about 9 hours on the water. Is it acceptable?
It's a tracker 14' jon boat.

[wildmanyeah]

Its pretty common, lots of people keep a sponge in the boat and wipe up the water every so often.

[redside1]

all you need to do is fill it full of water and get the leaking rivets (provided the boat doesn't have a crack in it) re-tightened. I have had this done in the past. Works great.

[mikeyman]

Seal it up. All boats take a little water.  I wouldn't  be to concerned. Don't over pay for it. Leak on riveted boat doesn't get better.

[DanL]

The seller says there is a half an inch to an inch water in the back after about 9 hours on the water. Is it acceptable?

That's not bad at all, if true, but how confident are you that the seller is being honest and not downplaying the issue. Can he tell you where the leak is? Is it actually worse than what he says? A leaky rivet or drain plug could be one thing, but a crappy patch job from where he rammed a boulder could be something else. It's not unreasonable to put eyes on it before committing. A test float would be ideal, but not always possible.

Seal it up. All boats take a little water.  I wouldn't  be to concerned. Don't over pay for it.

I know pricing on everything is all wacky due to covid, but if you are getting a leaky boat, you should be getting the leaky boat discount. Where and the nature of the leak is definitely a factor

[Roderick]

Bring something to bail with just in case the rivet or drain plug pops.

[santefe]

One thing for sure a leak won't get any better.

[VAGAbond]

I had an aluminum boat for years that always leaked.  I tracked the main leaking to joints along the keel and caulked those but it still leaked a bit.  I examined the rivets repeatedly to no avail.  I finally discovered that a new drain plug was all that was needed.

[ratfish]

Every riveted used boat I have been in leaks a little bit. I remember one time as a kid the boat I was in was leaking and the old timer i was with took a bar of soap and rubbed it on the leak. I don't remember if if it actually fixed the leak but after he did that I was not worried about the leak anymore more and we caught a few cutties.

[redside1]

The thing about a riveted boat that has leaking rivets is it means the rivets are loose.
If you don't tighten them they continue to wiggle and move.
Over time this creates a larger and larger hole.
If the boat is sparingly used, no big deal.
If used a lot it can cause issues.
It is best to get the rivets re tightened to solve any possibilities of future issues.