How many Rivets are in a RV?

[engineerorange]

My airplane just got 12 more rivets after flying for 18 months. Adding some avionics required 6 more nutplates.

[MarkW]

I thought I read somewhere on the Van's website when I was first interested, that there were 17,500 in an RV-9.
I have no reason to doubt that number.
I had tennis elbow for a few years during the process.

[rdamazio]

I've been counting my rivets since the beginning - I'm done up to section 28 on the RV10 (except fiberglass parts), QB wings, slow-build fuselage, and I'm 9319 rivets in. Probably a few thousand more coming up when I rivet the side skins (rib+bottom skin sections had about 2000).

[flyinga]

Originally Posted by diamond

15,000 X 10/7 = 21,428

Which means the RV14 has 21428 X 14/10 = 29,999.2

[rdamazio]

Originally Posted by flyinga

Which means the RV14 has 21428 X 14/10 = 29,999.2

The .2 is that one rivet you under-squeeze but don't bother fixing?

[NorthernRV4]

Originally Posted by Dean Pichon

After finishing my -4, I learned that its not the time to drive 12,000 (or whatever) rivets, it's not the time drill, de-burr, countersink or dimple 24,000 holes that makes a -4 a big project. It's all about how long it take to determine where to put those holes and working up the nerve to drill that first hole in each row!

ABSOLUTELY! having constructed my tail and one wing, I've spent more time laying out holes than drilling/deburring. The challenge with a non-punched kit is not in the drilling operations, it's taking the time to accurately lay out the holes. It is VERY satisfying to stand back and look at a completed wing, all riveted up.