Is Welding Worth It?

[courtney.john28]

For the three years I've been on my team, we have always chosen to assemble with steel rivets that fit with stock versaframe gussets. There have always been problems with sheered rivets (especially during our 2014 season) and the problems seem to continue to an extent this season. I've started looking into welding to solve these issues but I was wondering what you guys think of this change. Is it worth the change? while I know there is time constraint since most teams outsource there welding, is it worth this delay? Would students be able to acquire the skills to be proficient at welding over an off season? How big is the difference in strength between a frame mainly assembled with rivets and one that was welded?