Leaking steel pontoons

[beavertrapper70]

I bought a 30 foot Kayot pontoon boat last summer, and I use it on the Muskingum River in Ohio.
Here is my problem...one of the two pontoons(larger dia. than 55 gallon drums) has several eraser size holes in the very front, where it starts to narrow into a dome. You can see the rust, and it looks a bit rotted(flaky rust). I can assume the inside is the same way, but keep in mind the pontoon is compartmentalized in 5 sections, the back three sections are air tight, the 4th has water in it but no leaks( I think there is a hole in the inner wall of the toon), and the front section is the one with holes, I was told by a friend who is a professional welder that it more than likely cant be welded. What can I do? I priced foam, it seems affordable(350$ for 40cu. feet). I was told I could buy new aluminum pontoons for about 2 grand, which isnt worth it.
I only paid 1000 bucks for the boat, with a 35 horse in great only shape, so if I cant fix the leak Ill just put the motor on another boat and scrape out the boat and trailer.

I am pretty new to boating, so any info would be appreciated.
Josh

 

[redfury]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

If they are steel pontoons, then I don't see any reason why you can't cut out the rust and weld new steel onto it.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

If the pontoons are so rusted that they are not weldable, then they are most likely no longer able to safely support the weight of the boat and could at anytime fail.
Adding foam to a leaking pontoon will only result in saturated foam. You could try an epoxy patch as a temporary repair but I would either replace both pontoons or find someone that can repair the existing ones.

I also wouldn't rely on the fact that they are partitioned, if they are rusted out where you can see them, then who's to say that they are not rusted out between sections or partitions?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

either fix it right, or get the price on scrap steel.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

I would worry that foam would get water logged and would be, at best a temperary fix.
And as reelfishin pointed out, if they are rusted to where they can't be welded they are probly no longer structurally sound.
With rust the hole you see is normally much smaller than the actual hole, you may want to take a hammer and tap around the holes and see how far you get till you find good metal, if it won't take a tap from a hammer it certainly won't take the pounding of water.
Pictures would help.
If it can't be welded there really aren't many options, you may be able to get another year out of it with a patch job but again as reelfishin pointed out it is likely to fail at any time and more than likely at speed.
Sounds like it is time to look for a new boat.
By the way, what year is this boat, haven't heard of anyone using steel toons for decades?

 

[beavertrapper70]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

I am not exactly sure of the year, but I believe its a late 70's. The front of both pontoons are are beat up, but the rest of the toons look good, minimal rust below the water level, none above it. I will get some pics of the boat up on saturday, so give everyone a better idea of what I am up against. Someone had mentioned to me that if the holes could be fixed, to put a small amount of antifreeze in each compartment, and then rhino line the bottoms of each pontoon. Enough for now, I will have pics up this weekend. thanks for the responses, i am open to anything.

 

[oops!]

Re: Leaking steel pontoons

just weld them....cut out the plate and weld in a new one......

just forget foam......it will be waterlogged in a short time, then you have to cut the toon open and get it out.....

if you scrap the steel....you might get a thousand for it....then another thou, and youve got alum ones......

lots of options here.......but as td said.....fix it right