1991 24ft Monark - additional bladders in front toons?

[samm835]

I noticed at the end of last season....my front pontoon had water in them. I found where I have a weld crack, it seems to be on one of the braces that hold the floor. My problem is I can't find where this water is at. It sounds like there is an additional compartment inside the front portion of my toon. Like a toon inside of the toon? I can't find out how to get in there to have the water taken out. I have pushed about ten feet of tubing up to the front to be suctioned out....and nothing, bone dry. When you tap the toon, it sound empty....all the way around. But when you move it side to side, you can hear a bunch of water moving......UGH I need help I don't want to take this to someone and have a section cut out and welded back, does any know how to get this out?

 

[lmuss53]

Re: 1991 24ft Monark - additional bladders in front toons?

I had a 1998 Fisher 20 footer with no plugs in the rear of the tubes. I drilled them out with a 5/16 drill and drained the water, then tapped them with a 1/4 npt tap and ran pipe plugs in. I used the boat like this for several months, draining the tube out when I thought there was enough water to make a difference. The tubes were later repaired and aluminum half couplings with 1/2 npt plugs were put in where I drilled.

Regardless of how the tubes are constructed I think they will drain to the stern if you get the bow up high and drill the plugs out in the back of the tube as low as possible but still on the rear, NOT THE BOTTOM, of the tube.

My cracks were where the brackets met the tube also.

I can't say how the Monark is built but the Fisher had sections with baffles that had small drains in the bottom to keep the section from flooding in the case of catastrophic failure but still allowed it to drain. The water would accumulate in the bow because that was the lowest point if the boat was on the trailer and nose down but the cracks were in the rear.

What I'm trying to say is the water can flow from bow to stern and back regardless of where the crack is and in spite of the internal baffle. If your boat has plugs in the rear just pull them out and get the bow up high. Leave it overnight and it will be drained in the morning.

 

[5150abf]

Re: 1991 24ft Monark - additional bladders in front toons?

To do it right you will need to go to a welder and have him drill and drain the tubes, you don't need to cut anything out, just a small hole is all you need.

I don't know how Monark builds there tubes but it sounds like there is an extra baffle in it, there should be a baffle at the end of each tube section so there is 1 in the front, 2 in the middle and 1 at the rear.

Drill the holes right beside the keel so you get the most water out the fill the holes and fix the cracked brackets, this is the only way to do it right and have it last.

Have the welder pull the plugs, you can't weld on a closed tube, the air expands and blows out the weld.

 

[samm835]

Re: 1991 24ft Monark - additional bladders in front toons?

Thanks for the help, I did take out the rear drain plugs at the end of last season. I only had about a pint of water in tubes(yes I know, no water is better). I had the bow raised all winter and still no water drained from bow. I pulled the two top two plugs and tried to pump out any extra water with a ten foot tube.....no luck, so I guess off to a good welder. What's the average price I should be looking at for this job? 100 bucks, 200?