Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

MarkR145

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Remembered the right side set a little lower last year so I had the boat guy at the dock check for water . He called and said very little (less than a gallon in the right) but when he set it back in the lake it sets about to the top of the pontoons on both sides now. I went down to check on it and the rear is almost underwater ,4 inches more and the deck will be wet !
 
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Okieboatguy

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Seems to me that if weight, in the form of water was taken out, and it sits lower now then the weight was not taken out, and some was added. I wonder if they forgot to put the plugs back in before putting it back in. Where did the boat normally sit when you bought her. Are they "U" shaped or solid round tubes? And as always, pictures always help.
 

MarkR145

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Seems to me that if weight, in the form of water was taken out, and it sits lower now then the weight was not taken out, and some was added. I wonder if they forgot to put the plugs back in before putting it back in. Where did the boat normally sit when you bought her. Are they "U" shaped or solid round tubes? And as always, pictures always help.
They are almost U shaped , prob closer to flat bottom with a tapered nose to the front. It now sets about 10 inches lower in the water than before they worked on it. I have owned it for 8 years so I noticed the diff. as soon as I saw it in the water. The dock guy still hasn't got it back out and it hasn't went any lower in the water.
Well once out of the water he had left the plugs somewhat loose , the water was about 5 gallons per side.Back in the water it sets better but still lower than last year by 4-6 inches .
 
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MarkR145

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

I wonder if any one would know what is inside a glass pontoon ? Surly not foam filled ? And has anyone ever thought of adding a bilge to a pontoon tube ?
 

Uncle Dave

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

What is inside? Sorta reminds me of Sam's next door neighbor that got his son a drum set for Christmas. After about 3 days Sam walked over to the neighbor's son and asked "did you ever wonder what is inside that thing?"
 

Jeep Man

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

I wonder if any one would know what is inside a glass pontoon ? Surly not foam filled ? And has anyone ever thought of adding a bilge to a pontoon tube ?

I was going to buy one (not sure of the brand) when I wanted to get my first toon. Yep......your worst nightmare.....foam filled. The sellers neighbor told me a few years ago that it developed a leak and nearly capsized. It's been dry docked ever since.
 

Okieboatguy

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Well, experience from my last rebuild of a Bayliner and dealing with floatation foam, and if it is foam filled, (And I am guessing they are since even most U shaped aluminum ones are), I would estimate you could have as much as 200 -300 pounds of water in the foam. When I removed the water logged foam in my old Bayliner, I pulled out about 300 pounds of old soaked insulation. Now given that if the tune may have bulkheads for added stability and flotation, that may be why the boat sits more heavy to the Stearn. Taken all that into account there is not much you can do short of either pulling the boat and letting them dry out (for at least a week and hope for high temps and low humidity), but I don't think the foam will never completely dry out, or, cutting it out and re-building and re-filling with new foam (Yuk.... Big Job!).
There is a Grey, not Silver, lining to the whole situation though. It was the dock guy who messed it up, he needs to make it right! Now me, I would be incredibly nice but incredibly ticked off that someone with experience did this to one of my (For lack of a better term) Family members. I would suggest he needs to make sure they get as dry as possible, make sure the boat is pulled out, and if it is still not right (back to where it was at the 4" - 6" higher in the water), pay for it to be fixed right. Sorry if that sounds rough, but I take my boats and their care very seriously, if I didn't I would not have given them names.
 

MarkR145

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Thanks for the input Okie,I think I have narrowed it down to a chamber close to the rear but not right on the rear. I can place as little as 200 lbs on the nose and it will balance the boat and resume the level it once had. Sounds crazy even to me and I'm looking at it. It acts like a kids teter-totter for lack of a better term !
I think I'll try running it for the rest of this week then pull it out over the 4th and let it set with the plugs out for a week or so.
 

BLC

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Thats alot of water. So in the end, what was the problem.
 

Okieboatguy

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

WOW, I am surprised he had the nerve to even give you a bill. Well at least you know whats going on, unfortunately you had to pay someone to do it yourself! Are you sure it is a crack, or did the plug not get properly installed the last time it was out? If so, RTV will just be a temporary patch, the good news is, Fiberglass is an easy fix if it is a crack,(With a little research and watching videos on youtube!). My suggestion would be to not let that guy do the work he has proven he doesn't care, and you should be able to do it yourself in about an hours time. Besides the guy at the marina has proven that you couldn't do any worse! Good luck, keep us informed and pictures always help when you are asking questions about the fix.
 

MarkR145

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

I plan on going over the whole area with fiberglass mat and resin Tuesday. I think a couple of layers of that should beef it up. Then smooth the deal over with fiber-bondo and paint. Hope it is better than new when I'm done,don't ever want to pull a plug and see that much water again !
 
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Okieboatguy

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Re: Fiberglass Toons on a skippercraft

Looks like you are on the right track, and doing it correctly. post picks if you can.
 
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