Inflating pontoons

[brianbo]

I just recently refurbed an old pontoon boat I inherited (new deck...seats...console...paint...etc.) It looks great but first time I had in the water I felt like the aluminum pontoons were riding a bit low in the water. Are these filled with some type of gas...and if so, how often/easy is it to re-inflate? Expensive? Any advice?

Thanks from this 'toon newbie.

 

[scoutboater]

Re: Inflating pontoons

Hey brianbo,

Your toon's are in fact filled with a common mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, but there is no real schedule for re-inflation. The problem is when the nitrogen is replace by hydrogen, which when combined 2-to-1 with oxygen becomes very heavy and can cause your toons to sit low in the water. The solution is to either pump out or drain out the hydrogen/oxygen mixture and replace it with the mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, therefore replacing the former buoyancy of your toons.


Sorry brianbo, I cant help myself. Your toons are normally just full of air, and if they have water in them it needs to be drained out. Good Luck!

 

[brianbo]

Re: Inflating pontoons

Sorry brianbo, I cant help myself. Your toons are normally just full of air, and if they have water in them it needs to be drained out. Good Luck![/QUOTE]


Thanks (I think)...for awhile I thought I might have had a bad Knudsen valve.

So I take it you just open the drain plugs at the end of each pontoon and then reseal?

 

[5150abf]

Re: Inflating pontoons

DO NOT fill the tubes with air, you may blow them up but you will never get the boat to float better.

It just doesn't work like that, the only way to gain bouyancy is to increase the size of your hull or lose weight, filling them with air actually adds weight but the tubes will float the same with 10psi or a 10 pound vaccum.

You can see if there is any water in the tubes but that may just how it sits.

Get it on the trailer and pull forward a few feet then stop suddenly, get your ear on the tube, if there si water in it you will hear it slosh, obviously this is a 2 person job,

 

[scoutboater]

Re: Inflating pontoons

DO NOT fill the tubes with air, you may blow them up but you will never get the boat to float better.

This is a good point 5150, And I am wrong for not mentioning it. You dont want to pressurize the toons at all, just open the drain (if you have them) and let the water flow out. When it is all clear, seal your drains back up.

P.S., brianbo, I was just having fun with you on the really fancy sounding part, and trying to make it sound really fancy. Don't sweat the chemistry, just check for water.

 

[nozipcode]

Re: Inflating pontoons

Hey brianbo,

Your toon's are in fact filled with a common mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, but there is no real schedule for re-inflation. The problem is when the nitrogen is replace by hydrogen, which when combined 2-to-1 with oxygen becomes very heavy and can cause your toons to sit low in the water. The solution is to either pump out or drain out the hydrogen/oxygen mixture and replace it with the mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, therefore replacing the former buoyancy of your toons.


Sorry brianbo, I cant help myself. Your toons are normally just full of air, and if they have water in them it needs to be drained out. Good Luck!

Dude.....had me thinkin' WTH........my mouth dropped open sayin' WHAAATT...don"t do that no more !!! Hydrogen....ppfffftt !

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Inflating pontoons

Just remember that if you open the drain and water flows out, then it had to have gotten in someway.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Inflating pontoons

Hey brianbo,

Your toon's are in fact filled with a common mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, but there is no real schedule for re-inflation. The problem is when the nitrogen is replace by hydrogen, which when combined 2-to-1 with oxygen becomes very heavy and can cause your toons to sit low in the water. The solution is to either pump out or drain out the hydrogen/oxygen mixture and replace it with the mostly nitrogen/oxygen mixture, therefore replacing the former buoyancy of your toons.


Sorry brianbo, I cant help myself. Your toons are normally just full of air, and if they have water in them it needs to be drained out. Good Luck!

Hey scoutboater maybe you need to take up balloon riding cause it sounds like alot of hot air to me!!