Pontoon boat leaning to one side

[jbweiner]

Our pontoon is docked and left in the water but leaning to one side which happens to be on the side of the gas tank..could this be the problem? or is there a leak in the pontoon? The boat seems to handle fine while we are out running it. Just curious it has leaned all summer and this is the first summer we kept it in the water.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

Could be a leak. Trailer the barge, then grab the front of it and shake it back and forth while listening for sloshing. I'm betting you'll hear some. If so, you can take it to an aluminum welder, who will pressure test the toons and repair any leaks for a very reasonable fee.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

If it's like my pontoon boat all you have to do is unplug the drain plug once you get it out of the water.

 

[jbweiner]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

Thank you!....Do you think I can keep the boat in use and docked in the water for the remaining of the summer? or should I get it out right away?

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

If it's leaning you should at least go ahead and drain the toon(s). If nothing else that will give you a feel for how much water you're taking on (if any). It's unlikely she'll sink, but a party barge listing to one side is no fun at best and dangerous at worst. Whether you choose to continue using it in that condition is of course up to you, but if it were my barge I'd go ahead and take it to the welder. It's not very expensive and if you take it in early in the week you should have it back by the weekend. You can keep draining the toons indefinitely, but why take the risk? The toons are your hull. Would you use a leaky ski boat indefinitely without finding and repairing the leak? Bilge pumps and drain plugs are very useful, but they're not meant to be permanent solutions. One more thing; are the toons filled with foam? If so, you need to address the issue immediately.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

Are your toons the hollow, round style, or the foam filled, U shape type?

 

[5150abf]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

Has it always leaned or is this new?

We get that alot, the boat comes in for reapair and the gas and a big sofa are all on that side in the back,most times I don't find a leak.

Get it on a trailer, have someone pull forward a couple feet then stop suddenly, put your ear on the tube, if there is any water in it you will definately hear it sloshing around, if you don't hear any thing there probably isn't anything.

You could also fill it up and then put a mark on the tube to see if it is going lower in the water, if it doesn't go lower there si no leak.

 

[jbweiner]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

Thanks everyone!...It's round style and also the gas tank/couch/battery are on the side that leans (which basically leaned all summer) I will put on trailer and see if I hear anything to check if it's a leak. thanks again.

 

[river critter]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

I've ofton wondered why they put the couch and gas tank( mine holds 24 gallon) on the same side . It looks like they would have the tank behind the driver to balance out the weight when people are sitting on the couch?

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Pontoon boat leaning to one side

If you get a big enough boat you don't have that problem.Mine is 24 ft and it rides evenly. and I weigh in at 300 + .