Pontoon Restoration

[VaGent]

I have purchased a 1986 20ft Riveria Cruiser that needs to have the decking replaced & I am looking for a supplier for the aluminum fencing. The decking is wood at present but I would like to find aluminum decking to replace it with. I am having a really hard time finding anyone who supplies either the aluminum decking or the fencing material. Any help would would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I am not searching correctly or else using the incorrect terms to search with. Does anyone know of anything I can use for decking besides wood or aluminum that won't add a lot of weight? And what gauge aluminum would be required for the decking?

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

http://pontoonstuff.com

They have almost everything you would need for restoration. I don't think they have aluminum decking but I would use wood or composite. Aluminum will be very $$$ and won't make for a quiet ride when the water beats the bottom of the deck.

 

[VaGent]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I am thinking maybe(?) a synthetic material for the decking since aluminum is going to be so expensive. I'll check with the people at the above listed link & see what kind of pricing they have available.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

The correctly treated wood (deck) will last for years. The trick is to choose the right wood and prepare it properly.

You can use a good standard plywood that is finished both sides. Once it has been cut to size, treat both sides with an epoxy, either resin or paint. Another trick is to SEAL any holes that you drill for mounting things. Trust me, that wasn't done when it was built originally. Those holes are where rot starts!

I agree that an AL deck would be extremely noisey, expecially in the expanses that a pontoon deck would be.

Fences are going to be somewhat custom. Furniture is available right here on iboats.

 

[VaGent]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

The correctly treated wood (deck) will last for years. The trick is to choose the right wood and prepare it properly.

You can use a good standard plywood that is finished both sides. Once it has been cut to size, treat both sides with an epoxy, either resin or paint. Another trick is to SEAL any holes that you drill for mounting things. Trust me, that wasn't done when it was built originally. Those holes are where rot starts!

I agree that an AL deck would be extremely noisey, expecially in the expanses that a pontoon deck would be.

Fences are going to be somewhat custom. Furniture is available right here on iboats.

Thanks for the information DJ. I had thought about the way you mentioned above & will most likely wind up doing it this way. You mentioned standard plywood. Any particular type I should use or is it just regular like you would use in building & sanded on both sides? Any special kind of epoxy I should use? This is my first attempt at doing something like this & I don't want to have to do a "re-do" by not doing right the first time.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

Any quality plywood will work. It doesn't have to be "marine". The fewer the voids, the better.

The thickness will depend on how far apart your deck supports are. I would go with a minimum of 1/2" and 5/8" preferred. I think 3/4" is a bit heavy.

There are numerous types of epoxies out there. I frequently use West System products.

I have also done decks with paint. Much easier. For that method I use one part epoxy paints from Pettit or Interlux.

Remember, the real key to longevity is sealing any punctures into the plywood. Time consuming-yes. Worth it-absolutely. For sealing, I use 3M 5200.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I would add underskinning to your list. The bottom of a toon gets beat with water and underskinning will not only protect your decking but also smooth out your ride and add 1 -2 mph.

 

[VaGent]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I would add underskinning to your list. The bottom of a toon gets beat with water and underskinning will not only protect your decking but also smooth out your ride and add 1 -2 mph.

I have to ask since I am new to pontoons: What is underskinning & how is it applied? Is it something like aluminum flashing or some type of liquid that is rolled or brushed on?

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I would add underskinning to your list. The bottom of a toon gets beat with water and underskinning will not only protect your decking but also smooth out your ride and add 1 -2 mph.

I wouldn't. A lot of work and can cause more problems than it prevents.

1. Traps water.

2. Noise.

 

[Bamby]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

Trying to understand this post DJ underskinning traps water where? Since the skin only goes between the logs any water that should migrate above it would just run out the sides.
Noise? It is far noiser on any boats I've been in when the chop etc. is hitting and pounding on the cross-members.
But to answer his question underskinning is plating with apx. 1/8 aluminum between the logs from front to back. Don't know enough about your boat to recommend it though. If you just have a 25 horse pushing it you would really not gain anything by underskinning it.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

Not much chance all that water is going to drain.

I think everyone is overthinking this. Pontoons are pretty dang simple. Just put down a good deck, treat it right and ENJOY!

If I have to worry about the sound of water hitting my crossmembers, it's time to pull back the joy lever (throttle).

 

[VaGent]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

Not much chance all that water is going to drain.

I think everyone is overthinking this. Pontoons are pretty dang simple. Just put down a good deck, treat it right and ENJOY!

If I have to worry about the sound of water hitting my crossmembers, it's time to pull back the joy lever (throttle).

LOL Now that's what I'm talking about. As long as the throttle doesn't stick wide open a little water isn't gonna hurt a thing imo.

I think I will do what was suggested by someone else on this thread. Use a good grade of plywood sanded smooth on both sides, apply several coats of epoxy to it & then seal all the holes really well & put the carpet down & get on with it. My wife already said she expects the 'toon to be ready for the water early next spring & time is going by fast. I got a lot of work to get done in a short time & she's watching me. lol

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I disagree completely. Underskinning is not water tight and is applied to all high end pontoons. It also eliminates surging when the water hits the joists and regular coated or painted plywood would not last without skinning.

Skinning also quiets the ride and increases performance.

This is a video taken under a pontoon at 20mph. Without the skin that water would be beating the joists and decking.

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f250/rickdb1/?action=view&current=UnderBoat.flv

I would skin any pontoon with 90hp or more.

 

[chrisg]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I could see an issue with water being traped up against the underside of the deck and roting it out. As for the nose of water hitting the underside of the pontoon, dont worry, you have more fun when the water come OVER the pontoon and you get all the people in the front wet.

That is my new sport with my pontoon, hitting the waves right and seeing how many you can dunk!

 

[5150abf]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

The deck on a toon is a strutural member, if you go with 1/2'' you may get a year or two out of it before it starts to fail especially if it isn't tonge and groove.

3/4'' is what you want,as I said the deck is structural, don't cheap on the wood as it is the foundation for the whole boat.

"Any quality plywood will work"... if you enjoy putting floors in your boat every couple years, we use marine plywood for a reason, it is specifically made to withstand being constantly wet, I would go with an exterior grade 3/4"' plywood, a little expensive but cheaper than doing it twice.

As far as a wave sheild it is more for performance than keeping the bottom of the boat dry, it can add quite a bit of speed to your boat by not having the water hitting your crossmembers all the time.

Been building pontoons for 21 years, 10 years Suncruiser/11 years Bennington.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

There is also no way that Skinning will trap water against the deck. The skinning is attached to the bottom of the joists and the decking is screwed to the top. Joists may vary but I would think they are around 4" thick.

 

[Macamato]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I am planning on using 3/4" Wolmanized plywood for decking on the MARY E. Is there some reason that Wolmanized plywood is unsuitable for using on an aluminium pontoon vessel? Like maybe potential reactive chemical corrosion of the aluminium or poor bonding of the carpet adhesive??

I have purchased the plywood but have not yet installed any of it and can return it for something else.

Thank you.

Macamato

 

[BillP]

Re: Pontoon Restoration

I am planning on using 3/4" Wolmanized plywood for decking on the MARY E. Is there some reason that Wolmanized plywood is unsuitable for using on an aluminium pontoon vessel? Like maybe potential reactive chemical corrosion of the aluminium or poor bonding of the carpet adhesive??

I have purchased the plywood but have not yet installed any of it and can return it for something else.

Thank you.

Macamato

You are 100% on track. PT is superior to untreated and will last way longer. How much longer I don't know but probably at least 30 yrs of constant drenching use...and several floor replacments for untreated wood. The reaction between pt and alum can be elimated with a barrier...my toon has rubber strips for isolation but almost anything will work. Nylon bush the fastener holes and use nylon washer to isolate the fasteners and there will be little or no chem reaction issues. Been there, done it, seen it work and just for reference my toon deck is 3/4" thick.

On the underskin...I plan on doing it to mine but don't know what material yet. Those who use toons in rough water experience sudden jolts as waves hit the underside cross beams. Mine came from the factory with deflectors that make a huge difference and when one came off I immediately noticed the difference. Underside skins can be slotted to drain properly and/or spaced off the beams to keep water from sitting on them (I'm spacing mine). Skins also reduce water from continually splashing up and going into all the nooks and crannies of the uncovered structure.

bp