Project cheap poontoon

[JeepinGunGuy]

I know the title is an oxymoron, I have never had a cheap boat, even the free one I got cost me plenty. I picked up a 1970 Aqua patio 20 foot aluminum pontoon with a 35 Johnson dirt cheap. At least that is what the title says, however the right rear toon has a HIN number for a Sylvan pontoon, but that doesn't bother me I got a good title back and assigned ID numbers. I bought the boat from a dead guys son-in-law back in December, but didn't get the messed up title work back till May 1st, just in time for boating season. Only problem is the boat has sat forever and everything but the toons are shot. I stripped it down to the toons and cross rails just to see what I have to work with and now I will be blasting you guys with questions. I will post up some pictures as soon as I figure out what size the web page wants them in.

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

Now for some questions:
1. What will take the rust off of the toons without hurting the aluminum?
2. The toons are 23' 6" long X 20" dia, is there a way to figure out the capacity for weight and people? There are no capacity tags or stickers on it.
3. Is there a rule as to where the drivers seat has to be located? I want to move it to the right rear corner with just enough room to get out the right rear gate.
I have had a boat in one form or another for 20 years but last year was the first time I even went on a pontoon, and I have wanted one ever since. But with 5 kids 8 grandkids and all my other bad habits it forces me to build on the cheap.

 

[dls322]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

Looks like a fun project. I have built 2, they are pretty straight forward and with basic skills, tools, money and this forum you will have no problem. Did you try pressure washing them? There are allot of different chemicals from Toon-brite to AC coil cleaner that can be used with different results...search the forums.
You might want to look into adding some additional cross members on the rear while you have the floor off, the newer toons have additional ones in the back for support. Also check your transom for integrity, looks like a different design.
I'm not sure about laws but that's probably too far back to put your seat(if you mean behind the side door)....your boat will naturally be heavier in the back with the motor gas and battery...also you will have a harder time seeing the front and depending on your steering cables and controls you might run into some issues with the short length.

Good luck with the project!

 

[MaPaHa]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

My first pontoon was an Aqua Patio built in the 70’s. When I bought it the guy had re-floored it and put down new Astroturf. It has a 24 foot deck and the toons are about 2-3 feet longer (total of 26-27 feet). It was rated for 85 HP and that’s what was on it. I don’t remember the people rating. The toons are 19 inches diameter the best I can tell.

I don’t remember how the motor was mounted but I know I didn’t like it and had a heavier transom built for it at a local metal fabrication shop. I built it to span under several cross joists and I re-enforced the rear one. With that said, I would take to one chance you have and strengthen up the back before you lay down the new floor. It looks like the motor hangs out past the last joist a ways and it’s hard to tell about the construction in the pictures.

In my current pontoon boat that has a 140 hp motor, (not the aqua patio) I used a double 2 x 2 x ? thick square tube aluminum and laid a 2 x 2 x ? inch aluminum angle next to it for re-enforcement on the rear cross joist, and a single square tube and angle for the next two joists up. That gave me plenty to attach the transom to and a few years later I installed a third pontoon. If you re-enforce the joists now and configure it where you can bolt to it, it leaves you’re options open for what you do with the transom without getting back into the floor.

We had some good times with the aqua patio boat but didn’t use it for very many years because the guy used ordinary green treated wood and I didn’t have a place to store the boat inside so the floor rotted out too quickly. At that point I wanted a boat that you could tube and ski behind so we didn’t rebuild it although I’ve still got it.

Good luck with it.

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

I did search for a toon cleaner, but I could not find anything specifically to remove the rust. The cross bars are galvanized steel and rusted in a few spots running down onto the toons and the mounting hardware was standard bolts, no stainless at all on this boat. The motor mount is defiantly different, I pulled it off and sand blasted about 10 layers of paint and rust. I only plan on using this rig to fish and party at slow speeds, with the 35hp motor I don't think I will need any extra bracing. The mount is made of 2" angle 3/8" thick and it spans two cross members.

 

[TurboM700]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

Look into JJV's I did my 24" pontoon with 1 gallon and it cost less then 30 bucks.

Stuff worked awesome.

Here is a link
http://forums.iboats.com/pontoons/pontoon-polishing-601504.html

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

You have one of the oldest pontoon boats with aluminum toons I've ever seen. Your questions:
1. What will take the rust off of the toons without hurting the aluminum? NAPA aluminum cleaner, diluted HVAC coil cleaner or ToonBrite available at boat dealerships.
2. The toons are 23' 6" long X 20" dia, is there a way to figure out the capacity for weight and people? There are no capacity tags or stickers on it. You're probably good for about 10-11 people.
3. Is there a rule as to where the drivers seat has to be located? I want to move it to the right rear corner with just enough room to get out the right rear gate. Move it where you want.

Word to the wise: Use only marine grade 3/4 inch plywood. No other plywood will hold up over time. Cover it with marine carpet and the correct mastic (glue). Rebuilding this toon could get quite expensive, and it's quite a job. I've never seen galvanized cross members, and they're now aluminum channels.

My question is how good is the motor? If rebuilding the pontoon exceeds what it'll be worth at the end, I suggest getting a 4 1/2 inch grinder with a metal cutoff wheel, and cut the boat into sheets. Aluminum is easily sold at any good recycle yard that buys metal cans. Sometimes they're worth more scrapped than having to be completely rebuilt. Toon rebuilding can often be a money pit.

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

I found a place local that sells ToonBright, so I will give that a try. 10 - 11 people was my target. I found a local place for CCA marine grade plywood for $67 a sheet, which CCA was the plan all along. I was planning on marine vinyl flooring instead of carpet, depending on the price. The motor seems pretty solid, it sat outside for 10 years and started on one year old untreated gas and a weak battery when I first went and looked at it. I took the price of scrap into consideration when I started this project, but I live near several pontoon manufactures and have a few friends employed there. I was an automotive tech and have all the tools and mechanical knowledge necessary and I have a tig welder on the sight where the build is happening. I think I will be ok.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

This may be of help on the flotations limits

 

[dls322]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

Check out my post on scrap values...might help sway your decision.
It think you will be fine to rebuild, that's a really good price on marine plywood, make sure it's 3/4"...i bought some a month ago and the cheapest i could find a sheet of marine grade 3/4" was $90. I would just make sure your transom is sound before slapping your motor on there. Probably a good idea to change your plugs, water pump impeller and lower gear oil while your at it

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

dls322: I did see your post on scrap values and you are right on par with my findings. I figured mine out to be $387.00 in scrap since its all cleaned up, not bad for a $350 boat and I would still have the motor. The plywood is defiantly 3/4 marine grade, CCA is a 30 year wood it has so many bad things in it that nothing can touch it. I'm rebuilding the transom now and plan to do a complete tear down inspection and reseal of the motor before putting it on. It helps to already have a boat in the water so I am not tempted to rush the build.

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

MH Hawker: do you have a link to that picture it is too small to see and it gets distorted when I blow it up. But it does look like what I was looking for thanks.

 

[dls322]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

cool, good luck and post some pics of your progress

 

[JeepinGunGuy]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

The weather has brought progress to a halt on the outside stuff. So I started in on some of the motor work, nothing major just inspection and cleaning at the moment. I was planning on putting a tachometer in the console, but I don’t see a tach lead or a hook up point on the motor or harness. Do any of you guys with an old Johnson or Evenrude have a tach on yours (mine is a 1978 35hp)? I found it odd that a manufacture as large as Auto Meter doesn't make a tach for 2 cylinder 2 stroke motors at all, who is the go to brand in the boat world?

 

[dls322]

Re: Project cheap poontoon

I have always used Faria gauges and had great success. You can get good deals online, make sure you get a gauge that is designed to be used in a boat / marine environment.