Toon Skin Thickness...

[Xcusme]

I am curious to know what the average thickness or gauge is of the skin of the toon?? I was surprised to learn that the tube should be tested with only a couple of lbs. of pressure. I would have thought that a toon in full July sunlight would develop more than a couple of lbs of pressure. Lastly, do most toons have multiple air plugs and should owners remove them to check for water in the tubes?

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Toon Skin Thickness...

Most toon material is 0.80-0.100. The round logs generally have 3 compartments and have 3 plugs, one for each section. U shaped tubes usually are one piece and have foam inside in case of a puncture. They have the plugs at the rear of the log for draining and checking for water. I agree with the pressure deal. I think that they would develop much more than 3 PSI on a hot day in the sun. But I wouldn't want to see how much they will take. I've put well over 10 pounds in previous toons checking for leaks and never had one blow. Might have been lucky though..

 

[5150abf]

Re: Toon Skin Thickness...

The tube at the top of the forum had a bad weld on the top seem that made it let go but it is really rare for that to happen, we have run 50,000 boats at Bennington and maybe 15 tubes have popped and most of those were due to inequal pressure between the sections.

You really don't need more than a couple pounds of air to find a leak any how.

Agree, almost all tubes are .o8o, some are .100, the aluminum can withstand tremendous pressure it comes down to how good the welds are.

AN easy way to find out if water is in the tube is to put the boat on a trailer, have a driver pull forward and stop suddenly then listen for water sloshing in the tube.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: Toon Skin Thickness...

Thanks for the replies....I'm planning on pulling the toon for the season and was going to remove the rear plug to check for water intrusion. Checking for sloshing water after an abrupt stop is a good idea and i'll give that a try.