Water in Pontoons

[Robert Kidd]

I have a 1986 Crest Pontoon Houseboat. 43 footer. The problem I have is that the front section of the pontoon's have some water in them. I have no way of pulling the boat out of the water. I could drill a hole in the top of the toons and pump them out and reseal. My question for the experts out there? Do you know of any product that I could shoot into the drilled hole once I get the water out of there that would seal from the inside vs trying to find someone who could pull the boat and weld?<br />Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?

 

[flashback]

Re: Water in Pontoons

Linda1 what are the pontoons made of , Im not familiar with a crest houseboat, in any case, I think you would need to determine if the water is leakage or condensation, if there is a leak in the toon then I don't think you have any other option than to pull it out and repair it properly. as to your first question, if you cut a hole in the top of the toon, just install an inspection port with screw on cap, then you can open it again with no problems. I'm no expert on this so take it with a grain of salt....

 

[livebait]

Re: Water in Pontoons

Linda, We need to know if the pontoon logs are hollow aluminum or foam filled aluminum. Usually the foam filled ones are “U” shaped logs.

 

[Robert Kidd]

Re: Water in Pontoons

The pontoons are Aluminum. I am almost postive that they are hollow. I also think that each sction has a baffle in them.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[cp]

Re: Water in Pontoons

This may seem like a dumb question, and maybe it it 'cause I know nothing about pontoon houseboats, but...aren't the pontoons supposed to be airtight, like all sealed/welded up? If so, how do you know there's water in them? More importantly, if there is water leaking into them, like from below the waterline, won't drilling a hole in the top of them vent the air out and result in the leak below the waterline now filling that section of the pontoon? Just trying to think logically...maybe think again about taking it outta the water?

 

[flashback]

Re: Water in Pontoons

pchonda, logically you are right as rain, but a lot of these toons have a lot of fasteners which hold bracing and support for the cabin which are bolted, riveted and welded to the frame that is part of the toons, so many times, they are not air tight......they could even be getting rain water in them..... aluminum is a good thing, if they were steel, it could be a whole lot worse.....You could pressure test them by intalling a tire valve and then compressing them with air, spray soapy water on the top side and swim around on the under side and I promise you will find any leaks in them.........good luck

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Water in Pontoons

Just a general question, with all the regs concerning boats, isn't it law to slip houseboats for inspection every year or two? Sewerage tank inspection, pontoon inspection etc.....<br /><br />Aldo

 

[livebait]

Re: Water in Pontoons

Linda: Flashback is on the right track; you need to locate the hole or holes first. I had two previous pontoon boats that developed leaks in the logs. These were aluminum hollow logs welded together in sections. Each section had a ½ inch nipple welded on top with a plug screwed in to make them water tight. It came from the factory that way; I remember the salesman said they used them to pressurize the logs to check for leaks at the factory. I bought the fittings and a pressure gauge from the hardware to make an adapter that would allow me to pressurize the log. You don’t need much pressure, five pounds per square inch worked for me. The leaks were below the water line both times but it did take over 12 hours to show the bubbles on one of them. Take flashback;s suggestion and use soapy water to check the top side for leaks. I didn’t have to deal with a 43-foot boat mine, were 24 foot and 27 foot so I pulled them and carried them to the welder with the holes marked. I noticed the welder had to remove the plugs before he started he said that you can’t weld a closed tube because the heated air expands and keeps blowing the weld open. That makes me wonder about what the salesman told me. Remember what Pchonda said, it would be a bad thing to drill a hole on the topside of the log if there is a significant leak below the water line. Determine if the leak or leaks are above or below the water line and post back and I will try to give you some additional information. Hope this helps.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Water in Pontoons

Once you get the water out and the area clean use some Marine Tex to plug the hole. It cures under water.

 

[duck64]

Re: Water in Pontoons

never heard of marine tex tell us more

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Water in Pontoons

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