water in toon

[tim keylon]

i have a 2000 harris kayot 22 fisherman i have water in one of the toons is there a drain or some way to get the water out
Thinks Tim

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

I assume you've looked and didn't find a drain so there probably isn't one. Noticable water doesn't get in there without a leak so you should find a competent aluminum welder who is familiar with pontoons.

 

[5150abf]

Re: water in toon

The correct way to do it is to drill a small hole at the back of each section, seal those holes and then air check the tubes and repair the leaks but this requires a good welder, you can find a very small hose and suck the water out but that still leaves you with a leak.

I am sure someone will tell you to weld drain plugs on the back of your tubes but I reccomend against that, once the tubes are fixxed correctly they won't leak so you don't need drain plugs, purposly putting holes under the water line just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

+1 for not adding a drain plug.

 

[san diego flyer]

Re: water in toon

I would be interested in finding out how the water is getting in. Pull it out of the water and see if there is an obvious drip somewhere. Aluminum welds work on some leaks, but if the toon has a crease from hitting a stump, the weld may not do a 100% seal. Home Depot sells a 3M product for sealing above and below the water line. Apply it over the weld and any seam you suspect might be the culprit. If you have a drain plug, fill the toon partially with water from a garden hose using a power nosel because it is small enough to fit into the drain hole. Make sure the toon is dry when you start. Then look for leaks as it fills up. Circle them with a felt pen.
Some leaks are really really stubborn. Not big deal if you trailer. But a really big deal if you are
in a marina slip permanently.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

Do not fill the pontoons with water!!! The viscosity of water will prevent it from escaping out tiny holes with only the force of gravity.

And besides, you are likely to bust your trailer tires with that much weight.

A search here will reveal the correct way to repair a pontoon leak.

 

[san diego flyer]

Re: water in toon

My bad. I should have been more specific. I use static jacks on all four corners of the trailer so the wheels don't take all the weight. Also, I fill the toons to about 6 inches and no more. It is likely the bottom of the toon has taken the brunt of stump or underwater object that has been hit. Also, I have plugs at the bottom of all three toons and they are machined steel installed with teflon tape. No problem with them.

I don't know why plugs would be a problem. If you trailer, it's no different than draining a V-bottom I/O when you exit. Except that you have to remember to put them back in.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

Don't want to get into a pissing match, but in case you aren't 'pulling our chain', filling pontoons with water will not find small leaks and is really a stupid idea.

Water is expected to get in a V-bottom boat but not in a pontoon. Plugs are not needed and are a potential problem for pontoons.

 

[Snowfish]

Re: water in toon

Another place to check is the Top's of the Pontoons. My leak was Top Rear where the brackets are welded to support the floor. There's a ton of turbulence under there. Lots of water splashing around. One tube was leaking in from the top. Welded up & life is good once again.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: water in toon

Egliderider, I understand the potential problems with creating a drain hole at the bottom of the pontoon, but do you see a problem with putting it at the top of the toon at the rear? My previous boat had a leak and I drained the water by putting a drain hole at the top and used a small 12v pump to extract the water. I sold the boat before I had a chance to find the leak(s). And, yes, the buyer was told about the leak.

 

[lmuss53]

Re: water in toon

I've owned 3 pontoons, one 1988 Manitou, one 1998 Tracker/Fisher/Spectrum, and one 2006 Forrester. All of them had drains at the rear and bottom of the tube, or drains were added by the dealer under warranty. I never had a drop of water in the Manitou logs. There was some water in the Forrester once that got in through the top side vent, when I left that plug out. I drained it out the drain holes, and haven't seen any since.

The selling dealer set my Tracker up wrong on the trailer and left about 2 feet of log hanging off the back. The boat had leaks at the top part of both tubes where the M brackets attach before it was 2 years old. A different dealer moved the boat up on the trailer and moved the axle to balance the load. He had a welder put drains in the rear of each log and weld about 2feet of the rear of each log at the M bracket. My cousin owns the boat now and as of last Saturday it has never had another drop of water in it. IMHO drain holes in pontoon logs are a very handy tool when needed, and about as big of a leak risk as the plug holes found on every conventional hull boat in the world. If my boat did not have them I would have them put in before I ever had a leak or water in a tube.

I would never try to test a pontoon by putting water in it. Quite often the leak is at the top of the log and the water gets in a drop at a time over months of use. If my Tracker logs had been filled to within 2 inches of the top the leaks would not have had water over them, and would not have been found. The proper method to test pontoon tubes is described in the FAQ section of the pontoon page. It is low pressure air in the vent or drain hole (under 5 PSI) and soapy water at the welds, seams, etc.

To the OP, you probably have vent plugs or tubes in the top of the logs. Water probably got in through those or through leaks at the rear of the tubes where they meet the deck (like mine did). Those are the places I have heard of water getting in most commonly. You might be able to pump it out through the vent holes using a vacuum pump or some other pump that will get down through that small hole and suck it up out. Eventually you will have to test the log or have it tested, then using whatever method you or your repairman feels is appropriate, drain the tubes, find the leaks and repair them.

Good luck and welcome to iboats.

 

[san diego flyer]

Re: water in toon

Found two leaks immediately when the water was inserted. All three toons came from the factory with precision plugs collared by a steel shield so the boat couldn't back into somthing and disturb the plug. Voyager has been building them that way for decades.

Not too stupid you jackwagon.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

I see no problem with putting drain plugs on the top. But, IMHO, if enough water is in a pontoon to require draining, then it needs to be repaired by a competent aluminum welder. The welder can drill and seal a drain hole for little if any additional money. Installing a drain plug to act as a temporary fix for a problem is just not in my bag of tricks.

 

[tim keylon]

Re: water in toon

I see no problem with putting drain plugs on the top. But, IMHO, if enough water is in a pontoon to require draining, then it needs to be repaired by a competent aluminum welder. The welder can drill and seal a drain hole for little if any additional money. Installing a drain plug to act as a temporary fix for a problem is just not in my bag of tricks.

thanks guys i found the hole it was in the front on the bottom weld a tiny hole .

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: water in toon

Thanks for reporting back. It's always nice to hear that problems get solved as a result of this great forum.