Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

young

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Jul 4, 2003
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I have a 24 Ft pontoon boat. I have been getting big water splashes (in waves) coming over the front. This has not happened before. No waves in lake to cause this. I thought there might be a leak in my pontoon so I took the plug out to check. A lot of air came out and pontoon was filled with foam. Is compressed air suppose to be in there, and if so how do I get it back in there? or is this abnormal? Thanks for any replies.
 

chris in va

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May 4, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Was it sitting out in the sun when you popped the plug?
 

roscoe

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

No compressed air in any I have seen.<br /><br />The pressure probably just built up from sitting in the sun.<br /><br />Have you added weight or moved heavy objects around on the deck, that might be causing the bow area to ride lower in the water?
 

roscoe

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Oops, sorry there Chris. You posted while I was on the phone.
 

young

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

It was partially in the sun. Everything is mounted down. No extra weight on front. It happened last week for the first time. It was like a tidal wave come in the boat. There was water came down the center of the boat a foot deep (not stretching the truth). The nose of the boat was briefly underwater. The was not another boat in sight to have caused a wave on this lake.<br />Then it happened again this week, just not as bad. ?????
 

roscoe

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

What lake, Loch Ness? :)
 

JasonJ

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Has there been any damage to those fin like things on the front of the tubes, the ones that run at an upward angle on each side of the tubes to help keep the front up while under way? Has your trim changed on the motor, or did you have it trimmed any differently? It is possible you could have a leak and the foam is saturating. Has the boats static waterline changed that you can tell?
 

flashback

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Jun 28, 2002
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

I didn't know toons had foam in them? you sure it came that way.? my brother has one and as far as i know it does not have any foam in it........
 

lakeman1999

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Apr 20, 2003
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550
Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

As fo the foam in the "Toon" logs, some have it and some do not. Mine does not, I know at the time I purchased mine that some did. Mine is also all aluminum, with no wood for decking. Some have different compartments in the logs, in case of a hole being punched in another portion of it. One disadvantage is if it has foam, and you get some water in (as I do from time to time in one log) it will saturate the foam, making it much heavier. I pull the plugs on mine every so often, and drain the water. I see many "Toons" on the lake that they definently should check them out, as there is too much of one or both of their logs under water, meaning they do not have much keeping them afloat. The neighbors (I live at the lake) purchased a new pontoon, and I advised them to take it out of the water, and check it as it was sitting too low on one side. They put it on the trailer, and pulled the plug, and the log was very wet inside, yes they had a leak, so they took it back to the dealer. As for the playing submarine, this has happened to me twice, but it was in a very bad storm with big waves both times. If the front end drops down over a big wave, and the front goes under water, it will keep going down, till you cut the throttle, then it will pop up, sending a sheet of water a foot or two deep from front to back across your deck, sweeping anything on the deck that will fit under the rails out the back. It really does not last long, but can get very scarry, so I can understand your concern, I do not know how it happened without a big wave though, unless you had a lot of water in your logs, or you had one helluva lot of weight in the front end of it, or the foam is saturated, but still you need something to get it pointed down, and put the nose under water for it to start submarineing.<br />I have had more than one boat, while up on plane and a little heavy on the front end dip down a little off of a wave, and once she dips under, she is going to keep diving, untill you cut throttle, allowing her to pop back up. It can be real scarry, and could be very dangerous if you are not a fast thinker, with a fast reaction on the throttle. :D :D :D :D :D :D
 

young

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Thanks for all your answers.
 

jocko_nc

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Mar 18, 2002
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

I have experienced a pontoon boat going submarine once...<br /><br />Too much weight in the front, either from people/cargo or from taking a wave, the boat keeps going down deeper and deeper until either the forward thrust stops or the weight goes away. The part that really sucks is that anything left on the deck is liable to be swept away in the process!!! Purses. Wallets. Car Keys.<br /><br />Makes for an interesting afternoon.
 

Link

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Apr 13, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Young:<br />I can't help you with your exact problem, but the rules don't change when the bow goes under and if you have enough power to play sub: Untill reading this I always thought it had to do with enough power to play sub! I am thinking about a poontoon boat as my next boat, with the extra deck space and all.. have never heard of this before... something to look into! :( Thanks guys! And I thought I had my mind made up :confused: <br />On my river sled it's always been a tradition to put the newbie in the front.. sometime between 1/4 and 1/3 power I will make a sharp turn and nail it.. the bow goes under first..then the guys/gals hands then thier foreharms and then thier elbows.. they turn very pale and we hand them a new set of shorts.. :) all the time spinning in a Circle! Then I cut the power and we pop up! Before I put a 90 HP on my 14 ft sled I couldnt do this.. :) But also couldn't see a bolder ten feet in front of me and get on step fast enought to go over it in a river! But back to the question... whats with toon boats going under? Ive boated 20 or 30 of them in the Puget Sound and most had 3 ft under the deck?? ACK!!! What kind of waves are we talking about here ?<br />Not wanting to make a post within a post but am courious... never had that happen??<br />Link
 

lakeman1999

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Apr 20, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Believe me, with a 20 foot pontoon (and a newer one with large logs, not an oldie with small sticks under it), in a bad storm when you are moving slow, and fighting the wave action it does not have to be a large body of water, and does not have to be ocean type waves. Both times with me, once on the Cooper River up from Charleston, and the other time on Lake Marion (a shallow lake) on the Santee Cooper impoundment, I got stuck in a very fast moving front, and was so busy trying to keep the pontoon slowly headed to the home landing, I could not tell you how it happened, but it sure enough did, to my amazement. It was very rough water, and being a pontoon, I knew it would not sink (without knocking a hole in a log), so my main concern, was to not have the craft break up, as unlike a boat they are not of a one piece hull construction. Yes I do love a pontoon, but I wish when I got it instead I would have purchased a deckboat, as they would not have this submarine problem. Also, I have seen a few new pontoons, and have not been able to inspect them, only seeing them on the water, that have a third log in the middle of the front portion of the deck. I think this arrangement would take the rough water with no problem, by having more flotation on the very frontend. But let me tell you. the standard pontoon is not a rough water craft, at least a 20 footer, maybe a longer one would not have the tendancy to become a U-Boat. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
 

Link

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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

lakeman1999 :<br />Great information. I'm a long way from getting one as I still have the sled to finish and a house to finish remodeling but between now and then it gives (all of us here) more infromation and things to look into. Deck boats are something else to look into :) <br /><br />TTYL Link<br />Hmm If I ever do get a Toon boat mabe I'll just name her "Sub Machine" or "U-Boat" and get it out of the way :)
 

neumanns

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Mar 1, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

IMHO submarineing is something that is a possability however twice in such a short period is truly bucking the odds. When the conditions that allow it all come together it is truly an exilerating moment but i would consider it no more dangerous than ones own wake overcoming the transom. Sure it is a moment of disbalief but it usally is not a danger to craft or crew. <br />Link... I hope that tradition doesent come back to bite you in the postierier someday.
 

Link

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Apr 13, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

Neumanns:<br /><br />I should clarify this bit so people don’t get the idea that we are crazy boaters out here :) <br />I was describing the “sensation” of being in the front. In reality only about 2 ½ feet of the closed bow goes under the water and the persons hands get wet, but it FEELS like your being driven to the bottom of the lake! And they are shown where and what to hang on to and told what your going to do first. And even knowing exactly what is going happen first the sensation is still the same the first time :) <br />Hope that clears it up a bit<br /><br />Guess I wont go into what it like go over fallen trees blocking the entrance of a strem! :D <br /><br />Link
 

Link

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Apr 13, 2003
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Re: Is Pontoon suppose to have compressed air?

BAINOR:<br />Great site with good information... just spent a few minutes (1/2 hour) going through it. Booked marked to show my fishing partner tomorrow<br /><br />Thanks<br />Link
 
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