no drain plug in the 'toons...

[RandyJ]

I just got this very neglected pontoon which is in need of upholstery & carpet and overall maintenance. I could hear water sloshing around in one of the pontoons. NEVER have I seen a pontoon with no drain plugs! I'm weighing my options of how to put drain plugs on this one. Welding aluminum is not my forte so I'm looking for other ideas. One I have considered is drill a hole and put either something like a jet ski drain plug or garbord drain plug on each log and secure with screws and lots of silicone caulk. Anybody else dealt with this issue before? What would you recommend?

 

[5150abf]

Re: no drain plug in the 'toons...

Maybe it si an Alabama thing but most toons don't have drain plugs.

I would recommend you fix the leak rather than just make a way to drain the water, it woud be much better to keep the water out in the first place.

I really don't think under the water line on a tube is a good place for a McGuyver kind of fix, if you want to do anything the garboard plug and some 3M 5200 are probably your best bet.

It would be a fairly inexpensive fix that should be water proof but I would still find and fix the leak first.

 

[RandyJ]

Re: no drain plug in the 'toons...

hmmm... I don't think Alabama has anything to do with it. Cracks in welds over time is not unusual. Plugs in pontoons are very normal and I've never seen a pontoon without drain plugs.... I've had several and currently own 4. I'm definitely not into rigging junk fixes... I want something that is a very suitable application. On the other hand, maybe the folks in Alabama got smart and figured out that drain plugs can save a sunk ship. Bless the folks in Alabama for your cotton underwear....

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: no drain plug in the 'toons...

There never should be water in the pontoon,No matter where you live. cracks in the the pontoon happens.
(maybe the folks in Alabama got smart and figured out that drain plugs can save a sunk ship.) Really on a pontoon?

 

[BLC]

Re: no drain plug in the 'toons...

I agree 100% with 5150. Do it right the first time and you won't have to worry about it again. Trust me, I am speaking from experience. I have tried several time to take the quick easy way out and all it did was cause more work and take up more time.

 

[5150abf]

Re: no drain plug in the 'toons...

I am IRISH so Alabama isn't one of my favorite places but never mind that, I have built pontoons for 16 years at Bennington and I was at Suncruiser for 9 years before that and not a single one of the 100,000+ boat I have built had a drain plug in them.

I wasn't implying that you do crap fixes but putting a drain plug in instead of fixing the leak is kinda of a band aid repair.