Pontoon not sitting level

[Hirsch]

We just purchased a 1995 Sweetwater, 20ft pontoon. It had water in the left pontoon which we took to get repaired. We put it back in the water and it doesn’t sit level when stationary. The left pontoon was sitting 2 inches lower in the water than the right. Also, when you walked to the left side of the boat it would noticeably drop down, whereas, when you went to the right side the boat did not drop. We took the boat back out of the water to the welder. When rocking the boat on the trailer, you could not here any water in the pontoon. After a week at the welder, he told us that he had not observed any water leaking out and could not find any leaks with the pressure/soapy water test. He also said that pontoon boats sometimes don’t sit level. So, my question is do pontoons sit that uneven? I have been on several and none of them have. Are there any other ideas as to what could be going on with this boat?<br /><br />Thanks<br />

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

Hirsch ,<br /><br />First off, how is the pontoon laid out? Fuel tank on one side? Battery? Seats, etc?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

Is there more "stuff" on the side, such as xtra batteries, water tank, fuel tank, coolers, furniture, etc. It may simply be a "load" issue.

 

[Hirsch]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

We have put nothing additional on the boat (coolers, etc). When I took the measurements, I was the only person onboard. The fuel tank (20 gallons) is full and is on the left rear. I have two batteries on the right side of the boat towards the rear as well. As far as the layout of the boat goes-- down the left side : table and 3 benches (all empty underneath) down the right side: Captains chair plus console (wrong term I’m sure) and one bench (empty underneath as well). I measured fore and aft on both sides and it was 2 in lower at both ends.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

That 20 gal. of fuel weighs in at about 160 lb. Does the 2" difference go away if you're standing on the right side of the boat? If so, you should be able to redistribute weight by loading heavier junk on the starboard side.

 

[Hirsch]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

I have not checked with additional weight on the starboard side. The batteries are on that side, but don't weigh 160lbs. But would the gas at the very back of the pontoon affect the front equally? We were both out on the boat and when we sat at the table I thought our drinks would slide off. We could both move to the other side and it didn't seem to drop the pontoon further in the water like on the port side.

 

[bayman]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

Weight on one side or the other very well could be a factor.<br /><br />I have 2 other guesses as well:<br /><br />1. One of the pontoons does not have as much flotation as the other - for whatever reason.<br /><br />2. When weight is put on one side of the boat, the fuel is sloshing to that side of the tank, adding even more weight to that side of the boat.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

One of the pontoons does not have as much flotation as the other - for whatever reason.<br />

As a clarification. Flotation foam is nothing but dead weight until the boat swamps. The "bouyancy" of the toons is a matter of area, not inner flotation.<br /><br />I suspect you still have a leak.

 

[bayman]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

Right DJ - who knows if this pontoon has any foam or not. Not looking at the boat it just sounds like the area within the pontoons which is causing it to float is just not as big. The very same thing can be easily observed with an inflatable boat when one side is more inflated than the other. There may be water, sludge, water-soaked foam or whatever in the left pontoon.

 

[Hirsch]

Re: Pontoon not sitting level

Interesting. I am not sure about the foam. Can the pontoons with foam be welded? Good question about there being sludge left in the pontoons. How would one go about removing sludge if that were the case?