Damaged 24' Pontoon

tmyrick01

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Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
4
Last weekend I hit a "stump" or treetop in 7 foot of water going about 10 mph. Funny thing is, my father hit the same stump on the other side the day before. You can imagine what it done to the pontoon. What?s the best way to fix a pontoon that?s bent? The bend is in the last quadrant on the toon. I was thinking cut the back of the pontoon off and reach in with a soft hammer to ping it back into shape, then weld the cap back on the pontoon. Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to replace the toon obviously.

- T:(
 

tashasdaddy

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Nov 11, 2005
Messages
51,019
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

i think i would consult a tin bender. some one use to working with aluminum.
 

jeeperman

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
1,513
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

Being the cheapskate that I am, I might bore a hole high up the log opposite the dented in area. Big enough that I can use a broomstick or pole with rounded end to knock the dent out as much as possible.
Then JB weld a plug into the access hole. Or have a threaded bung hole assy welded in for future access instead.
Like the 2.5" fuel filler bung and cap shown on this webpage:
http://www.kenlowe.com.au/tanks.htm
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
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Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

DO NOT drill any holes in the pontoon unless it's a last resort.. If the dents do not have sharp creases in them they can generally be pulled out -- very much like paintless dent repair is done in the auto industry. Most better body shops can do that and there are plenty of mobile operators that can do it as well.
 

tmyrick01

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Jun 9, 2008
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Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

I Agree Silvertip; But there is a small crease just before the weld of the end cap. any other ideas?
 

5150abf

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Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

Do you actually have access to a welder?

I have changed at least a hundred end caps and it can be a real pain even when you know what you are doing, if things go wrong you now have a tube with no end cap or a ton of leaks.

If the tubes don't leak I would leave them alone, it should have minimal or no affect on perfomance.

If you have a welder and feel confident using it I use a dent puller at work to get smaller dents out, then weld the holes shut but this only works on dents smaller than @ 4'' across, otherwise you have to drill to many holes.

I have been in the weld shop at Bennington for 11 years and worked at OMC Suncruiser for 9 years.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

While the crease may not come out fully, the major part of the dent will. There are some pretty effect suction cups out there (like those glass companies use). If you could find one of those, wet it, and perhaps using a slide hammer you could pull out much of the dent. As for paintless dent repair, I've seen some pretty ugly dents removed including one from my then brand new '06 Impala. It had a crease due to an internal body panel behind the outside skin. The dent repair dude did an amazing fix. You simply cannot see the repair. Slide hammers with a large screw in the end have been used in the past to drag out dents. However with a pontoon, you need to weld the hole, stick a screw in it, or plug the hole with a sealer of some sort. Most of those are uglier than the dent.
 

5150abf

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Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

I sand the welds down and use a Scotch bright pad to blend everything together, 95% of the time you can't tell anything was done.
 

tmyrick01

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Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
4
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

Thanks silvertip. After some thought..... Cutting the endcap will be a pain. I'll try the dentless repair. Knowing my luck, if i cut the endcap out I'll mess something up and have to replace the whole pontoon. By the way ...The cost of A ( thats 1 not the pair) new 24' pontoon is $2,500 from Texas marine in Conroe Tx. ouch!! Thanks again for your help
 

DMAN1968

Seaman
Joined
Apr 18, 2004
Messages
54
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

And just think about how much fun it would be to weld the cap of a pontoon that's foam filled like mine are...uggh...I can imagine how much fun that would be.
 

sailinon51

Cadet
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
6
Re: Damaged 24' Pontoon

You might try this, if it works Very good if it dont you have not been out much

Try dry ice on the dents to see if they come out or not, (use caution and thick gloves to handle the ice and wrap it in some rags,

Saw this method used some were to repair dents in automobiles after a hail storm, body shops make a lot of money doing this...

If you have a dent on your car try that first to get the hang of it, you have to rub it a while to make it work..
 
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