LOG condition after cleaning

set out this past Saturday morning to clean up the logs before I started to install the new decking. here are a few pics of the condition they are in...... I was some what happy with the way they cleaned up but not real happy with the shape that the aluminum is in under what I scrubbed off with muriatic. let me know what you think? is the aluminum been eatin away?

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

That is some severe pitting.

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

I would be nervious with those

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

soooooooo, look for new? if it floats we are good? don't even try them? I drove the boat for a while when it was on the lake were I bought it. it seemed fine until I got the power washer out

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

I would look for new, I wouldnt want them under me

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

What the heck causes that ? Electrolysis ? Anodes not functioning ?

If you're concerned about it, get a micrometer or some such and measure how deep they are, then compare to original thickness.

Personally, I would get a good idea how bad it is before I go to far into the rebuild.

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

The Woo Woo Kid said:

What the heck causes that ? Electrolysis ? Anodes not functioning ?

If you're concerned about it, get a micrometer or some such and measure how deep they are, then compare to original thickness.

Personally, I would get a good idea how bad it is before I go to far into the rebuild.

Click to expand...

that's what I couldn't figure out, is there some sort of aluminum eating barnacles in the lake this thing was in? it just doesn't seem right.......
I couldn't look at them very good when I went to look at it before purchasing..... it was in the water and had a very nasty grim and scum line on it. I am definitely not afraid of putting new toons under it but why if these are ok with one or two spots that are like this. I will do a further investigation on the logs before I go any further, I am in the pressure testing stage now. I am really not sure
how much you think they are worth in scrap?

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

That pitting looks pretty bad but can't really tell if the integrity of the metal is bad by the photo. Pictures often make the corrosion look deeper than reality because the colors change and shadows. I jhave taken hundres of pictures of metal corrosion in the last 20+ years.

If this were mild steel, I would say it looks like under-deposit corrosion. But I am not aware of aluminum corroding in this manner. Its hard to just look at the result or the pitting and determine the mechanism....need more facts.

But, I can say this....

Those of us will aluminum pontoons should not leave biological material and deposits on their toons. Doing so lowers your performance, but also can create very severe conditions under the deposits. Water w/o oxygen in combination with bacteria creates a very corroisive environment.

Also, that oxidized brown/black line that no one likes.....we guess what? THATS aluminum oxide and is how aluminum protects itself from corrosion. If you guys acid wash that off, the aluminum will just corrode again. Its a healthy thing for the metal to leave it there.

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

When we owned a Sweetwater toon the manual said to not clean the logs, leave the oxidation alone.

Re: LOG condition after cleaning

The same thing could happen in any marina with one boat with an A/C electrical problem. That's why boats have zinc anodes.

I would be hesitant to ever use muriatic acid to clean any pontoon. I'd use either NAPA aluminum brightener or one of the commercial acid based cleaners that boat dealers sell. And it'd be hosed off in just five minutes. Sometimes you've got to do more than one application to get all the algae off.

Sorry, but I also don't have any suggestions. I have a good 24' Starcraft pontoon I can sell cheap w/o engine.