A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

[Kmestep]

Ok...so Sunday was the "Maiden Voyage" of my recently purchased 1979 Poontoon. Wish I could say it went well but I almost sank the dang thing! We had 9 people on board and we skirting the waters edge the whole time. At one point, we throttled down w/ too many people up front and about went "Red October!" My question for you guys is floatation...What are some ways I can keep this thing afloat? A thrid pontoon? "Foaming" the two pontoons there already?? I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say...thanks in advance for the help!

 

[jch7450]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

Remember that you need to keep everything in the boat balanced - this includes people, pets, coolers, etc.. Even if your boat has the capacilty to carry a few people and a few coolers filled with soda, you don't want everyone sitting together on one side or upfront. You should also secure your gear, so it doesn't all slide to one side if a boat passing you creates a wake or you become unbalanced for some reason.<br />A third poontoon? NO WAY!<br />Foaming the poontoons would just add unessasary weight.<br /><br />What size is the thing, you didnt say.<br /><br />What the Capacity Plate say?<br />Hope this helps

 

[Kmestep]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

Well, we figured out the weight/balance issue pretty quickly. We were sure that if we all spaced ourselves throughout the boat it would be both safer and more stable. We were only half way right because even though the boat quit taking nose dives, everytime we went into a passer-by's wake, the wave's crest would come up on the deck. The boat is 24ft, btw.

 

[jch7450]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

How rough was it that day?<br />Now i don't to sound the wroge way, but, is there a chance the poons have water in them?

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

Kmestep <br /><br />You probably have 19" logs on your toon. These were not the best for a large load, as should be shown by the ratings plate on the boat. Foaming wil not help and may add to the problem, especially if you already have a leak in the logs. I would check that out first. But, don't expect too much from that older toon, as far as flotation. I had one with 19" logs and if I got more than 5 or 6 prople onboard, it would squat real bad and dive real easily. A 3rd log would be an option, but may be cost prohibitive. Check the logs for water first and let us know what you come up with. In the meantime, here are a couple of toon forums that I visit that are helpful...<br /><br /> web page <br /><br /> web page

 

[Kmestep]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

It wasn't too rough...not anymore so than a typical weekend on the water. There could, in fact, be water in the pontoons. I'm planning on drilling a few holes in them this week to see if anything drains. My buddy (same guy I bought the boat with) is an aluminum welder so I'm not worried about covering the holes back up. So you don't think a 3rd pontoon would do the trick?

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

Determine what the problems is, THEN try to come up with a solution.

 

[jch7450]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

I thought poons had drain plugs? Hmmmmm maybe not

 

[Kmestep]

Re: A 3rd Toon, Perhaps?!?!?

Well, if most Toons have drain plugs, then I'm the exception. Story of my life it seems. I'll check this evening and get back w/ everyone. Thanks for the help so far!