Foam in toons or safety gauge to detect leak

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catfishhoward

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I camp on my pontoon and the other night I though if my toons had a leak and my boat started to sink I would possible drown in my tent which I have on the front deck. My neighbor said to fill the toons with foam since I take it on salt water most of the time I don't want to sink 2 miles of shore but I read foam could get water logged and ruin the toons (still seems to be a good idea)? I have found a screw-in plastic bolt on each 8' toon so 2 on each side.

Should I fill the toons with foam for safety? Is there some type of gauge you can put in the toons that if it gets submerged with water it will let you know? Any early way of knowing your toons are sinking other than gauging the water level on the outside of you toons each time I go out?
 

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HotTommy

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If it were me, I wouldn't worry for a few reasons.
  • It is unlikely a pontoon will spring a leak only while you are sleeping. If it has been in the water for hours and is still level at bedtime, I'd feel safe.
  • If a pontoon springs a leak it won't matter unless it is below the water line. And when the water gets high enough, there is likely to be enough air trapped somewhere within to provide some bouyancy.
  • Even if one log floods completely, there is likely enough bouyancy in the other log to keep some of the boat afloat until rescue arrives.
  • Filling logs with foam seems like a very challenging job.
I believe someone makes a device that floats in a pool and sounds an alarm if someone falls in and creates waves. Perhaps that or a motion detector of some sort would put your mind at ease.
 

catfishhoward

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How can I tell if these toons are pressurized? I thought it might be a good idea to see if water is inside them with my snake camera?
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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most toon logs leak where the M brackets are welded.

filling with foam will reduce buoyancy.

unscrew the plastic fittings, install a 5psi pressure gauge and pressurize your toon logs to 2.5 psi.

if you have the plastic plugs, your logs are not pressurized
 

utfisherman

Seaman
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Mar 15, 2011
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just a thought if your toons have a pipe plug on the top. Could you install a small pump with a suction hose going into the toon to suck out any water. like a bilge pump.
 

jlh3rd

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I learned this "trick" this spring while getting my pontoon ready for the season. Each toon has 3 compartments with a plastic plug on top. After 4 plus years of owning this '07 toon, I was gonna do the "pressure test" which was gonna be a process. When I began to remove a plug, air hissed out of it. ..eureka!...a simple test!...obviously, if air hisses out...no leak!...All 6 compartments did this...quick and simple....

sorry...didn't see the original date of this thread....but maybe this helps others now.
 
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jlh3rd

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just a thought if your toons have a pipe plug on the top. Could you install a small pump with a suction hose going into the toon to suck out any water. like a bilge pump.
Yep...I'd just use my shop vac and a jury rigged clear vinyl hose from the hardware store...
 

1960 Starflite

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Sleep easy, logs won't suddenly take on massive amounts of water. Even the deck will help support it, if it did.
 

roscoe

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If you fill with foam, and it someday does get waterlogged, you will never be able to get all the water out, or the waterlogged foam.
 
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