New (old) hard top pontoon owner

[Scott Danforth]

The plywood transom is 100x stronger than a chunk of oak. that is why the OEMs used plywood

Is the boat and the transom pod rated for more power?

 

[Bikerndiver]

The plywood transom is 100x stronger than a chunk of oak. that is why the OEMs used plywood

Is the boat and the transom pod rated for more power?

The transom is rated for 115hp. I will be putting a 80 2 stroke on it

 

[Bikerndiver]

I wanted to add to my last reply. I would have used 2" thick plywood if I could have found any. I called everywhere and marine plywood could only be had in 3/4" thick. I could glue two of those together, but I would only have 1.5" thick plywood at that point. It seemed more prudent to go with a solid 2" thick piece of oak....

 

[Scott Danforth]

I wanted to add to my last reply. I would have used 2" thick plywood if I could have found any. I called everywhere and marine plywood could only be had in 3/4" thick. I could glue two of those together, but I would only have 1.5" thick plywood at that point. It seemed more prudent to go with a solid 2" thick piece of oak....

Take 4 pieces of 1/2" marine plywood and tite bond 3 glue

No different than every transom replacement in the forums

 

[Bikerndiver]

Since I had never done that before, i wasn't sure how well I could bond 4 pieces together or if my finished product, if not perfect, would be a weak point anyway.... This pontoon will mostly be used to slowly cruise and fish, I think my solid oak transom will be OK for this season. Over the winter, I can get the 1/2" plywood and bond them carefully. I do agree that plywood is much stronger than the oak I have now. But, I think 2" thick oak will last one season, especially since we will only use it about 10 days this year in total due to our summer travel plans.
However, I will examine it before and after every trip out just to be sure of its dependability.
Thank you for your replies.

 

[aspeck]

Looking good!

 

[djnordeen]

Hello,
Can you post a diagram of the engineered hard top actuators?

 

[Bikerndiver]

I will do that as soon as i get it from my friend. I'm hoping to post pics along with diagram and parts list as soon as the installation happens. There is still so much to do... Starting on steering tonight after work. Then wiring, then fuel and controls. The hard bimini will probably be last. I have a July 4th deadline, so I'm working hard at it!

 

[djnordeen]

Thanks,
Here is a pic of my pontoon with a hard top.

 

[Bikerndiver]

Well, another update.... I got the toon about 95% done before the July 4th weekend. Took it out for a shakedown cruise and then brought it back home to finish things up and fix the issues found during the shakedown.
First, the Yamaha 80 was idling too high to shift into reverse. Adjusted the throttle cable and got that resolved. My stern light wouldn't light up on the lake even though i tested it twice at home. Discovered a bad crimp joint and solved that....
All in all it was a good shakedown and my honey was happy!!!
Since then, we have gone out 3 or 4 times and all has been good. My granddaughter will be here this weekend so I'm planning on a LOT of toon time!
Decided not to do the actuators for the hard top until winter. Time to just enjoy the boat now. It's been a long, long project.

 

[Grub54891]

Mine during restoration. 1972 leisure island. Fun stuff!

 

[Bikerndiver]

It feels good to get to the decorative stuff, finally! Today, beer and sunshine!

 

[Bikerndiver]

So, i decided to check my pontoons for water. I opened the two 3/4 inch caps on the top resr of each pontoon and stuck a wood dowel in. They each made a water mark about two inches high on the dowel. The boat is on the trailer and the bow is much higher than the stern.
So, i put a siphon hose in the starboard side pontoon and got about 3.5 gallons out (measured in a bucket). The port side yieldef about 1.5 gallons. Also, when i took the cap off the port side, a woosh of air came out. That did not happen on the starboard side because the Shraeder valve was missing on that cap.
So, is this water from condensation over the years????
The pontoons are 1992 vintage. I've been out on the lake 5 or 6 times for a total of about 30 hours.
Thoughts????

 

[Scott Danforth]

Check the tubes for cracks where the M brackets are welded

 

[Bikerndiver]

Check the tubes for cracks where the M brackets are welded

I will check for cracks on the starboard toon for sure. But, the port side toon is holding air, so i'm sure it has no cracks. So if there are no cracks, is the water in the port toon just from condensation?????

 

[Grub54891]

Shouldn’t be condensation I would not think. Mine has breather tubes though. Mine also has cracks that someone patched with jb, which cracked also, I’m having them welded though. Every fall when I pull the toon I remove the drain plugs and it’s dry.

 

[Bikerndiver]

Shouldn’t be condensation I would not think. Mine has breather tubes though. Mine also has cracks that someone patched with jb, which cracked also, I’m having them welded though. Every fall when I pull the toon I remove the drain plugs and it’s dry.

Well, I've been out twice more for about 5 hours each time. I'm going to check the pontoons this weekend and see if there is any water in the starboard toon.
I'll post what i find

 

[jlh3rd]

that is how I check for leaks in my toons. Each toon has 3 separate sections with a plastic screw in cap on top. In the fall I unscrew the caps and listen for air either coming out or going in. If needed, I use my shop vac to inject air if I suspect anything.
I had a leak a few years ago. The trailer was dripping water even after a 2 hour tow from a lake. The leak was at a welded seam. That is common also.