Pontoon

[TR6RGUY]

Now that my father-in-law has passed, we are now the proud owners of a 1972 pontoon boat. All I know about the Merc is it's a 1982 9.8. I know I need to lube the lower end and replace the plugs but is there a way to test it BEFORE I head to the lake? I'm not new to boating as I have a 14 foot Smokercraft with a 5 HP Sears I am new tho to a larger engine and have no clue as what I should or shouldn't do now. And one more thing....the logs leak some. I have a very good friend who is a professional welder and the only thing we can come up with to find all of the leaks is to cut a hole and put in air bungs and fill the logs with air pressure to find all the leaks....is this advised?

Wish I had my Father-in-law to help....Great guy and I miss him.....
Mike

PS: Thanks to JB on the Merc thread for sending me to you nice folks!!

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Pontoon

The only way to test the 9.8 merc is to put it in a bucket of water. Other than that it is a good motor and pretty easy to work on. It has a telltale for the water pump, just make sure it is pumping water.

My friend has one on an old pontoon boat with the steel pontoons. While not making any speed records, it pushes it and controls it quite nicely.

As far as the leaks are concerned, will this boat be trailered or stored in the water. If it is trailered, you can leave it int he water a few days and then watch where it leaks when you pull it out and store. My guess is that the leaks will be slow and you should see some wetness for a few days in the areas where it is leaking. You might be able to put some marine tex or JB weld over the leaky areas depending on the leak.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Pontoon

You can run it in a barrel of water. If it has sat very long, odds are the carb will be fouled and require a cleaning. Water pump must be replaced before using it if it sat for more than a year. Use fresh gas when you fire it up at 50:1 mix. As for the logs, look on the top of them. Should be ports up there. You may have to remove some trim to get to them, depending on the model you have. If all else fails, drill 1/2 inch holes in the back at the bottom of each log and them have him weld a threaded pipe coupler on there over the hole. Then use a pipe plug to seal it up. Use air pressure and spray soapy water to find the leaks(5-10 PSI at the most) You will see bubbles real easily where it leaks. Check the seams in particular...

Like this:

Then get you one of these to screw in there and pressurize it:

 

[TR6RGUY]

Re: Pontoon

Rick I think you have hit on the soultion!! Thank you ssooo much!!