Steel Pontoon Question

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Richard

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Need some advice on the steel pontoons on a 1978 - 42’ Kayot. Generally the Pontoons are in good shape and I have had them sandblasted (I guess walnut shell blasted now) and painted about once every three to four years over the 15 years I’ve owned the boat. I use to keep the HB on the water year round up until three years ago when we re-powdered. With the onslaught of the mussel issues and for the sake of the new motors I now remove the HB yearly.

We did have a few small leaks in the bow pontoons this year that we have now had welded / repaired. All of the compartments have been pressure tested and it has been reported that at this point no other holes have been found.

So here is my question – Over the last three years the boat has been in the water say for a total of 18-20 months. If I follow my normal schedule I would have the pontoons blasted and painted again … but when you really get down to it the HB has only had water exposure for maybe 18-20 months of being on the lake.

I’m a sole owner – so costs are a factor but not wanting to be foolish – does it make sense to forgo blasting / painting (Approx. $2K) for another season or two when the pressure test of all of the compartments passed at this time ?

Thanks for any input
 
On an older boat I would pressure test every three years (no matter how much it is actually in the water). If the coating is holding up I wouldn’t think you would have to re-coat the whole pontoon(s) unless the repairs are extensive. The good thing about pontoons is they are compartmentized so you have a safety factor if a new leak develops. There are testing services available that can do non-destructive testing to establish general metal thickness. If the overall metal thickness is good I would just repair and patch as needed and then do a general sandblast and re-coat every five years. Your Insurance May have some requirements as far as extent and frequency.
 
Randy -- Happy holidays and thank you for your input -- This was the way we intended to head -- the repairs were minor in size and all of the compartments were checked -- -- the leading edge of the bow pontoons take the most beating from beaching etc... and that's where the holes were located--

I'm not aware of anyone that does the non-destructive testing of metal thickness who services the bullfrog area

Thanks for taking the time to respond - much appreciated.
 
I was trying to find the name of the marine surveyor we have worked with, but I can’t find it. I think if you can find a marine surveyor they may have some ideas. I also found some ultra sonic thickness gauges on Amazon for as low as $150.
 
I think I would go with "use time", vs total time. So I would wait a while to do the service. If the pontoons are water tight, there should not be much wear and tear on them in dry dock.
 
I had a marine surveyor tell me ( in 2017) that the way they test steel bottomed Skipperliner boats is with a 5lb sledge hammer, tapping around the bottom listening for dull sound areas instead of the sound you normally hear hitting steel with steel. I would think the same would work on steel pontoon boats and is doable yourself.
 
I use the old magnet trick. It works if you sound it first, find suspect spots, then try a not so strong magnet, and no stickie- no steelie… Rust never sleeps , but it never sticks , either... Magic touch is needed..
 
I checked a potential buy in Page, that I ended up sticking a scratch awl through almost anywhere from the bottom up to 10 inches...
 
The water exposure is not the only concern with the coating. These coatings are susceptible to degradation from UV exposure more that water. The epoxies are not very UV stable and are prone to cracking from movement. They really make a poor long term coating in these conditions. So you are probably stuck doing the coating every 3 years or so.
 
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