2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

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Azera
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2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#1 Post by Azera » Fri May 13, 2016 12:30 pm

So two years ago, the MIL said we could use her pontoon boat. All I heard was "free" so I was all over that. She said that the motor ran and that the boat needed just a bit of cleaning. So we drive to her place south of Tallahassee and when I looked at the boat, I thought, "Oh hell no!" But that was quickly drowned out by the word "free" and the wife saying that a good cleaning and it would be fine. Besides, she said, it was free.

After we got it home, I pulled the hubs to inspect the bearings and discovered that Crisco could be used for bearing grease - because that's exactly what the stuff looked like that ooooooozed out of the hubs. Sure nuff - bearings and races were history. I fixed all that and went on to the trailer lights that appeared to be on one of those sequencers that one uses on Christmas tree lights 'cause there was no rhyme or reason to them coming on & off. So I installed all new LED trailer lights. The vinyl on the seats had the suppleness of a potato chip. You sat down and it was snap, crackle, pop. Oh.....and about the Yamaha 40 two-smoke that ran???? Uh no - it didn't. But after I totally rebuilt the carbs it did!

So with bandaids applied, we went boating. And it was free - kinda. Since this was my first pontoon boat and I wasn't sure I'd like it cause speed and pontoon can't be used in the same sentence (yes - I know there's some idjit with a pontoon boat with triple 300 Verado's. All he is is a blow-over waiting to happen), I was reluctant to do any more modifications. Fast forward and the MIL has erased "free" outta her vocabulary. Never mind, we buy it for cheap.

The first thing was a repower to 90hp Mercury. It was a toss up between Merc and Yamaha, but the Merc was cheaper. A couple of weeks ago, it was time to get the pontoon nekkid. So that's what you see now.

I'll be sourcing most of my stuff from PontoonStuff.com and will use eBay and other sources as needed to keep costs down.

One idea I'm really seriously thinking about is a complete departure from your typical pontoon deck of 3/4" plywood and some type of flooring over that. And that is using composite decking boards like are used on decks, as the pontoons' flooring and decking. I've set up a simple rig to test deflection, load capacity, and how it will handle structural loads. My testing looks promising. The only potential hitch would be with water coming up through the seams where the boards butt together. But I'm asking myself is that really an issue? For sure I will be using this material in lieu of your garden variety aluminum C-channel that's used for a rub rail. I cannot understand why the pontoon industry insists on using that because it's so susceptible to dents. If the aluminum was of a different temper, that would be one thing, but most of it is so maleble you'd think it was in "0" condition!! Anywho.......be looking for my updates.

Oh - and a tip when using crimp style butt connectors. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and in the section where you'll find ty-wraps, lineman pliers, Volt/Ohm meters, etc., get yourself a tube of OX-Gard. The stuff is pretty messy to work with, but will save your wires from oxidation and water intrusion. What I do is cut the applicator tip so the hole is kinda tiny - like maybe a 1/16". I then squirt a small amount into each end of the butt connector. Install your wire, crimp it, and you're done. It also helps if you use some heat shrink tubing over the splice. And do yourself a favor and spend money on a good crimping tool and not those el cheapos that just mash the butt slice together. As for a heat shrink gun, I use a Wagner heat gun that does the job just a good as the fancy schmancy types.

Tom Adams
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BoatCop
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#2 Post by BoatCop » Fri May 13, 2016 6:04 pm

I don't think composite decking would work. It flexes too much and I think weight would be a limiting factor.

3/4" Marine plywood runs 62 lbs per 4x8 sheet

Composite decking is about 2.5 lbs per 6" wide linear foot. That would equate to 180 lbs per 4x8 section.*

Even hollow decking is 1.9 lbs per foot or 121 lbs per 4x8 section.

Figure 5 plywood sheets = 310 lbs
Equal decking = 900 lbs (or 605 lbs)

*2.5 x 8' x (4'x2) = 180

We know how much speed and power is scrubbed with 2 passengers. Imagine that strain and more just by yourself.

You want to keep weight to close to original specs. Putting 2 or 3 times the decking engineered weight would displace the designed center of gravity, affect the stability, reduce speed and increase fuel consumption.
Alan
2012 22' Sun Tracker DLX Party Barge w/Merc 90 EFI 4 Stroke
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sunedog
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#3 Post by sunedog » Mon May 16, 2016 6:02 am

I also think composite decking would be really slick when wet. Good luck on the rebuild.

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Azera
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#4 Post by Azera » Mon May 16, 2016 7:47 am

Thanks Alan for the input.

Not that I didn't trust you, but I ran some numbers of my own and although I didn't get the same as you, it didn't matter because the point you were making was substantiated.

Dayum - I hate when I'm wrong. LOL

Oh well - another hair brained scheme out the window. Guess I'll just do the typical plywood decking/flooring thing.

I'm still not giving up on the PT-6 turbine power just yet. After all.....pontoon logs are round and so are turbine engines. Coincidence? I think not!! LMAO

Tom

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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#5 Post by mpilot » Mon May 16, 2016 1:34 pm

Azera wrote:Thanks Alan for the input.

Not that I didn't trust you, but I ran some numbers of my own and although I didn't get the same as you, it didn't matter because the point you were making was substantiated.

Dayum - I hate when I'm wrong. LOL

Oh well - another hair brained scheme out the window. Guess I'll just do the typical plywood decking/flooring thing.

I'm still not giving up on the PT-6 turbine power just yet. After all.....pontoon logs are round and so are turbine engines. Coincidence? I think not!! LMAO

Tom
A guy here did that aluminum interlocking decking like at some marina's and it did really well and from what I remember was fairly comparable in weight to the plywood. It was on a party hut boat and he just had carpet to lay down on top of it out in the sun but you can get the colored stuff too.

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Azera
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#6 Post by Azera » Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:35 pm

For those who've been interested in this thread - my sincerest apology. I feel like that juggler guy that spins plates on top of wood rods - I go from one plate to another and then to another. Anyhow........

I wanted to get a full 20' of deck to work with and with the motor mount setup with the stock boat, that wasn't gonna work. I considered a full center log with integrated motor mount, but I had some serious costs constraints in the form of my wife. :lol3 So I compromised and went with a motor pod that the good folks at American Pontoon in South Carolina sourced and installed for me.
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Next came the big @ss order from PontoonStuff.com
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While waiting for other items for the rebuild, I wanted to install (as much as possible) my helm gear in the relative comfort of my garage/workshop. To date we've had over 56 consecutive days of temps over 93 degrees. Anyhow.....here's a couple of shots of the upper portion of the console showing my Garmin SV73, the AM/FM radio, gauges, switch panel, and my tilt steering system from Sea Star.
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Tom

ron nh
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#7 Post by ron nh » Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:27 pm

That hull looks pretty damn good!
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#8 Post by abypfcs » Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:42 pm

I really admire people that have the skills to do something like this. Has to be so satisfying.
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Bamaman
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#9 Post by Bamaman » Thu Aug 18, 2016 6:45 pm

You are indeed a brave guy taking on such a project. But with a new motor, you're good for 30 years usage. That engine pod looks great, and will make your boat handle like a longer boat with such an engine setback.

You won't be dissatisfied with the plywood 5-10-15 years from now. The stuff's incredibly long lasting and tough. We're fortunate to have a plywood warehouse in our industrial park that carries all kinds and sizes of plywood. Home Depot/Lowes doesn't have anything that'll work on a boat.

I don't know if you've put on your flooring yet. But be sure to get the proper mastic for the job. Flooring glue is not just flooring glue, as it's formulated for a specific type of floor in most cases.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

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Azera
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#10 Post by Azera » Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:05 am

Thanks for the comments. Not to be conceited, but there are two things I have going for me that tackling this job is not all that bad:

a) I am an Engineer by trade, but not one of those guys that sat behind a desk all their life. I started wrenching at an early age and was fortunate to have a Dad that taught me A LOT of skills from woodworking to electrical to metal, etc. My Dad having boats and me racing motorcycles as a teen helped also. But the most important thing I have going for me is........

b) I'm stoopid. LOL.......

Seriously......if I'd have know then, what I know now - I'm not sure I would've gone down this road. I'd say 75% of my issues are self inflicted because I have a disease that there's no known cure for - it's CLWEA. That stands for Can't Leave Well Enough Alone. I'll start doing something, then stop, then re-analyze it, then do it over. When the CLWEA is really bad, I get option paralysis - you know, when you can think of three different ways to run the wiring so you just stand there starring at the wiring for 30 minutes or so. Anyhow......most of my frustration with this job is like I said - self imposed. I should've never set a completion date for the end of July because it made me start to rush and that's when a project becomes a chore. I seriously had to step back and take a week off. If there's one piece of advice I could give it would be that - tell yourself it'll be done when it's done.

If anyone else wishes to pick my brain, just ask. I'm no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once. :biggrin2

Back to the topic.....yes - I knew that flooring glue for marine applications is not something you can get at a big box store. The wife & I rented pontoon boats several times and they all had carpet. It's nice under the feet, but red Georgia clay plays h*ll with it. So we chose to go with a tan 80 mil vinyl.

Taking a step back, these two pics demonstrate the extra floor room the motor pod gave us. The first is the stock setup. The second is what we have. Before, the fence went right to the edges around the perimeter of the boat. Now we got 1' up front and 2' at the stern with the same amount of square footage inside the fence as before.
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This pic shows the fence being setup and aligned. That thing you see under the bow just to the right of centerline is a boarding ladder. Anybody else do the belly scrape when you push off from shore only to find that when the stern is in deep enough water, you, at the bow, now have to jump & pull yourself onto the deck? Boarding ladder - get one. LOL
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Two things I'll leave you with. Because of the engineer in me I'm a big fan of nylocks or split (aka lock) washers. Boats vibrate and fasteners just love to come loose. Do yourself a favor and use either nylock nuts or lock washers under the head of your nuts (boy that's a bad outta context remark). And if you don't already know this....please, PLEASE do not use any type of drill, impact driver, etc. to tighten up a nylock. The friction generated will melt the plastic and seize the nut. Remember - it's self-locking. You don't have to tighten the nut until your wrist clicks. :lol3

I decided to wrap my flooring under the decking instead of just cutting it off flush with the edge of the decking to prevent (hopefully) what had happened to the other flooring - and that was it shrunk and you could see it pulling out from underneath the coaming. I then used SSTL staples (thank God for air tools) to staple the flooring to the underside of the decking. BUT......before I did this, I chucked into my router a .50" roundover bit and routed the perimeter of the decking. This made for a smooth edge which the vinyl could wrap around easily.

BTW.....there's two other names I wanna drop on you and that is www.bestboatwire.com and www.rockerswitchpros.com

The boat wire folks sell true marine grade tinned copper wire, they're very price competitive and are excellent to do business with. The rocker switch guys are also awesome. I had them make a set of rocker covers for me (yes - I'll post a pic). What I feel is good about them is that if your switch(s) are good and it's just the cover that been faded out, they can make your dash look almost new with new covers. They also make custom dash/switch panels.

That's all for now - off to a Doctor appointment.

Tom

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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#11 Post by curtiscapk » Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:28 am

awesome!
Craig and Paula
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ROLAND
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Re: 2004 Weere's Pontoon Re-do

#12 Post by ROLAND » Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:21 am

she's looking great... keep us updated and good job...
Roland & Jo
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