Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi all,

i have an older (1989) 24' smokercraft toon. I bought it a couple years ago and got it running...just needed some wiring and new fuel lines etc. Being new to the boating world I didn't fully know what to look for regarding the pontoon tubes condition. I knew that the right one had a small leak somewhere but that was about it. So we put a whole new upholstery/seat set in it and a bimini top on, and the motor is running well. (100 hp mariner). My problem is that the pontoons leak, quite a bit in the right one, and the motor pod cracked up front where it bolts to the cross stringers. the rear of the pod seems to be sagging, (cross stringers bending in the middle) and the marine plywood is starting to delaminate. i have had a couple different people do some welding on the tubes, and but some of the cracks seem to be inside where the supports are welded to the tubes and its not something you can get to. All in all i think the tubes and frame are just worn out. What i am hoping to find is a boneyard or something where pontoons go to die, that i can find a used set of tubes and motor pod and re-deck it and install my motor and furniture. Any suggestions on where to look? Or do any manufacturers sell just the tubes and frame? I'm caught in a situation where i can only use the boat for day trips, and i worry about the whole thing falling apart when it hits one big wave or something. sorry this is long. any help appreciated. I'm in Utah, but wouldn't mind a road trip to get what i need...I do have a trailer for my current boat.

Most shops will slightly pressurize toons and then go over the toon welds with a sponge and soapy water-looking for bubbles. Then the leaks are often fixed by TIG welding. You may be just a good welder away from finding your problem.

You may also need to put new marine grade plywood and flooring on your toon. It's about a 2 week part time job for most people.

The question is how good is your fencing and your upholstery? You could probably get the toons sealed and the flooring repaired. But will you be throwing good money after bad? And being so far out west, finding good used pontoons is probably not easy.
Good luck!

vdubnut wrote:Hi all,

i have an older (1989) 24' smokercraft toon. I bought it a couple years ago and got it running...just needed some wiring and new fuel lines etc. Being new to the boating world I didn't fully know what to look for regarding the pontoon tubes condition. I knew that the right one had a small leak somewhere but that was about it. So we put a whole new upholstery/seat set in it and a bimini top on, and the motor is running well. (100 hp mariner). My problem is that the pontoons leak, quite a bit in the right one, and the motor pod cracked up front where it bolts to the cross stringers. the rear of the pod seems to be sagging, (cross stringers bending in the middle) and the marine plywood is starting to delaminate. i have had a couple different people do some welding on the tubes, and but some of the cracks seem to be inside where the supports are welded to the tubes and its not something you can get to. All in all i think the tubes and frame are just worn out. What i am hoping to find is a boneyard or something where pontoons go to die, that i can find a used set of tubes and motor pod and re-deck it and install my motor and furniture. Any suggestions on where to look? Or do any manufacturers sell just the tubes and frame? I'm caught in a situation where i can only use the boat for day trips, and i worry about the whole thing falling apart when it hits one big wave or something. sorry this is long. any help appreciated. I'm in Utah, but wouldn't mind a road trip to get what i need...I do have a trailer for my current boat.

Bills Boat Stuff in MO of your anywhere within a days drive of Central MO, just do a search for "pontoon tubes" on Google and his ads are one of the first few that come up. I drove from Minnesota this spring to buy some tubes and cross members from him.