Advice on adding drain plugs

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TXlakergirl
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Advice on adding drain plugs

#1 Post by TXlakergirl » Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:56 am

Hello! So heading into my third summer with my 2015 Harris Solstice 220, and the second year of water in my toons. Yes, last year I took it to the dealer I bought it used from only to find out they had not re-registered the manufacturer's warranty as the owner's manual instructed - that's a long story for a different post. So paid to get the toons (yes both outside logs of the tri-toon) drained and supposedly the cracks patched. Did a full summer of boating, with her sitting in a lift in between weekends, and when I took her out in December... water again in the toons. Dealer says they have done all they are going to do for me so any repair will be full price, besides... can't see going back to a place that didn't get the job done right the first time. And not finding anyone who will take on the repair. :( So doing a lot of DIY research and thinking that I need to install drain plugs on each toon (if they have 'em I'm not finding them) to get the water out, then do the usual light air pressure and dish soap technique to find the cracks/water entry points and then use the liquid weld stuff to patch. Then thinking I'll just have to pump her out once a month if still having issues.

I've found multiple Utubes and articles about the finding the leak techniques, but not a lot about how to install a drain hole+plug. Where's the best place to put the hole? Are there any tricks to drilling into aluminum, or a pontoon for that matter? What type of plug is recommended? Do I need to pressurize the toon, add air afterwards? Any trick with that? How well will the liquid weld stuff hold up? Figured I'll have to go through this process at least yearly, so expect will have to "reapply" at some point. So I'm hoping some of the folks may have had to go this route as well, hence my post. Thoughts? Suggestions?

TXlakergirl
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#2 Post by TXlakergirl » Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:08 am

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Steiner
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#3 Post by Steiner » Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:47 pm

Just curious, where were the cracks they patched? I had a brand new pontoon that was missing two top plugs in one toon.

If I were putting in drain plugs, I'd find someone that could tig aluminum and use 6061 aluminum bungs with nylon plugs. I've seen some kits on eBay that come with a brass plug but they're regular NPT so could be replaced easy.

For repair, I'd imagine something that stays flexible would be best. If the force is enough to crack aluminum, it's enough to crack about any epoxy that dries hard. Here's one
https://www.westsystem.com/aluminum-boat-repair-kit/
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sunedog
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#4 Post by sunedog » Thu Feb 23, 2023 10:05 am

It's a bummer that your local dealer did not take care of the problem or stand behind their work. Water in toons is far from unusual. But I've never heard of anyone having to go through the hassle you are planning to undertake. Especially on a 2015 model year boat.

Find a local welder that has experience working on pontoons. I see on a map that LBJ Is decent size and Lake Buchanan is even bigger. There has to be someone who knows how to find the leak(s) and fix it. Permanently.

As far as adding drain plugs, some have gone this route. The problem is most modern toons are segmented and water in a forward chamber may not have a path to a drain in the rear.

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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#5 Post by Simo » Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:43 am

I'm fairly new to pontoon boats. How can you tell you have water in them?
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sunedog
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#6 Post by sunedog » Fri Feb 24, 2023 8:04 am

Simo wrote:
Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:43 am
I'm fairly new to pontoon boats. How can you tell you have water in them?
Put the boat on a trailer. Stand next to it while someone pulls forward or backward a few feet and stops abruptly. If there's water in the toon, you'll hear it.

Steiner
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#7 Post by Steiner » Mon Feb 27, 2023 9:20 am

Well...I guess she sank.
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Marc K
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#8 Post by Marc K » Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:18 am

:lol3
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toondog
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Re: Advice on adding drain plugs

#9 Post by toondog » Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:53 pm

As stated above you probably have sealed chambered logs.

According to the Harris boat site.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pontoon Tubes
Sealed pontoons are a full 25"* diameter to provide maximum stability
Tube sections are crimped to fit over each other, then welded with a strong, double-layered seam for ultimate strength
Multiple air-tight pontoon chambers ensure that a pontoon can safely return to the dock if a pontoon gets damaged or takes on water..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You will probably create more problems than you solve with a drain plug that only drains one chamber. Possible leak spot, uneven pressure in a chamber.
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