Tin Diesel
Well-Known Member
I'm curious about opinions on which type of hull is most resistant to damage by a submerged stump - particularly from owners who have had both aluminum pontoons and fiberglass hulls (such as twin-hull deck-style boats).
I know there are lots of variables - how old (soft) is the stump, how fast was the boat going, what angle is the stump struck, where on the hull, etc. Obviously, at a high enough speed any hull will be damaged. But if we assume the driver knows they are in dangerous waters and are going at idle speed but still slide up and over a submerged stump... which hull will have least damage?
My experience has not been good on two occasions with our 2007 2575RL Bennington - which has the rough-water option (don't know if that includes thicker aluminum). The first mishap was a sideways wind-drift that floated us over a stump (engine in neutral, so no momentum at all). The wind pushed the bow around and we floated off - and had a 2-inch split at the bottom-stern of the hull that had to be welded closed. The second time we were in a 25-foot deep channel at no-wake speed and went over the top of a submerged tree (the Garmin painted a very pretty picture of it - afterwards!) It was a relatively gentle bump that put a 8-inch wide, 1-inch deep dent in the bottom-stern of the hull (yes, same one) and peeled open six inches of the weld-seam of the end cap. Both times were on Lake Livingston in TX, a lake to which I will no longer go!
I have a friend buying a house at the very stump-infested north end of Lake Livingston and said he wants to buy a pontoon boat - and asked my thoughts. I told him the northern end is limited to marked channels but even at that, there are 'floaters' to worry about - submerged trees that break loose and float 6" below the surface. I suggested he do a lot of research on hull types.
What are your thoughts on hull-type for this situation? They want a big open boat - a party boat, not a john-boat etc.
This is a case were damage-resistance probably should be the primary consideration.
I know there are lots of variables - how old (soft) is the stump, how fast was the boat going, what angle is the stump struck, where on the hull, etc. Obviously, at a high enough speed any hull will be damaged. But if we assume the driver knows they are in dangerous waters and are going at idle speed but still slide up and over a submerged stump... which hull will have least damage?
My experience has not been good on two occasions with our 2007 2575RL Bennington - which has the rough-water option (don't know if that includes thicker aluminum). The first mishap was a sideways wind-drift that floated us over a stump (engine in neutral, so no momentum at all). The wind pushed the bow around and we floated off - and had a 2-inch split at the bottom-stern of the hull that had to be welded closed. The second time we were in a 25-foot deep channel at no-wake speed and went over the top of a submerged tree (the Garmin painted a very pretty picture of it - afterwards!) It was a relatively gentle bump that put a 8-inch wide, 1-inch deep dent in the bottom-stern of the hull (yes, same one) and peeled open six inches of the weld-seam of the end cap. Both times were on Lake Livingston in TX, a lake to which I will no longer go!
I have a friend buying a house at the very stump-infested north end of Lake Livingston and said he wants to buy a pontoon boat - and asked my thoughts. I told him the northern end is limited to marked channels but even at that, there are 'floaters' to worry about - submerged trees that break loose and float 6" below the surface. I suggested he do a lot of research on hull types.
What are your thoughts on hull-type for this situation? They want a big open boat - a party boat, not a john-boat etc.
This is a case were damage-resistance probably should be the primary consideration.
