Hmm, my guess (and that's all it is) would be air. I've personally not come across any description of a foam filled tube. Great question that one of our esteemed contributors will have a definitive answer for.
Welcome to the club! Tell us about your dream build!
The reason I am asking is I just got a 2017 18' SF3 fish/cruise and there is a bad weld on the solid keel. They burned through the pontoon right at the end of the weld with the wonderful result of a small hole in the bottom of the tube.
It has been over 36 hours since putting it on the trailer and it is still dripping which makes me think there is foam inside holding some water. I would think if it was separate chambers with just air space it would have stopped by now. Don't know. After noticing the leak , the stream was filling a water bottle in 1 1/2 minutes an hour after putting it on the trailer. I don't know how much water was actually in the tube but was suspicious when it drove as if I was dragging 2 anchors. It wasn't noticeably listing to the right but was feeling heavy in the rear , not planing out , etc.
I'll find out more on Tuesday morning and hope Bennington is as good as I've read from others on here.
If it truly is a burn through, it should be an easy fix by any competent aluminum welder. They will probably drill a slightly larger hole to ensure total drainage, then weld shut. It should be a fairly easy repair.
Yes , it should be an easy fix if they are hollow tubes. It is still an understatement to say I'm a little disappointed to find this after barely over 20 hours on the new boat.
Good to hear that. Makes for a quick and easy fix. And yes , I realize mistakes happen. Except for that small 1/16'' hole the rest of the boat is awesome!
It takes a long time to drain. Remember there was water pressure to put the water in the pontoon. With only one hole, there is a vacuum in the toon as water drips out and air has to enter as the water comes out, just like turning a bottle upside down and the sides collapse until that big "glug" to fill it with air.
Welcome to the forum,officially . I hope that you have read how Bennington has been there to take care of their product. I see theres been several before me that have given info on your question. Tcpip95 especially has alot of knowledge on water making it into his toon logs.And it had nothing to do with a problem with how they were put together. A tiny hole is really NO PROBLEM.
I'm sure your dealer will handle it. And if not,Bennington will get it corrected. Look forward to your future participation in the forum.
Thanks Bob and thanks everyone else! I have lurked here for months reading up on things before ordering my boat back in Jan. Learned a lot here and it helped sway me towards Bennington. I don't have one of the big rigs like a lot on here but it is my first pontoon! I moved from deep v fishing rigs into this and am loving it so far! Way more room and comfort vs my Alumacraft deep v...
Based on my factory tour last year, there is only air inside the toons. They use a fitting on the top of each toon section for pressure testing and plug it with a pin hole for pressure equalization due to elevation differences.
To help drain the toon with water inside, I'd drill out the bad spot, remove the top plug and tilt it the best you can. Don't forget to screw the plug back in.
Thanks Jack. Good video. All I should have then is the front cone section holding a little bit of water so no biggie.
Spoke to the dealer this morning. They have a local guy well versed in welding to do the repair. Once I drop it off it should only be a matter of days before it'll be done and ready to go.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck with the hole. For something new and all the positive words on the quality of a Bennington, I feel your pain. Know this, Bennington stands by their work. They are great to work with. Get the hole fixed and the fun you have on the boat will help you forget any issues you had. Welcome to the forum!
