The pontoon Blues

Valve stem?  Pontoons are not inflated.  There's a plug on top of the toons usually toward the back.  15 lbs. of air pressure can go through there to let a fabricator go over all the seams with soapy water looking for bubbles and leaks.  
 
15 ??!! More like 2-3 psi. If you do a search there's lots of stories about what happens if you put that much air in a toon. Best case it just pops a seam, worst case, well let's just say you may not walk away. I'll try to find the one that had a pic where I think the gauge was defective and they blew the toon.
 
Usually the dealer has a local welder fix these sort of leaks. It's really not too difficult for someone with the right tools and skills with aluminum.
 
I find this story disturbing.  New boat, 3 times out and a leak?

Do Bennington pontoons have drain plugs like the cheapo pontoon boats? (I'm still waiting for mine to be delivered).  How do they get the water out after a leak?
 
Turn the boat upside down?
 
They do not have plugs. They drill a hole and then weld it up.
 
Excuse me on the PSI.  You can test'em with a vacuum cleaner pushing air in reverse.

You know, these boats are remarkably trouble free and long lasting.  I cannot say the same thing about all the fiberglass I/O boats seen sitting in marine salvage yards.  At least when a pontoon boat gets too old, you can chop it up and get some money back at the recycling yard.
 
Yeah, It's pretty easy to rebuild a old pontoon. As long as the logs are good it's just plywood, screws and some cheap carpet and Walmart lawn chairs.

Not so easy on a glass boat. Like you said worst case turn it into beer cans.

It's like an old pickup truck bed becomes a trailer. Today's trashed toon becomes tomorrow's boat dock ..... Lol !!!
 
Speaking of which. I'm in search of an old pontoon to use for a dock on a pond. 
 
Eco man did you find this "leak" comming from a weld where the lifting streak meets the toon on the inside of your toons. If so it might not be a leak but just air getting out of the lifting strake.

Do you know if you infact have water in your toon then yes you have a leak.
 
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