Calling all Gurus! Pinholes in my pontoons
 

Am looking for advice (theories) on fixing pinholes that have developed
in the pontoons of our 24-foot Escapade pontoon boat.
There are several areas involved, probably from electrolitic action.

Our plan of the moment is to drill out each pinhole and pop in an
aluminum rivet that's been dipped first in two-part epoxy.

Are there other good, better, best ways to deal with the problem?

Depending upon the gage of the hull material it could be more prudent to
spot weld the holes and grind them smooth.

I'd think the most important part of the exercise would be to determine the
cause and eliminate it quickly.

Butch
wrote in message
oups.com...
Am looking for advice (theories) on fixing pinholes that have developed
in the pontoons of our 24-foot Escapade pontoon boat.
There are several areas involved, probably from electrolitic action.

Our plan of the moment is to drill out each pinhole and pop in an
aluminum rivet that's been dipped first in two-part epoxy.

Are there other good, better, best ways to deal with the problem?

Chances are the holes are caused by electrolysis. Verify that you don't
have a ground from the battery attached to the boat aluminum somewhere and
using that as a ground loop for accesories. Everything should have its own
ground wire to a junction box that is connected to the battery. If you keep
the boat at a marina make sure someone else does not have a bad ground as
well if you can.

Rivits won't work for long as they will leak due to vibration. Spot weld
and grind down smooth.

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

-
wrote in message
oups.com...
Am looking for advice (theories) on fixing pinholes that have developed
in the pontoons of our 24-foot Escapade pontoon boat.
There are several areas involved, probably from electrolitic action.

Our plan of the moment is to drill out each pinhole and pop in an
aluminum rivet that's been dipped first in two-part epoxy.

Are there other good, better, best ways to deal with the problem?

You can try covering the tube with Gluvit. A flexible marine epoxy.
Bill

wrote in message
oups.com...
Am looking for advice (theories) on fixing pinholes that have developed
in the pontoons of our 24-foot Escapade pontoon boat.
There are several areas involved, probably from electrolitic action.

Our plan of the moment is to drill out each pinhole and pop in an
aluminum rivet that's been dipped first in two-part epoxy.

Are there other good, better, best ways to deal with the problem?

There are several outfits out there that sell low temp aluminum
welding/brazing rods for use with propane or Mapp torches -- good for
aluminum props, ladders, etc. (Ex. www. durafix. com). As mentioned by
others, you have to fix the problem, and not just patch it.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Am looking for advice (theories) on fixing pinholes that have developed
in the pontoons of our 24-foot Escapade pontoon boat.
There are several areas involved, probably from electrolitic action.

Our plan of the moment is to drill out each pinhole and pop in an
aluminum rivet that's been dipped first in two-part epoxy.

Are there other good, better, best ways to deal with the problem?