Sunken pontoon advice please

[monobrow]

We live on residential moorings, our pontoon sunk about a week and a half ago nearly taking the boat with it - waterline was very close to the the wheel-house door when I cut the ropes...

 

The guys that run the mooorings have been trying to sort it out without spending a penny and it's not really working.

 

Today's attempt was to finish pumping out the leaking tanks and tow it down-river to the boatyard (only ~200 yards). The couldn't pump it out as fast as it was coming in, so now it's started flipping over again - back to square one.

 

We're at a bit of a loss because they won't listen to any reasonable suggestion (ie. get a crane!). It seems that the current options are either:

 

a ) drag it up the bank (10 feet and steep), almost certainly destroying a well looked after and much loved garden and a few newly-planted trees

b ) get lots of stuff (like empty gas-bottles), stick it all underneath and hope it floats long enough to tow it down-river.

 

Neither option are very good, in my opinion, but if it could be reliably floated then towing should be the way to go.

 

My question is - does anyone have any suggestions about what to use/how to securely float the thing so it can be towed? (or any other suggestions?)

 

Thanks

 

 

 

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/592090/pontoon2.jpg

 

 

 

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/592090/pontoon.jpg

Edited May 28, 2009 by monobrow

[Gibbo]

Fasten plastic jerry cans underneath it then fill them with compressed air.

 

Gibbo

[Sir Nibble]

I would forget try ing to pump water out and pump air in instead.

40 gallon drums.

Did you ever hear about the tanker SS Ohio?

Theres 3 ideas for you.

[monobrow]

I would forget try ing to pump water out and pump air in instead.

40 gallon drums.

Did you ever hear about the tanker SS Ohio?

Theres 3 ideas for you.

 

Sinking it would be my favorite, but not spending anything includes not losing a "perfectly servicable" pontoon...

[Guest User]

How deep is the mooring and how soft is the bottom ? Could you knock in a couple of 4" x 4" fence posts (or some scaffold poles) as temporary piles, and use them to tie up the pontoon sufficently high enough to repair/replace the old float tanks ?

[Naughty Cal]

How heavy is it? Could you not tie it to a couple of boats to float it?

[Arnot]

My question is - does anyone have any suggestions about what to use/how to securely float the thing so it can be towed? (or any other suggestions?)

 

Thanks

 

Try old inner tubes from a lorry or tractor tyre place, a method I have used in the past for lifting things in water.

 

Cheap and effective.

 

Regards

 

Arnot

[nb Innisfree]

Try to get some buoancy foam into it? the kind they mix and pour into cavities in yachts. If it could be done it would prevent any future flooding. Perhaps worth asking a yacht builder if it could be done and what is entailed.

[smileypete]

Today's attempt was to finish pumping out the leaking tanks and tow it down-river to the boatyard (only ~200 yards). The couldn't pump it out as fast as it was coming in, so now it's started flipping over again - back to square one.

 

A large petrol drive pump would be the minimum, as long as it shifts water faster than coming in, it should float. There should be some way for air to get in easily.

 

If the tanks are sealed and the hole is low down, a large air compressor might put enough air in to float it.

 

How much depth underneath the pontoon?

 

cheers,

Pete.

Edited May 28, 2009 by smileypete

[Gibbo]

I have just under 3000 litres of compressed air in diving cylinders in the workshop that you're wlecome to borrow. That will float a truck.

 

Gibbo

 

Try old inner tubes from a lorry or tractor tyre place, a method I have used in the past for lifting things in water.

 

My favourite so far.

 

Gibbo