New pontoon boat owners may notice that their pontoons sit uneven or, most often, lower in the water at the rear.
An uneven pontoon is not always a concern, but can be, especially if one toon is sitting higher or lower than the other in the water.
Pontoons Sit Lower In The Rear
Most of the weight for your pontoon is in the rear, as the engine and gas tank are located there. With all the extra weight, it’s normal to have the rear of your pontoon boat sit lower than the rest.
The shorter the boat, the more noticeable the drag on the rear, as a longer boat can displace more of the weight.
A low sitting rear is also a clue that you have an engine that is too big for your pontoon. Just because you can make a bigger engine fit doesn’t mean it will work for your boat. Pontoons have maximum engine sizes that need to be followed!
Is It Normal For A Pontoon To Sit Lower On One Side?
If the left or right toon of your pontoon sits lower, it can be an issue.
If it’s a small difference and the gas tank is on that side, then a full tank of gas will throw off the balance. The same idea if you have people or too much stuff on one side will make it look uneven.
Another reason for one side of your pontoon to be uneven is that one toon is taking on water. The toons should be sealed off and water coming in is an issue that needs to be solved right away. Take it to the local repair shop, as it’s often an involved process.
Pontoons Completely Underwater
If the toons on your pontoon are completely underwater, whether the front or rear, then that is not good.
Either the toons are full of water or you have too much weight on the boat, and things are about to get real bad, real quick.
If it’s the rear, and you got a new engine, then the engine maybe too big for your boat.
How Low A Pontoon Sits
A pontoon boat sitting in the water should only have about half of its toon sitting under the water.
If 75% or more of the toon is underwater, then that is not normal and should be fixed right away.
Can A Pontoon Sink?
It is possible for a pontoon boat to sink, but not as likely as other boats.
For most pontoons, one toon taking on water isn’t enough to sink the boat completely, but both toons (or 3 if Tritoon) taking on water it will sink it.
Water Can Get In Toons
It’s possible that water can get in the toons of your pontoon boat.
Some pontoons come with drain plugs, but it’s becoming more rare these days as new designs consider them not needed. Some pontoon manufacturers think a drain plug is more likely to cause issues, so they tend not to add them.
Some newer style toons are designed in sections (chambers), so the water will have a harder time draining, so you may not get all the water out. These chambers are in case you puncture the toon, the whole toon doesn’t fill up with water.
Today, modern pontoons don’t use rivets to make up the toon, which would corrode and lead to water coming in. Today’s toons are welded together and pressure tested at the manufacturer to make sure they’re sealed up. The only way for a toon to leak on modern pontoon boats is if you damage them.
Avoid Adding Foam
Guys that tend to have pontoon taking on water often ask me if adding foam to the tubes will help, and it’s not that simple.
Foam floats, but it can backfire in some situations.
You shouldn’t need to add foam to your pontoon float’s as they should be sealed up, and no water should be getting in. Also, the foam degrades overtime and can react with water to not only make your boat heavier but more water logged as the foam pores trap the water.
Adding foam to your pontoon’s logs or floats will not make it more buoyant or help with it sitting uneven in the water. If anything, it will worsen it as the boat is now heavier and the foam will slide to the lower side, making the lean even worse.