Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

So my pontoon was bought used from a couple that kept it in the river pretty much most of its life. Because of that it has a bunch of crud built up: I've already tried to pressure wash the toons, used an aluminum cleaner specifically for pontoons, and still the crud remains...so it looks like sanding is my only option. I'm not opposed to sanding, I just want the toons to be clean because this crud is hurting the speed of the boat too.
I'm probably going to paint the toons with antifouling paint for a couple reasons; the toons are pretty rough looking so the paint would make a dramatic difference in looks anyway.
This will be an adventure...first step is to get the pontoon off the trailer....stay tuned

Well it didn't take long... (No idea why the pics keep showing up sideways)
Just some light sanding I think I might have an issue. What I thought was caked on alge and everything else from the water is pitted pontoons instead?
My uncle who is a body shop manager is going to come over and give me a second opinion.

Well that brings back memories lol. I had the same exact issue with the 1983 I rebuilt. I cleaned and sanded just like you. It's where I got the idea to paint the logs. My boat boat lived on a trailer so I didn't use a bottom paint. I love how easy it is to clean painted logs. That said my boat is never in the water for more than a week straight when on vacations. I just wipe them down with vinegar water.

I liked the look of paint and ease of cleaning so I did it painted the logs on the new boat lol. Here's a picture of the old one after nine years of use. You can see the texture on the back of the log still. For some reason that was the worst on mine.

So the pontoon is officially off the bunks...
The bunks can be easily removed which I will do just to sand down the toons then replace them just to provide some extra security just in case the pontoon shifts off the blocks.