Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I hit a piling in high wind and bent the front of one on my pontoons where the connect eye is. Is it safe to try to straignten it or should I leave it alone? I checked and there are no cracks and it didn't bend but about 3 inches.

Thanks

I would leave it. I think if you started trying to bend it back you could damage it more. Plus your turns in the direction of the bend would be easier!

The turning part is funny, the bending part is not. I would leave it alone to but if you are like me you dont want to and you will try to bend it back right.

It's just that the boat is only 3 months old and I hate to have a bend in it already. I guess it's more a vanity thing than anything else. I just wondered if the aluminum would weaken or crack if I tried to bend it back.

Let's see a pic of it, so we can see how bad it is. If it's not too bad, I would have to try to straighten it, but I've been told I'm too picky about my stuff.....

I wouldn't touch it. Once aluminum is bent one way, good luck trying to bend it back. I'll bet you it will crack. The only way I would even consider this, is if I put heat to it, and had a good aluminum welder on stand by.

Just leave it alone. Now you have that first nick/dent, and things will be less worrysome.

Yep, it WILL crack if you try to bend it back. Have a welder repair it ...

One of my toons has the same bend in it. It had it when I got it and it always bugs me, but I just leave it alone. I am pretty sure if I tried to bend it it would crack. Hey, it adds character! My boat was a 3-year old repo, though, so it had a few nicks and bruises like that when I bought it. I've added a nick or two since, and the nice thing is that it just doesn't ruin may day since the boat was not perfect anyway.

my 1996 tracker had a bend like that , I got a rubber hammer hit it 3-4 times and it looks like new,

A picture would help but I am in the camp of leave it or be prepared to do some welding. Aluminum doesn't take a lot of bending back and forth before it cracks. You could try heat but that is a dangerous thing if you don't work aluminum all the time. It really does not change it's appearance much before it falls.

woolznaz wrote:One of my toons has the same bend in it. It had it when I got it and it always bugs me, but I just leave it alone. I am pretty sure if I tried to bend it it would crack. Hey, it adds character! My boat was a 3-year old repo, though, so it had a few nicks and bruises like that when I bought it. I've added a nick or two since, and the nice thing is that it just doesn't ruin may day since the boat was not perfect anyway.

Dude, you have a friggin "south bay" pontoon boat...It is not a regular Pontoon boat!!! It is a south bay...fix it!! I would love to have your boat...you just dont understand what you have!!

GregF is correct... Steel and fiberglass all show stress when bent, aluminum does not. That's what makes it harder to work with than steel. Sometimes, with thin sheets, a dent can be pounded out, but the metal has stretched, and that "extra" metal has to go somewhere - usually into a ripple or bulge somewhere nearby. Leave it alone, or get a pro to fix it.

hyper wrote:

woolznaz wrote:One of my toons has the same bend in it. It had it when I got it and it always bugs me, but I just leave it alone. I am pretty sure if I tried to bend it it would crack. Hey, it adds character! My boat was a 3-year old repo, though, so it had a few nicks and bruises like that when I bought it. I've added a nick or two since, and the nice thing is that it just doesn't ruin may day since the boat was not perfect anyway.

Dude, you have a friggin "south bay" pontoon boat...It is not a regular Pontoon boat!!! It is a south bay...fix it!! I would love to have your boat...you just dont understand what you have!!

Thanks....... I think. Yes, we LOVE the South Bay. I get your point, but it was 3 years old when we bought it and it had a few scrapes, including that one. It was a decent buy, so we bought it and love it, but I am just not sure the bent eye hook should be messed with. The more times you bend aluminum, the weaker it gets. I think I am better of just leaving it alone. It does annoy me a little every time, though. I'm sure the original poster has the same issue.

woolznaz wrote:

hyper wrote:

woolznaz wrote:One of my toons has the same bend in it. It had it when I got it and it always bugs me, but I just leave it alone. I am pretty sure if I tried to bend it it would crack. Hey, it adds character! My boat was a 3-year old repo, though, so it had a few nicks and bruises like that when I bought it. I've added a nick or two since, and the nice thing is that it just doesn't ruin may day since the boat was not perfect anyway.

Dude, you have a friggin "south bay" pontoon boat...It is not a regular Pontoon boat!!! It is a south bay...fix it!! I would love to have your boat...you just dont understand what you have!!

Thanks....... I think. Yes, we LOVE the South Bay. I get your point, but it was 3 years old when we bought it and it had a few scrapes, including that one. It was a decent buy, so we bought it and love it, but I am just not sure the bent eye hook should be messed with. The more times you bend aluminum, the weaker it gets. I think I am better of just leaving it alone. It does annoy me a little every time, though. I'm sure the original poster has the same issue.

Really though, my dream boat is a South Bay. You have a very nice boat. If I had it I would take it to a shop and have that fixed. Most people dont get to own a South Bay in their life time. Enjoy your boat!!

my vote is to leave it alone. use the money you saved to buy beer. then drink the beer and the damage won't look so bad. problem fixed.