Hey, I'm new to this forum, have been on Texas Hunting Forum for years though so I'm not a complete rookie....anyways I need to tap into some of y'alls knowledge!

I have a 10.5 ft Basstender that I love. It's a V-hull design with a pontoon style bottom. The problem with this boat is the pontoons seem to be taking on some water. The boat is virtually unsinkable because it's filled with a polyethylene material. There has to be a way to purge the water out of the inside. There is a small hole that was there when I bought the boat. It's just above the metal hook at the bow of the boat under the rubber siding that goes all the way around the boat. Do I need to stand the boat upside down to get the water out? Either way, any kind of experience or advice would be much appreciated especially if you own one of these and have experience with this exact thing. I have no problem being on the water, it's just a small inconvenience because it makes it heavy to load back up. It also doesn't seem to be taking on more water; however I can hear the water sloshing around inside the boat when I load it back on the trailer.

Thanks!
Clint

Years ago i had this problem with a 2 man and had to cut a hole in the toon above the water line, drain and then resealed. Worked pretty well i fished out of the boat for 6 more years.

i said cut a hole what i meant was drill a hole.

Thanks SC! What did you use to seal it with? Will the normal marine sealant adhere to the molded plastic?

I had this problem with a bass buster style 2 man boat. Drilling a hole so the water can drain is the way to go.

Then your going to have to decide if you can can fix any leaks so you can reseal the hole or if you need to keep it open so you can drain any water. On mine I never could fix all the leaks so I left the hole. Only took a minute or two to drain and the boat was light enough to load.

Drill the hole on the top and put a bolt in it to keep rain out. If you get any leaks use jb weld putty, it adheres well to the plastic and it is sandable.

I just used clear silicone with a cap over that way if i needed to drain again i just cut the silicon away, drain and reseal. Any way of the above will work. Good Luck

Had same problem. My solution: drilled small hole at the lowest point with the boat on saw horses; let water drain a day or so; put small sheet metal screw [with small head - "machine" I think] in drilled hole; used silicone sealer [indoor & outdoor] and sealed around the screw - over top and around it. I never had to do it again.

3M 5200 works great on those

install a air inlet like a tire has add air blow water out when u see where leaking fix it ...

You are pretty sharp old man!

I drilled a hole in both my pontoons 1/2 inche I believe and put a drain plug in them and took them out when not in use so they could drain and let all the water drain out of the polyetheline foam

I've been fishing out of these little guys for 30 years. I do exactly the same thing. Got a hole drilled into the top of one of the pontoons. After every heavy rainstorm, it's the same every time. Beach it--dig the dap out of the hole--turn it up on it side (and when there is about 200 lbs. of water in it,that's a tall order for an old man) let it drain dry---lower it back down and put more dap in the hole. Doesn't leak sitting in the water but have to do this after every storm. I have checked the interior of the boat but guess I'm not a very good detective.