Re-assembly
This entry was posted on 5/17/2007 10:46 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Here you can see the pontoons safe and sound on high ground ready to receive their soda pop bottles. Small holes were cut along the tops, in order to get them in. The source of so many bottles was the local Westonka Recreational Park. The idea to do this, was arrived at with the help of a relative who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent. My calculation is that the 60% of the water is displaced by bottles, but I figured that using the back of a cocktail napkin.
Expand the picture and then notice what I call the tabs on top of the pontoons that the cross beams attach to. Some were pretty badly ripped by the wind and waves, and I suppose the ice too. The tabs have not been repaired, but enough remain to do the job. There are 11 cross beams and originally 44 tabs. The beams were attached to the pontoons using of course, carriage bolts that had rusted. Carriage bolts are the devils invention, because you can't put a wrench on them. So out came the mini grinder to burn them off, so that the beams could be re-attached to the tabs that were still good. Looking back, I wish I had paid more attention to leveling the whole thing. The re-assembled frame structure is pretty rigid and not quite true, but perhaps over time it will find its balance, as wave action works on the connections. Some had to be re-tightened this year. Even though all beam to pontoon connections have lock washers, there is some shifting and movement, and that seems logical.
