AB Lammina AL 11.6' water inside pontoons!?

[DougSabbag]

I bought this nice AB aluminum hull, model: Lammina AL, inflatable, in July of 2020, bran new. I suspend it from an aft arch of our sailboat.
Well, this boat has a floor, above the hull, with an open gap between the floor and the hull, at the aft end. So, any water that gets between the hull and the floor, will flow out of that gap when I raise the bow higher than the stern. Then I remove the plug in the transom and that water flows out of the boat.
The problem is that, after aggressively removing all the water that comes out, as described, I still hear water sloshing around inside, it sounds like, in the pontoons!
This is particularly a problem, because there is enough water in there, to make it much harder to get the boat to plane, using the 9.9 hp Tohatsu outboard motor.
When this boat was new, it planed very quickly / easily.
So.... has anyone ever heard or experienced water somehow getting inside the pontoons, or is there another compartment under the pontoons of the hull that water can get into?
And how do I remove this water?!
I'll greatly appreciate any advice on WTH is going on with this problem!
Thank you
Doug

[CaptainMarkS]

Hi Doug, I'm wondering, did you ever sort out the issue? I'm thinking of getting the Lammina 11AL and would like to be aware of quality issues. Thanks!

[DougSabbag]

Hello Captain Mark,

Not resolved.

The AB company only responded with links to typical support q/a pages, none of which mentioned this issue.

I can definitely hear the water sloshing around inside the pontoons while we're cruising in the sailboat and the dinghy is hanging from the aft arch, behind the helm.
How did it get in?
How do I get it out?

I can only imagine I have to remove the air filling ports using a heat gun(?), of each of the 3 bladders, until I find the one with the water.
Then reinstall the air filling port(s).

This sucks.

But, other than that, it's a great dinghy!
Cuts through the waves better than any previous dinghies I've had.

Do you have any ideas how water could get into these pontoons and how to get it out?

Thanks,
Doug

[CaptainMarkS]

Hi Doug,

If it were me, instead of poking around with a heat gun, I’d put the dinghy on a dock / land and position it so that the water pools near one of the three nozzles to inflate the dinghy. I’d then depress the nozzle (lock in open position) and allow the positive pressure to eject the water from the inside. Re-inflate and repeat process until you’re sure it’s all out. If it doesn’t pool with the smooth surface of an inflated pontoon, then deflate and pull on the nozzle (still locked open) to create a low point to allow the water to drain from there.

I have no way of explaining how water collected inside the pontoon while still maintaining pressure if inflated (i.e. there’s no leak). My only guesses would be: 1) the pontoon was inflated multiple times in very humid conditions; 2) the pump used to inflate the pontoon somehow managed to inject water in the process; 3) a mischievous child decided to see how fun it would be to inject water into the nozzle.

Good luck!!!

[CaptainMarkS]

PS - I’d also taste the ejected water to see if it’s fresh (i.e. condensation a likely source) or salty (miraculously, a sea water source).