Pontoon boat repair - is it worth it?

Question
I've been looking at a pontoon type paddle boat on Craig's list for $195. The style of the boat is what I would like to get with my limited funds. The repair needed is that the pontoons (which I guess are okay) have cracks between where they are attached to the deck. If the boat carries enough weight and it sinks to the cracks the pontoons take on water. Is this repairable, how and what kind of cost and expertise would it take? Here is the link that shows the boat and pictures of damage  http://detroit.craigslist.org/boa/1064222795.html

Thanks!  Nancy

Answer
Dear Nancy,

The boat you want appears to need some fiberglass work.  You can purchase a fiberglass kit with both cloth and resin for $20 to $30 for what you will need.  You then sand on both sides of the cracks wet the fiber glass cloth with resin and then apply the patch.  If the patch does not hold well you can get leaks.  The leaks are aggravating but with two hulls it is unlikely that the boat will sink but could become heavy.  This is not a big repair but can look patched if you don't want to do through the work of getting colored jell coat etc. to dress the patch up.

Regards,

Harvey Chichester