to foam or not to foam

Well...what it's really all about is...grown men are compelled to stuff tubular objects into cavities!

John...did you see that CC skier on ebay...in orlando...it's a project but dirt cheep. The guy's reserve was not reached...I emailed him...the reserve was $400.00. If you have interest...check out the completed items, Engine needs rebuld, but I have a 302 sitting in the garage...want to partner up on it? Give me an excuse to drive to Orlando

Do check it out...if it has potential email me and let me know.

lisaandgary@insightbb.com

I just need an excuse to let the wife know I'm on a mission...she loves to travel anyway!

Here you go guys: '71 Skier

I also emailed the guy inquiring about the reserve. If the hull is solid, I dont see how you can go wrong for $400.

stang,
And they talk about me having too many projects! I was watching it also.
The first thing I thought of was a trip to see jbear also!

You know youd need another driver to get it to GL tho! Go for it!!! and keep us posted!!

stang,
Can you say "white knuckle" flight? Id love to go, but dont know how Id fit it in right now?! ........hmmmm, maybe jbear could bring it with him when he comes to Green lake!!!

Ive got a Mustang hull I can "just have" in Ohio ,but cant even get there! ...someday..-

I worked in a boat yard for 6 years and in that time I never saw any foam that didn't get wet, closed cell included. I don't think it adds anything structural to the boat, but can see that it will have a sound damping effect and, a$$uming it isn't pi** wet through, some bouyancy in the even of a hole.

I did the floor in my wildcat, finished last night, and didn't replace the foam. When I removed it it was very wet in the centre and between the port stringers soaked in petrol from an earlier fuel leak. It wasn't that bad a job to do, I got it all out in a morning using an adze and various garden tools!

I am sceptical about covering a plywood floor in gla$$ as well. Every floor I have replaced has always delaminated and got wet between the wood and the gla$$. A ply floor will always rot eventually - it's wood, it's wet and it's not teak, but I think sealing it up so it can't breath speeds that process.

Just my views, we'll see if the floor falls out of my boat next summer!

Well, my buddy has 17 years in, and he approved of it.

Only reservation I could think of is whether you actually affix them to the boat or just let them run free.

TRBenj, I guess mine was very old.

I just think it traps moisture and speeds rot, at least the Winner has fibregla$$ stringers so they can't rot, that made changing a rotten floor much less of a task. the whole job, including buying the materials, only took just over 2 days and cost less than £100 ($160ish).

Still all good experience for when the Nautique arrives, no fibregla$$ stringers thin there!!

   I know a guy,who knows a guy, who's uncle put 2 liter coke bottles under the floor. He used spray can foam to glue them to the hull and each other. Sounds tempting ???

Have to agree with 79 about the strength thing - would you really want to be on a boat that relied on foam poured in as an after thought for its structural integrity? Although I'm sure it will stiffen the floor between stringers and supports it when it has rotted so you don't have to replace it quite as quickly.

I suspect that the actual reason for foam probably has more to do with regulatory requirements for inherant bouyancy and its relative cost when compared to creating watertight compartments - or maybe I'm just cynical!

I concur, I've seen a nautique destroy another boat in a glancing collision and net just a scratch in the jel.
They are overbuilt as is, without foam.

boy for a minute dave I thought you where heading in a different direction. I'll buy the floor support line.

I once removed all of the foam from my boat. I blocked the four corners of the boat first. At one point I accidently knocked one of the braces out and did not realize it at first. When I crawled inside the boat the entire boat flexed up and down several inches. Also, the floor was very vulnerable to damage. Once I replaced the foam (using 4lb) the floor and hull stiffened substantially. When I gla$$ed the floor onto the hull over the floor I essentially finished wrapping the foam in fibergla$$ from the bottom of the boat, hull, and stringers wrapped in gla$$. I am certainly in favor of using foam.

Green Pea-

I say refoam but with a slight twist. I just did mine and came up with a way to let the water drain back to the bilge. That's if ever gets in...

1st off I added a couple more drain holes in the secondary stringers. One triangle in the rear like the main stringer and two round ones up front across from the center hull drain.

2ndly I took pool noodles.... Yep closed cel polyethelene pool noodles and cut them so they fit across the hull perpendicular to the secondary stringers. I sliced the bottom end corners off the noodles just below their diameter and squeezed them into place.

Working from the stern foward I lifted them just off the hull a bit so water can pa$$ under them. The water then heads along the sencondary to the drain holes which lead to the main bilge.

If you make a tight fit on the ends and side to side it allows you to pour the 2lb foam right over them without it leaking into your waterway below.

It also helps your foam go farther because of it's insulating qualities for the exothermic reaction needed to expand.

These pool noodles were a great fit. They are extremly chemical and water resistant, light weight, sound/vibration dampeners, and easy to work with. The price isn't bad either.

This method worked very well for me. Then I re-installed the original fibergla$$ floor and it's stiff and quiet as can be. Dry too.

Give it some thought...
NM