Greetings Everyone, I am brand new to this forum but I’ve been around boats and
skiing a long time (this year will mark my 60th year skiing).
I own a 1997 Ski Nautique that had been babied by the
original owner for the first 10 years and has been since then by me. Love is a strong word but I “love” my boat
and actually prefer her over a brand new one because the technology is of a
vintage I can still work on. She is in
excellent condition overall with 750 engine hours and the original interior
still intact and in good shape, except for the carpet which is looking pretty
tired.
I retired from a 40-year engineering career last fall and
have started putting together my list of “keep me busy” tasks. One of the tasks as soon as it warms up just
a bit is to re-carpet the boat.
I have reason to believe I have waterlogged floor floatation,
and especially so on the starboard side. I say that because she seems to be
putting on more and more weight each year (seems to be setting lower in the
water) and lists to starboard at least
3-4 inches when sitting still without driver or passengers and totally unladen.
I have not yet pulled back the carpet
to inspect the condition of the fiberglass floor nor the junction of the floor
with the side of the boat.
I have done a fair bit of browsing and searching this forum and
the Web in general on the topic of removing / replacing the foam under the
floor. I did look at “KRoundy’s 1993
thread” which was helpful but didn’t answer all the questions I have.
I would appreciate any guidance as I begin to tear into this
project. Specifically, once I peel back
carpet, will the location of the stringers (which I understand are fiberglass
in my ’97) be obvious? Based on the
reading I’ve done so far, I believe the “floor” isn’t really decking material
supported by the stringers but instead is a relatively thin fiberglass layer over
the top of the sprayed-in foam which was trimmed level with the stringers in
the factory. Can anyone confirm
this?
Is it practical to remove the original foam by cutting “hand
holes ” about every 2-3 feet along the length of each floatation chamber,
scooping out the old foam then re-pouring with modern closed cell expanding
foam?
Also, I’m trying to figure out how water got into the foam
to begin with. Is it most likely that
the junction between the fiberglass floor and the sidewall is broken in
places?
And perhaps the most fundamental question, “is it practical
to undertake this process without yanking the engine?” I don’t mind undertaking a project, but I may
re-think if this process requires yanking the engine and running gear.
Again, any advice will be greatly appreciated even if it
just of the form “search for this thread” or something to that effect.
100 days till ski season and counting 😉
Doug
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