Pour in Foam Drainage

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
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Before I gave up on my LoneStar tinney, I considered installing some drainage panels like the link below inside the hull prior to foaming on the assumption that I would not be able to prevent some water from getting below the deck.

http://www.wrmeadows.com/mel-drain-rolled-matrix-drainage-system/

Willyclay, the only thing to remember is, for every method you can think of or dream up to allow water to drain out of any hull location, means there is a way for water to go into such a place as well... It is never a one way drainage setup...ever! And that IS what shoots my ideas down every time I think I have something that would work magically!
 

gm280

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Nitrogen? Hey gm280, instead of nitrogen why not use helium? The boat definitely wouldn't sink. :eek: :facepalm:

Oh yea! And then you can look for possible leaks with a match too... :boom: :pound:
 

GA_Boater

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Oh yea! And then you can look for possible leaks with a match too... :boom: :pound:

No, No - GM - that's hydrogen and the boat must be named Hindenburg II.. With helium, a leak in the cabin area would make you talk funny. :lol:

But with any type of leaking gas in quantity that could compromise an enclosed area, wouldn't lack of oxygen be a concern? :noidea:
 
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gm280

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No, No - GM - that's hydrogen and the boat must be named Hindenburg II.. With helium, a leak in the cabin area would make you talk funny. :lol:

But with any type of leaking gas in quantity that could compromise an enclosed area, wouldn't lack of oxygen be a concern? :noidea:

Oh yea you are correct, and thanks for correcting me as well. That was hydrogen wasn't it. Helium would not explode... Dang, that messes up my little funny then... :facepalm:
 

zool

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Ill still just take my redundant pumps, and limber holed, air dried bilges....that and good seamanship kept me afloat for 25 yrs....
 

Watermann

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Glad it went well with the ole Okie getting his limber holes all cleaned out.

My plan would be to get all the foam in there you can and then buy a cover for the boat or put it inside 99% of the water that gets in a boat comes from the sky not the lake.

Marine environment this and that blah blah, if I were to be out boating 30 days a year that would mean the boats in my driveway 11 months out of the year. Most boats are lawn ornaments for the majority of their life and are rarely subjected to this horrid marine environment everyone fears will ruin their boats.
 

jigngrub

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My plan would be to get all the foam in there you can and then buy a cover for the boat or put it inside 99% of the water that gets in a boat comes from the sky not the lake.
.

What a simple and novel idea! Take care of your boat and it will last and stay looking nicer longer. Covering a boat to protect it from the elements is something everyone should do.

As far as drainage under the foam, it's a waste of time and money. Once the water has seeped down from the top of the foam down to the hull, the foam is ruined, saturated, and worthless.

As for the installation of expanding foam, installing foam after the decking as already been permanently installed is a bad build. This method will leave voids and craters that will hold water. Pouring the foam before the decking is installed will be your best build, this way you can get a complete pour without voids and craters to hold water and you know exactly what you have. Another bad thing about pouring the foam after the deck has been installed is that the foam will stick to the bottom of the decking, and if the bottom of the decking isn't sealed this will telegraph any moisture from the decking into the foam and vice versa.

Providing drainage below deck is important, it should be a drainway at the keel running fore to aft about 12" or more in width. These are easy to make, you can either block them out before pouring the foam or cut and remove the foam after it has been installed. A keel drain serves 2 purposes, one is obviously for drainage and the other is for ballast to keep the boat from capsizing should it take on water on the deck. The water on the deck will go into the bilge drainway via an installed deck drain and hold in the drainway to be pumped out with the bilge pump.
 

Bondo

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Ill still just take my redundant pumps, and limber holed, air dried bilges....that and good seamanship kept me afloat for 25 yrs....

Ayuh,.... Ditto,....
 

crovowen

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Jun 1, 2012
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Great discussion guys- and now I am confused- I had planned on putting in my deck, tabbing it in and then drilling the holes and filling with two part foam- would it be better to temporarily put in the deck, pour the foam, remove said temp deck , check for voids, and if acceptable, install the permanant deck? The area to be filled is only 7 " deep at the keel to nothing at the sides, and about 10' long- and I really want to do this correctly- (it won't have drainage and will be sealed compartments-

Crow
 

jigngrub

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Great discussion guys- and now I am confused- I had planned on putting in my deck, tabbing it in and then drilling the holes and filling with two part foam- would it be better to temporarily put in the deck, pour the foam, remove said temp deck , check for voids, and if acceptable, install the permanant deck? The area to be filled is only 7 " deep at the keel to nothing at the sides, and about 10' long- and I really want to do this correctly- (it won't have drainage and will be sealed compartments-

Crow

You can do it either way, but the best build will be a temporary deck and check and fix any voids after the pour.

Be sure to cover your temp decking with plastic sheeting (or garbage bags) before pouring foam against it, foam sticks to bare wood really well.
 
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gm280

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I'll be doing the same thing shortly with my boat project and I think I will mark and drill all the holes beforehand and save the plugs to reinstall after the mix and pour foam. I can easily drill all the holes in the floor plywood out of the boat and then I won't have to mess with the sawdust from drilling in the boat... Just an idea... :thumb:
 

Woodonglass

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Here's how one member did it 3 years ago. Looks like it turned out pretty nice using the plastic sheet and "Stomp" method. I guess there's more than one way to skin a Cat!!! http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...e2#post5812566 If you do your cubic ft calculations good enuf and the temps and humidity don't make the foam expand more or less than expected I guess it should fill the void to the appropriate depths and make it all work out fine. It appears to have done so for this member.:noidea:
 
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