Foam in the hull???

[Gman 82 aquasport]

I have a 82 aquasport 20 ft C/C, while replacing the fuel lines earlier this season, noticed some of the foam between stringers and hull outsides has a little water in it. would this cause the boat to ride a little lower in the water( it wasn't saturated) and would it be benificial to take out the floor and replace it all this off season. Cutting the floor out won't be a problem, I have removed a large section on my last boat to replace the fuel tank and replaced it. Will new foam let boat ride higher in the water than it does now? Thanks

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Foam in the hull???

I have a 82 aquasport 20 ft C/C, while replacing the fuel lines earlier this season, noticed some of the foam between stringers and hull outsides has a little water in it. would this cause the boat to ride a little lower in the water( it wasn't saturated) and would it be benificial to take out the floor and replace it all this off season. Cutting the floor out won't be a problem, I have removed a large section on my last boat to replace the fuel tank and replaced it. Will new foam let boat ride higher in the water than it does now? Thanks

If the foam isn't waterlogged, just leave it... The foam doesn't provide floatation to a boat under normal conditions, technically even non-waterlogged foam causes a boat to ride lower, as foam weighs more than air... The foam is for the non-normal conditions, like sinking! It keeps the boat from going under and gives you something to at least cling to while waiting for rescue.

 

[Gman 82 aquasport]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Thanks, I will just leave it alone unless it gets more water in it.

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: Foam in the hull???

I agree in general with smoke, but I would be routinely checking under the deck for signs of rot in the stringers and transom. Wet foam is a major cause of rot under the deck. Rot starts under the deck and moves upward to the deck. Usually soft spots in the top deck are the end of the road and the damage is done. Be cautious.

 

[Gman 82 aquasport]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Have been looking at 1 soft spot, had one in front of console, cut out 3 foot section of the floor(needed to replace fuel fill hose anyway) stringers were solid as far as I could reach under floor, but some of the foam had some moisture in it , not much but some..That's why I asked the question, if it all has some moisture I was going to remove the entire floor this winter and replace all the foam and take a good look at the stringers at that time and repair as needed, was wondering if new foam(not wet) would affect the floation of the boat in a positive way. Right now scuppers are 3/4 under water sitting still without me standing in rear of the boat. Transom was redone 2 years ago and seams to be solid.

 

[Stachi]

Re: Foam in the hull???

You may be surprised at how much water is trapped at the bottom of the foam....I estimate I pulled 500lbs of SATURATED foam out of the bottom of my hull....I could grab handfulls of it out , squeeze it , and the water would RUN out of each handful......not drip....and it had rotted every piece of plywood it touched....just saying....good luck bro...

 

[oops!]

Re: Foam in the hull???

that is the big problem with foam....it holds water.

ANY MOISTURE and the rot process will start.

i would advise you to pull the foam after the season when the job is small......
if you wait......then you will be looking at a full rebuild.....transom, stringers.

 

[Stachi]

Re: Foam in the hull???

^^^^ + 1

 

[Stachi]

Re: Foam in the hull???

A soft spot on the deck , is an indication that a vertical framing structure , has begun to rot all the way up to the deck, by osmosis......that means it has been wicking water from the bottom of the hull up to the deck...usually caused by water logged foam. The damage is done. Your stringers are even lower , and usually tied into the transom...... hopefully you have a chance of curing the rot before it got that far into your boat. I agree with a deck replacement , and framing check of the boat , if you intend to keep it for a long time.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Moisture/water in your foam will add weight to your boat making it ride lower in the water, removing moist/wet foam and replacing it with dry will reduce the weight thus letting your boat ride higher.

Water seeks its own level and will penetrate your foam and go to the bottom of it, while your foam may seem only moist/damp on the top... it may very well be soaked on the bottom.

Pure water weighs 8.33 lbs. per gallon and can really add up quickly.

It will extend the life of your boat and avoid costly and labor intensive repairs to replace your foam as soon as you can.

 

[wiltop]

Re: Foam in the hull???

It could be worth it, depending on you. I found a section in my boat that had water logged foam (so i thought), I since removed all the foam re-did the floor and made sure that there was no way for the foam to ever be water logged again (unless i drill the floor and don't properly seal it). I re-did the boat to be self bailing. There should be no water below the floor whatsoever on my boat, if there is, I have a big problem (cracked hull).

 

[Gman 82 aquasport]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Decided over the weekend that at end of this boating season, will pop off the motor and console and remove floor and all foam, will check the stingers and repair/replace as needed, will also drill transom and check for moisture in transom, have already done outside of hull (paint)and trailer with all new wiring on both, so I think I will just go ahead and tackle this job too. Wife says I'm to crazy to say when enough is enough, but at this time I have very little money in the boat and I have the time to repair it. So it will be time for the cut-off wheel... Thanks to everyone who posted, it gives me places to look and the things to look for..

 

[rickryder]

Re: Foam in the hull???

When your ready to tackle the job start a thread in the restoration section and we will help you through it

 

[Gman 82 aquasport]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Will do , it will probably be late Oct before I start...

 

[seabob4]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Gman,
Check you PMs...

 

[Gman 82 aquasport]

Re: Foam in the hull???

Thanks seabob4, I will check the Aquasport site and do some research....