Saturated Foam???

[Jack Daniels]

Whats the easiest way to tell if my foam is saturated? I have an 83 Bayliner and people have told me to check if the foam is saturated. From what i understand its never been uncovered when outside and its been shrink wrapped every winter. The rear deck has been replaced professionally due to a soft spot from water driping from the swimers. The deck guy said that the stringers were in good shape so he doubted that there was any additional rot and it was localized to the deck. The deck is solid throughout the entire boat with no soft spots.

If the foam is saturated what issues will arrise and or should i even mess with fixing it. THe floor is solid, the seats are in great shape, and it runs at a decent MPH. So im not sure if its even worht messing with, is safety a concern? any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saturated Foam???

i think before i go drilling holes for testing, i would have the rig weighed at a public scale, landfill, moving companies, trucking companies.

the 1600 weighs 1090 and that shows the motor with it, although the motor weighs 262. the trailer 250-300. 1090 +300 1400 dry, with out gear, fuel. it is unclear if the 1090 includes the motor. foam has been known to hold upwards of 500 lbs of water,

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Saturated Foam???

hey thats a good idea, so what are the odds of a boat this age having saturated foam. I know it hasnt been out in the weather at all uncovered. As I know the pervious owners really well. I store it inside at all times, should i be nervous about it?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saturated Foam???

what problems are you having? making you consider saturated foam?

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Saturated Foam???

Well basically its running about 35 mph when others with the same set up say they can get upwards to 40 mph and the last time i was out the wake tossed me around a little bit. I did some research and what i found is that saturated foam can cause for more of a turbulant ride and loss in MPH. I think I am just trying to find somethign wrong with it and am being overly sensitive to everything. I probably am fine i just need to relax. Its my first boat and I love this forum but at times its information overload, lol. I think ill weigh it in the spring and go from there. But I honestly think that its probably not saturated enough to cause me troubles, it was stored correctly for its entire life and the rear deck was removed and there was no foam or stringer problem. I would assume that i am good to go, maybe im just looking for anther project or some reasurances.

 

[maxum247]

Re: Saturated Foam???

Sounds like the only chance for water intrusion would have been from the swimmers, deck wash down, or rain while out in the boat. I would look under the boat for any small gouge that may penatrate the hull. Does the boat sit unusally low in the stern for the style boat that you have? How does the boat get up on plane? Asumming your engine runs strong, and has decent hp, is your boat slow to plane or does it jump right out? And lastly how is your extra weight distributed in the boat? From what you describe, doesn,t sound like its water logged, but it can be hard to tell. From what the deck guy said it doesn,t sound like the water got that far. Take the trailer and get it weighed seperately. Weight your boat as it would have been purchased from the dealer, subtract the tailer and motor weight and compare to the figures TD gave you, or the figures that you may have in the paperwork that came with the boat. This should answer your question.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saturated Foam???

also you have a Force, which is a little overrated on the hp side. probably more like a 70-75 in other motors. engine height, correct prop for max rpms, or a worn prop could slow it down. now you really have something to ponder, on a cold night.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Saturated Foam???

The boat is very quick to plane and it rides on plane real well. I am thinking I am ok also but ill definately have it weighed. I have the weight of the trailer in the paper work. So i can take that into account. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Saturated Foam???

A '83 Capri 1600 did not have much if any floam in the the floor. Look in the ski locker/bilge and you will see that the stringers are only about 3" high resting on a "ledge" of the stepped V hull. I have a '85 1600 Capri Cuddy and I wonder if there is any foam in the floor at all (based on the sound of banging on the floor). If your 83 is anything like my 85, the ski locker/bilge takes up a full 17" or so right down the center of the boat. The short stringer height does not leave much area for under floor for foam. So even if it did soak up some water, it should not be too bad.

Anyway, an easy way to tell is to drill a small hole - maybe 1/2" in the floor as far rear as possable and close to the stringers (drill one hole on the port and another on the starboard side). Then insert a 1/4 or 3/8" wood dowel as far as it will go, hopefully all the way throught the foam until it hits the hull. Then after a day, pull it out. If its wet, so is the foam. The wood will "wick" some water out of the foam even if it's slightly damp. So you will get a better idea of what's going on than just a quick poke with a wire hanger or the like.

If all is well, fill the hole with some epoxy mixed with thickener (wood flour or even cooking flour) to make a putty like paste that will plug the hole and seal well.

BTW, the 85 hp Force is not high technology, but it does run nice even if its not very economical to operate, and parts are still available and not very expensive.

 

[brownies]

Re: Saturated Foam???

If it's a boat, has foam in it, and has ever had any screws put in the floor anywhere...the foam under it is wet.


Don't rip up good floor looking for wet foam.
Wait until you need to replace the floor and then deal with the saturated foam while you are "there".

 

[oops!]

Re: Saturated Foam???

tash also has a neat trick for taking foam "core" samples, if you can make a small access spot in an inconspicus area.
if your really worried about it. after you weigh the boat. and foam is still suspect. ask tash what to do. its easy cheap and fast.

cheers
oops

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Saturated Foam???

use a 2 inch hole saw in a drill, cut hole in deck, then take a piece of PVC, notch teeth in one end. twist into foam, push out the core. you will know immediately if it is wet. if dry, use some 3m 5200 and replace plug sealing the patch.

 

[sbklf]

Re: Saturated Foam???

The boat is very quick to plane and it rides on plane real well. I am thinking I am ok also but ill definately have it weighed. I have the weight of the trailer in the paper work. So i can take that into account. Thanks for the help guys.

Quick to plane, I think you need to expierment with the prop. I talked with Greer about foam failure and he said that tests show foam can fail when completely submerged for a long period of time (years, many years). Dont think this is the case here. Is there a drain for the foamed area in your boat? There might be water there but probably not enough to matter.

 

[salty87]

Re: Saturated Foam???

if the foam is saturated the deck will rot eventually, how long depends on how well or if the wood was sealed
+
you can't get the foam out without tearing up the seemingly good deck
=
i'd say you should get as much out of your deck as you can before messing with it...and i do mean a mess

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Saturated Foam???

Thanks for the help guys this is a very informative thread. I think ill weigh it next spring and see what happens. I looked around the ski locker and other open areas in the boat and i would bet that there is very little foam to begin with. I think ill just ride it out and enjoy it while i can. It she starts to rot then its time for a new boat. Thanks alot again