soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

[mellowyellow]

and boy is she heavy! have read some threads<br />here and was hoping someone had some knowledge<br />of how these boats were built. are the stringers<br />sealed good at the factory? is there any hope of<br />drying her out without tearing the entire boat<br />apart?<br />here's what I've done so far: put a small hole<br />in the front of bilge area, tipped her bow up<br />and let her pee until done. try to keep it as high<br />as possible when sitting. trailered it 4hrs each<br />way on a recent trip and thought the force may<br />have helped push water to stern. floor seams to <br />be sealed with epoxy very well and has no soft<br />spots anywhere.<br />is there any hope for her or do I have to perform<br />major surgery?<br />If I'm pulling a ton of extra weight around,<br />will it hurt the motor (merc 1150 o/b)<br />boats are cheap, good motors ain't...<br />guess I'm hoping to hear that everything inside<br />was sealed really well at the factory and the<br />foam will eventually dry over the summer.<br />it's been 90 or higher for a while which I think<br />helps.<br />thanks in advance for all of your help and happy<br />4th of July to all

 

[crab bait]

Re: soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

well, if you 'dry' it out good an use it somemore,, it'll just get wet all over again.. i doubt if your boat has any epoxy at all.. most production boats don't..<br /><br />it's polester resin.. which doesn't do squwat to protect against rot..<br />as far as , ' are the stringers sealed' ? if they are .. they're sealed with polyester resin ,, which doesn't do DIDDLY squwat for rot.. <br />sorry for you tho.. i'm not known for my sugar-coat..

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

thanks C.B., no sugar necc. will start looking<br />around for a boat that needs a good motor then.<br />I don't know if it's worth all the work/agravation<br />to repair her. will run her for the time being I guess.<br />will the extra load fry my motor though?<br />regards,<br />M.Y.

 

[oldboat1]

Re: soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

There are some temporary fixes that can extend use of the boat. Consider opening up the floor in one or two spots, installing open areas right down to the hull (say a rectangular opening along the keel up in the bow and back in the stern). Cut out the floatation. You can go so far as to install a bilge pump or pumps, or just use the openings to pump out or bail out the water and help air dry the area under the floor. Chances are this will also help dry out the flooring, which is also soaking up water. You cover the openings with the floor cutouts. I usually epoxy and screw pieces of plywood in the corners to give the cover a base to rest on.<br /><br />Based on my experience, I wouldn't advise you to be very optimistic about keeping water out -- expect it to keep seeping down under the floor. It's possible you have a hull leak somewhere, of course, but more likely surface water coming in from the top.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

If you have surface water that is causing your foam core to become saturated then trying to get it dried out is possible. If it is a puncture to your hull then drying it out is useless until the hull is repaired. Of course if you don't cover the boat, drying it out will also be useless. I had a similar problem with my foam core being full of water. I used a hole saw the same size as my shop wet/dry vac hose. Drilled holes through the deck above the soaked areas and into the core about an inch or two. Then I put the hose of the vac in and let her run for several hours, then moved it to another hole and did the same until I had emptied the shop vac several times. I takes awhile but it worked for me. Good Luck

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: soaked foam in the hull '72 sea sprite

thanks to all who have replied. bought this boat<br />from orig. owner who was 80 yrs. old, and although<br />he kept it in great shape and always garaged, it<br />has evidence of being flooded about 6" deep.<br />Think his garage roof had a bad leak and he had<br />left the plug in during the winter and she filled<br />up. it's not really an ongoing problem, but a<br />1 time problem. I will certainly try to keep as<br />much water out of her as possible in the future.<br />some really good ideas guys, will start with the<br />vacuum idea.<br />little by little she's drying out, so cross your<br />fingers for me