Water and foam... need opinions

[erikgreen]

Hi again everyone..
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I've got the fuel tank out of my boat, and I've spent a few days cleaning out rotten wood and foam. See a pic here:

<A HREF="http://www.greendragon.org/boat2/P3201546.JPG">Tank out</A>
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I decided after having to pull the deck over the tank, forward of the tank to the bow, and the two small bulkheads fore and aft of the tank, that I had best investigate the holes the PO left in the deck. For some reason (foam injection?) they cut a series of 1 inch holes in the deck, about 8 on each side. I used my new electric chainsaw to cut a 4x4 hole near four of the holes to check for water. <P>
I found that three of the holes have some dampness near the bottom. That sucks, obviously. It's not a ton of water, but it's some. I could grab a piece of foam from the bottom of the hole and squeeze out a few drops of water. Pic of the wettest hole:
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<A HREF="http://www.greendragon.org/boat2/P3201550.JPG">Wet foam</A>
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So, now my problem is, do I go all the way and put in a complete new deck? Or can I cut some drain holes, encapsulate them, and let the foam dry over time?
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I'd say currently the stringers are in nice shape (they were encapsulated with resin) and most of the deck is very solid (tested with a crowbar) although slightly warped in places near those little holes.
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I'm leaning toward needing to rip it all out and start clean (and get all that damn wet foam out) but I'd like to hear what you all think too.
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Here's some more pics of the inside of my boat currently:
<A HREF="http://www.greendragon.org/boat2">Boat interior</A>
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Erik
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PS: You know, looking at my pics here I'm even more convinced I should pull the whole deck. It's not supposed to be shades of black like that, right?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Water and foam... need opinions

i don't know what boat you have, but if it were mine and i was going to keep it , i say go for it. do it right.

 

[klos]

Re: Water and foam... need opinions

I would definitly pull out the old foam and replace. Its like putting a wet sponge in a ziplock bag. If air can't get to it, it won't dry, and there is not way to get air to all the foam.
Check the stringers in several spots, I would be supprised if there is no rot.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Water and foam... need opinions

Erik, ditto with both the above posts. Foam will NOT dry! Your are going to have to do some poly/glass work to replace the floor. Since you have easy access now, drill a few horizontal holes into your stringers and you'll see how wet or dry the shavings are. If they are OK, just seal the drilled holes.
I looked at your pics, not pretty! Do some searches here for wet foam, floor and transom rebuilds.
Eric

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Water and foam... need opinions

Wet foam will stay wet foam. I had one of my boats stored in a heated shop for a whole winter, a mere 6-feet away from a potbelly stove and the foam that was in it was as wet that spring when I dug it all out as it was the previous fall, save for the top 1/4-inch which had dried to the touch. Press it with your finger and the water pooled out again...
- Scott