water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

[deerhuntre]

My project is a 1986 Sea Nymph SS-195 dual console. I'm going to remove the deck, remove all the foam, gluvit the hull and install new pour-foam and new decking.

Above deck questions:
I'm wondering what I should include in my design to deal with water that comes into the boat. I'm thinking of sealing the deck to the hull and the only open currently is in the stern that leads to the bilge where my two bilge pumps reside.

So, I'm thinking of leaving this design so any water that comes into the boat will run to the stern and drain to the bilge and be pumped out.

Below deck questions:
What should I do under the deck to manage any water that may come in to the bilge? The fuel tank is in the center of the hull, a 24 gallon tank that is about 7" deep. I was planning to fill every location with pour foam, but now am wondering what would happen if water does end up down there and how would it find its way to the bilge in the stern?

Thanks everyone for any design and input ideas you may share!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

There's only one thing to include in your design. A great big note that say's "NO POUR IN FOAM".. You don't need it. It's been well proven that the further up the hull that you can place your floatation the more likely you are to achieve level float. Boats with floatation in the bilge have a tendancy to roll over and that is no longer considered desirable.

The Coast Guard only requires that manufacturers install floatation you could actually leave it all out, but I wouldn't go that far. You can use foam planking, foam blocks or my all time favorite, the pool noodle.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

If you are doing a rebuild/restore..... use flotation. If anything should happen you can be held liable for disregarding the USCG rules.

I hate 2 part and I would go with extruded pink or blue board ..... pool noodles too

 

[Paul Bell]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Lots of good opinions here.
Bottom line, everything needs to drain to the bilge.
These things were built to hold any water that gets below.
I was shocked to see below deck the damage water and foam without drainage woud do.
Here is what I did.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#

 

[deerhuntre]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Wow! I would never have thought of that, but having the foam in the hull and rolling makes sense. The boat currently has a bunch of foam in both sides of the stern and its above deck level.

However, there really aren't many other places to place the foam in my hull aside from under the deck. I suppose I can fill the void under the top of the gunwales, but that seems not so practical.

The pink or blue board, is that the stuff from a Home Depot or Lowes? Any certain type to use?

Thanks! That would be WAY easier than the pour stuff, anyhow.

 

[Paul Bell]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

I used the pink board from Home Depot. They had 2 inch on sale and I did the whole boat (23ft) with 3 or 4 sheets. Easy to cut to shape. In my pics you cant see but it is up to 4 layers thick.
That stuff is completely waterproof can also allow water to move out of an area it comes into as opposed to the 2 part foam.
After all the digging of that nasty stuff I could not see puting more in.
I just updated a few more photos if interested.

http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#

 

[ezmobee]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Paul, as far as I'm concerned, this picture http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#5305852018165355202 from your project makes you the poster boy for this method of adding floatation. Looks fantastic, solid, and WAY less of a pain than dealing with the pourable stuff.

 

[Davinciman]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Paul, how did you cut the foam to meet the v bottom, if I may ask?
And which adhesive?
I was thinking of laying them in vertically with an angle cut to match bottom.
Might promote better drainage
Your job looks brilliant BTW!

Cheers

 

[ezmobee]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

I was thinking of laying them in vertically with an angle cut to match bottom.

I have seen this done also. Seems like it would work great.

 

[deerhuntre]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Thank you, Paul, and everyone! I've modified my project plan and will be implementing this method instead.

--Bill

 

[Paul Bell]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Hey guys thanks for the kind words. The easiest and cleanest way I found to cut was to use a jig saw. Keeps the pink from shredding and is like a hot knife through butter. I was going to use pink board adhesive but once into it i figured there really is no need to even glue things since top piece holds next piece. No need to even cut to exact size just cut slightly smaller size than rough dimension. I fit as much as I possibly could down there and did the entire boat in a few hours. Water will also move around if it ever gets in to the drains leading to the bilge. Hold a piece under water to see how bouyant that stuff is and it deos NOT soak up water. Also its very light.I read a post of someone who dug up a piece in his yard from construction many years before and it still looked the same.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#
Almost ready to move to the completed restoration page!!

 

[Davinciman]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Paul, You are so helping a lot of people out!
Kudos to the OP as well.

"i figured there really is no need to even glue things"

There is so little structure in my boat, without the pour in foam..ie no bulkheads along stringer length. The foam providing a lot of hull rigidity.

I thought a light bead of adhesive on the base with each piece of foam laid in "soldier course" (vertically), would make for a much more solid mass.

I have recently discovered Gorilla Glue which looks promising.
A bead of glue... spritz of water ...join/clamp....waterproof iron

Any PL type adhesive would prevent any hard edges, while leaving a little gap for any moisture to run along the foam board to the bilge.
I just like the foaming action of Gorilla Glue


Do you think this method would let any water(probably miniscule) migrate down between the vertical pieces of foam to be picked up by the bilge.

Glassed in stringers and sole over foam like that should make for a pretty solid hull.....I Hope!

Cheers and safe boating

 

[Paul Bell]

Re: water drainage strategy for deck and foam replacement

Couple things to consider: There are caulk tubes of foam board adhesive very cheap at home depot. A contractor told me that PL will eat through the boards and to only use foam board adhesive. I don think you would necessarily want to rely on foam of any type for structural strength. You could easily add some lateral type stringers for a solid foundation. I added a few more on mine. f you look again at the pics I posted you can see I added a good amount of wood below. Hope that helps!