Evidence of waterlogging foamn

[Walleyehunter4]

Greetings,

Purpose of my post is twofold. First, I recall seeing a few message recently whereby people were asking if their boat?s foam might be waterlogged, and thus adding major weight to their boat. Well, mine certainly was (see photo), so thought I?d pass along a data point.

Second, as of now, I?m tearing out all of the foam in the boat, and wonder what to do thereafter. Is there any foam on the market that people are certain won?t end up in a similar sponge state in a few years? If so, I?ll replace it accordingly, and under the floor. If not, I?m done sticking things that get waterlogged down there, and will give up some above the waterline storage space to add floatation foam.

Any other ideas?

Thanks ahead of time for any thoughts or suggestions!

Best,
Brian

 

[GA_Boater]

What kind of boat are you working on? Keep in mind the foam didn't become saturated overnight, it takes a while. Find out how the water got into the foam, that's step two after removing all the foam.

 

[jbcurt00]

What kind of boat are you working on? Keep in mind the foam didn't become saturated overnight, it takes a while. Find out how the water got into the foam, that's step two after removing all the foam.

YEP ^^^ followed by more then nada to keep the boat well maintained plus bow high, covered w/ drain plug out when not in use, once you put it back together.

IMHO: The foam isn't the problem.... Just like salt and winter aren't the sole cause of rusted fender wells.

 

[Scott Danforth]

foam doesnt suck up water like a sponge when it comes in contact. it has to sit, submerged in water, go thru a bunch of freeze and thaw cycles that break down the cell walls. As GA Boater pointed out, it doesnt happen over night. if the boat would have been kept covered when not in use, bow up, with the drain plug out for its entire life, the foam would never have degraded and become saturated.

 

[Walleyehunter4]

It's a 1985 Lund Pro Angler. Recently purchased it to refurbish, as I appreciate these older boats for their light weight. I wasn't the user of it when it found itself getting waterlogged, but I do a lot of back-trolling, and will have some water in the boat from time to time.

Was just doing some poking around and came across this stuff: ​http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/specialty/billets.htm. Looks like it might be robust ("...won't lose their buoyancy, even if punctured. They are unaffected by salt or fresh water, won't waterlog...").

Anyone used it before? Should I believe the words in the marketing materials? I'm optimistic, given it's recommended for use on swimming docks.

Thanks!

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Pink or blue foam insulation panels from the big box hardware stores work well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

pound for pound the pour in foam is still the cheapest. any closed cell foam will retain its boyancy even when punctured. its the nature of closed cell vs open cell. The issue is the breakdown of the foam (all foam breaks down given the right amount of neglect) the issue comes from neglect, and it sounds like your refurbing to remove neglect. As many have stated on this site, a well cared boat does not have water logged form or rot problems.

 

[rickryder]

I used the blue foam on my rebuild.....found mine for free.....leftover pieces on a job site.... I just stood them on edge next to the stringers and cut and snapped them off . worked out great!