Boat Foam

[Chemdawg]

Hello everyone. I have a 17.5' Arrow Glass Carisma. When I bought the foam, the owner said that the boat had a leak. That has been fixed, but he said it was leaning off to one side. So he pulled up the floor, and the foam on one side was sopping wet. So he pulled it all out, and used Great Stuff to fill it. That is not right, so I plan on pulling the floor up again, and refilling it with the 2 part foam. However, I'm not really sure how much of the boat actually has foam in it? Anyone have an idea?

Thanks. Pat

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boat Foam

Don't buy the foam until you remove the foam. You need to know what horrors might lie beneath ........ then when you are ready to re-install the flotation foam.....all that is needed is 2 part 2 lb density. The heavier foams are for structural use such as in a boston whaler. People usually fill all the voids possible below the deck with passages to allow ater to drain into the bilge

 

[Chemdawg]

Re: Boat Foam

Makes sense. I know the boat no longer leans to one side, and I know there are no leaks anymore. However, when he told me he used great stuff, I decided to pull up the floor again and fix that. Thanks for the info.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Boat Foam

Curious why there is the need to replace the Great Stuff foam? What makes it bad? Genuinely curious because I don't know.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Foam

Curious why there is the need to replace the Great Stuff foam? What makes it bad? Genuinely curious because I don't know.

The regular Great Stuff foam is less than a 2 lb. density and will absorb water easily, even the directions on the can state that it needs to be painted over to be weather and waterproofed.

There is a Pond and Stone Great Stuff that is much more water resistant that is ok for making small foam repairs and bonding styrene sheet foam blocks to the hull to prevent movement, but it's about 10 times the cost of the expanding urethane pour in foam if you figure it by the cubic foot.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Boat Foam

I was going to mention Great Stuff make multiple foams (water resistant/fire/etc) and you get faced with a dilemma....... what did the previous owner use??? Chances are he/she used the stuff on sale which was and is the cheapest.

Wow...... my wallet hurts just from the thought of trying to use great stuff to fill a space below deck.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Foam

The Pond and Stone stuff is easy to tell apart from the others because it is black in color.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Boat Foam

Ah, got it, thanks!

 

[3rdtimesthecharm]

Re: Boat Foam

I heard those swim noodles will work. Won`t waterlog and are cheap. Shove them in where ever you can.

 

[Stampede]

Re: Boat Foam

Is that right,the swim noodles work,mostly on a small boat?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Foam

If you do the math, you'll find that swim noodles are actually the most expensive way to foam a boat. It takes more swim noodles to float a pound of weight than any other foam.

The extruded polystyrene rigid sheet foam is the cheapest way to foam a boat... but not the best way.

The best is the 2 part expanding urethane foam that is OEM on every boat I know of made today that requires floatation foam.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat Foam

I heard those swim noodles will work. Won`t waterlog and are cheap. Shove them in where ever you can.

or boogie boards. especially the free ones in the trash or $2 ones at yard sales/thrift stores (in my part of the country).

If you pour/spray it in, though, put your hoses and wires in chases first, and consider if you are sealing in your gas tank forever.

Build in drains. since all boats get some water in the bilge, at the bottom, tink about leaving a void at the hull rather than filling it solid.

 

[Chemdawg]

Re: Boat Foam

This is too funny!!! I'm almost positive that the guy that did it did it the CRAP way. He used the normal great stuff that you would use for an outdoor switch insulator or something. I'm going to pull it out and use the 2 part foam. I just didn't know how much could be in this boat.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Foam

If you need a quantity figured post the measurements of each section you need to fill. Length, width and depth and I'll figure up how many cubic feet you need to buy.

Take a core sample out of the foam on the other side to make sure it isn't wet too. Push a PVC pipe through the foam in the thickest part of the foam and then look at the plug of foam that comes out inside of the pipe to make sure it isn't wet on the bottom.

 

[Stampede]

Re: Boat Foam

Where do you find the expanding urethane foam.