Bouyancy foam help.

[2mate]

Hi guys
My 10ft Almarine seafire is very heavey to say the least. So today i drilled out the transom to fit a drain bung and as i did water came out. After further investigating i noticed my whole rear transom area is full of bouyancy foam which has abosored alot of water. I was wondering if i could remove the pop rivets ontop of the boat and take the foam out. Would this affect the boat?
cheers

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

will removing the pop rivets allow you to access all the foam in the boat??? is the boat just a big sandwich???

removing the foam and not replacing it is a big no no. it could kill you some day, if you swamp the boat far from shore...the foam is there to assure that the boat wont sink to the bottom of the ocean and leave you swimming.... even totally swamped the boat should still float at the water level!! thus while you will be soaking wet you wont have to swim!!! you can stay with the boat and wait for help.

another thought is why and how did so much water get in between the layers of your transom???

bob

 

[oops!]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

hi buddy..

wet foam iks a constant problem.
we need pics of the boat to know how to proceed.
it may be as simple as cutting a portion of the deck and replacing the foam

 

[2mate]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

Here are some pics guys. Basicly that fibreglass "a" was riveted over the splashwell and the seal around the base of it is what allowed the water to get it. I am thinking about maybe digging the foam out? I dont really want to replace as all my other speedboats havent had it and there is some in the front anyway.

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[tschmidty]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

Dig it out yes, the water will be at the bottom of the foam. If you don't want to replace it with the right stuff (which can be a little pricey), at least get a closed foam sheet of insulation from Lowe's and either glue it or tack it with some spray foam in a can (which is open cell so you don't want to use it for the majority of the application).

 

[Auxie]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

either glue it or tack it with some spray foam in a can (which is open cell so you don't want to use it for the majority of the application).

I made that mistake once around a waste pipe going to my septic tank. Figured it would solve all the problems of a seeping pipe. It did not. Absorbed more water and increased rot in the surrounding wooden floor boards. I ended up digging out all of the foam and doing a proper job of sealing the waste pipe. I used a spray of antifreeze to stop the rot. It displaces the moisture. I wonder if WD-40 would do the same?

 

[rickryder]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

It displaces the moisture. I wonder if WD-40 would do the same?

Just an FYI the WD stands for water displacement 40 I guess is how many times it took them to make the formula....
Ok done with the thread hijack!

 

[Auxie]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

will removing the pop rivets allow you to access all the foam in the boat??? is the boat just a big sandwich???

removing the foam and not replacing it is a big no no. it could kill you some day, if you swamp the boat far from shore...the foam is there to assure that the boat wont sink to the bottom of the ocean and leave you swimming.... even totally swamped the boat should still float at the water level!! thus while you will be soaking wet you wont have to swim!!! you can stay with the boat and wait for help.

another thought is why and how did so much water get in between the layers of your transom???

bob

I'm sorry, but that's exactly why you wear a life jacket. Always. Especially in a small boat. Without a life jacket, you can die waiting for help.

Back to the question, just how much flotation do you need to support a fiberglass boat with engine?

 

[Fisherball]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

Search this forum. There are many threads on formulas for foam amounts. I'd be worry about any wood around the wet foam being rotted. I'd also want to kick some boat designer's butt for putting a panel like that on the bottom of the splashwell, what an idiot! What did they think would happen?

 

[NYBo]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

Dig it out yes, the water will be at the bottom of the foam. If you don't want to replace it with the right stuff (which can be a little pricey), at least get a closed foam sheet of insulation from Lowe's and either glue it or tack it with some spray foam in a can (which is open cell so you don't want to use it for the majority of the application).

Polyurethane spray foam like "Great Stuff" is closed cell. Latex spray foam is open cell. Check the can before you buy.

 

[Ike-110722]

Re: Bouyancy foam help.

I have spent years studying the problem of why some supposedly closed cel foam absorbs water. Suffice it to say that it only occurs with two part spray or pour foam. It does not happen with factory machine made block foam. On my boat I used the stuff some mentioned above from Lowes, only I got mine at Home Depot. It is two pound density polysytrene foam (styrofoam) used for insulation. It comes in 2 foot by 8 foot, 2 inch thick sheets. You can cut it to size with a razor knife. To prevent damage from things like oil, gasoline, cleaners or other solvents I encased it in fiberglass using epoxy resin. Polyester resins melt styrofoam.

Definitely replace the foam. On a small boat like yours it is designed to not only float when swamped, but to float in an upright level attitude. This provides a safer platform to be rescued from (you are not up to your neck in the water) and is easier to spot than just your head. see http://newboatbuilders.com/pages/flot2.html to find out what level flotation is. If you take it out and your boat swamps it may still float but will probably float bow up with only the bow out of the water.