First Boat~Wet Foam?

[Fish~n~Chips]

Hello iBoats members,

I'm a new member here, new boat owner too. I have a question for all you experienced folks out there. I picked up a 1977 bayliner, 17' trihull, open bow, with a mercury 850 and an evinrude 5hp outboards for next to nothin. The boat runs great and looks decent. I know the guy I got the boat from, and know for a fact it sat in the rain for the last year. Before that, his granddad owned it and it was always garaged. When I got the boat home and in my garage, I raised the tongue up about three feet to drain any water that was in it. That was about two weeks ago and I have had about a gallon drip out. My floor looks good and is solid under the carpet, so I really dont want to tear it out to look at the foam if i dont have to. My question is this, if the foam is wet and I leave the boat nose up in my garage for a couple months will the water drain out and the foam dry up?

Thanks in advance for any responses,
Jason

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Jason,
Welcome to iboats. These guys know there stuff.

From what I have read here the answer is NEVER.

I would start boring some exploration holes to see what is wet.
If you find things are wet, start looking for rot.

Sorry.

 

[BLinindoll]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

First off... Ditto.

Second... You might want to think of a better way to jack that thing up in the front. Looks like it could fall just by looking at it wrong. Don't want to see anyone getting hurt.

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

First off... Ditto.

Second... You might want to think of a better way to jack that thing up in the front. Looks like it could fall just by looking at it wrong. Don't want to see anyone getting hurt.

Thanks Man,

Appreciate the concern, all the 2x6's are lagged together and lagged to that base.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

hi......welcome to i boats.....

this place is boat university.....the more you are on here....the better boater you become...

shame about the previous owner.....grand dad did a super job....so you may be ok....

no..... the foam will never ever dry.

search core sample......there are several ways to find out if the boat is waterlogged......the best way to get a peleminary idea ....is to weigh it !
take it to the self scales....you can find out the "dry weight" of the boat.
then subtract the trailer weight.....

if you are out by 2 or 300 lbs......then proceed to core sample....

but you may be worrying for nothing, as grandpa was a good boat owner

cheers
oops

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Thanks for the advice oops, I will go weigh it tomorrow. Then, how to go about core samples and what to look for? I am handy in the shop, and have rebuilt cars and done fiberglass. Just never on a boat. So, any help on what to look foe exactly in the "core sample" would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

id give you a compleate explanation....but i gotta get to my project in 15 mins......

use the "search" function here and search "core sample"

there is 2 or 3 different ways for different parts......but your worried about the foam.......


look for a pvc type....

a drill bit will do the rest.......


i can answer for you better tommorow.....if you need it now.....pm td and ask him to put a pick of his type on this thread.....

cheers
oops

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

ok fish....


core sample for wet foam.......

take a peice of pvc pipe 1 1/2 inch or so......cut two "teeth" into the end.

after youve made your part......using a hole saw....cut a hole in the deck....(be wary of the gas tank.....look before you cut) and keep the cut out.

drill your pvc pipe into the foam....all the way down.......and pull it out....

then push the foam out of the inside of the tube and examine it for water.....it will be immeadately appearant......NO moisture...none

do that on several different areas......and in the lowest spots of the foamed areas......


if all is well....replace the dry foam 'core" put your hole saw cut out back in the hole....and seal it with 3m 5200......put your carpet back down.

for transom and stringers....just use a drill bit....(dont go all the way thru the transom ! ) if the wood shavings are wet....there is a problem.

if dry.....then just seal the hole with 3m 5200 again like before.......

if you find water or moisture....post back here......it will be decision time for you.

hope that helps....

cheers
oops

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Yes, it helps alot oops. I will do that in the morning and post my findings. Thanks so much.

~Jason

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Well, I couldn't wait till morning. I took some core samples, and the foam is soaked. Not something I will take my disabled daughter out in. So, tomorrow I will start tearing the deck and foam out. In the meantime, I'm gonna read through some posts to get a better feel of this project. As always for me, any advice is welcome.

Thanks~ Jason

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Hay Fish~n~Chips Welcome !!! this is a greatest place for boats , Bar none !!!! your doing the best thing , use the search !!!! were all here to help all we can , so dont be afraid to ask !! and again welcome!!! John

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

youve allerady decided to tear the boat apart.......you can do the whole operation for about 800 bucks.......you also might find bad stringers and transom.......

i would start by adding a few peices of wood along the under side of the hull.....(for support)

this is to make sure the boat stays in proper alignment.......

it wont matter much unless you are pulling the stringers.....but i suspect some of them might have to come out as well.

there are several ways to remove foam.....a pic axe (with a wide blade) is my fav. (be careful not to go thru the hull )....it will take it all out in minits.....

someone suggested a drill with a coat hanger thingy on it.....just use search.

ok.......tutorial......

read......
1. jason j's skanky beast
2.jcsercsa's "pics of work so far"....it is another tri hull
3.redfurys project.
4.the hull ext thread for a general idea on glassing and other trqneics
5.the entire compleated projects forum.

i suggest you read ALL of each of these threads....dont just skim over them....even one little sentance can open your eyes to somthing very important.

if you want a book........runabout renovation by jim anderson is a good starting point for the basic overview....but is very lacking in the spscifics...the specifics you will only find here or on another forum.

dont worry that the boats mentioned are a "different make, or year"
all boats are made basically the same way.

the more you read.....the easyer it will be.

dont get scared.....its not hard, just time consuming......
and we will walk you right thru it. as john said...."we are all here to help all we can"

cheers
oops

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

First off I want to thank everyone for your input and advice so far. I sincerely appreciate it! I read through about 5 hours of posts today and gained a plethora of knowledge. I removed the old deck/foam, and fortunately my stringers and transom are good. But, I am left with several questions.

1. Is polyester resin good enough for the deck repair?
2. Will dry exterior plywood coated in polyester resin be sufficient?
3. Should I cover the seams and screws in fiberglass matting?
4. How should I marry the seams? Butt joint, beveled?
5. How necessary is foam in the hull?? I will be using marine vinyl flooring rather than carpet, so I don?t see a wet deck being a problem if i silicone all the seams.

Thanks to everyone who responds.

~Jason

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

1. yes
2.yes
3.yes
4.butt
5. in your boat.....its structural.
5.a forget silly cone....use peanut butter....hit search on "peanut butter"

cheers
oops

 

[proshadetree]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

I left the foam out of mine 88 bayliner capri cuddy.But I did make supports that are every 2 ft on the sides of the stringers.Drain tube at bottom.Not had it in the watter yet so use your own judgment.Even if I have to do it later just plug the floor foam and glass in plugs.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

More reading... before you start.
Especially the last page.
Lots of good info available here on iBoats.

 

[Fish~n~Chips]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Hi everyone,
Sorry I havent been on for a while. I was in a motorcycle accident last Friday, and just got home from the hospital today. Looks like the boat project will be put on the back burner for a couple months.

~Jason

 

[linkster01]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Get well soon!

 

[oops!]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

really sorry to hear that chips......at least your still alive.

mend fast

cheers
oops

 

[Mark42]

Re: First Boat~Wet Foam?

Sorry to hear about the accident. Hope its nothing permanent. While you are laid up, you can do all that reading listed in earlier posts.

And you mentioned your daughter is disabled. Does she need special access? In a wheel chair? Seeing as you plan on tearing out the floor, you can design any special fixtures or ramps, etc you might need to make boating with her easier and more fun for both of you.

Regards,

Mark