Removing foam

[EJ3]

I have searched for a bit looking for an answer to my question, and there are a lot of topics on foam!!!

What are some ways to remove the foam?

I have an opening in the fiberglass to remove the foam from that is about 5" in diameter.

Does a shop vac work good? Any homemade tools you've had luck with? Or just a good ol' spoon?!?!?!!!!

Thanks for the help!

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Removing foam

I just remove it. Are you asking how to remove it through a hole in the deck? I just picked the foam up and threw it in a trash bag. I have been throwing away 2 trash bags a week with my regular trash. I just about got all thrown away. I used my hands to remove my foam. I had the deck out of the boat so it was verry easy for me. If you are asking how to remove the foam through a hole in the deck you might have a hard time with that. I dont know of any specific tool for removing foam but good luck anyways.

 

[EJ3]

Re: Removing foam

I guess I could include more info huh!

I have 2 seperate areas at the back of the boat, one on each side (port & starboard), that contain about 4-6 cu ft of wet foam each. The port side already has a hole for accessing the bildge pump line. I was going to duplicate it on the starboard side. Through these holes I would be able to remove the foam, just not in one big chunk. I have to break it up in small enough pieces to fit through the 5" hole.

My questions is regarding method of removal. Should I just stick my hand in there and start grabbing and tearing chunks out?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Removing foam

actually any way you can do it. shop vac is going to clog. you sure you don't have rotted wood. big metal cooking spoon sharpened to cut into the foam, come to mind.

 

[EJ3]

Re: Removing foam

I have drilled a few holes in the transom for testing and sealed back up with 5200. The wood seemed fine but want to get the wet foam out before I have bigger problems!

 

[DJ]

Re: Removing foam

As far as breaking it up, I use a piece of heavy coat hanger rod bent in an "L" shape and put in a drill. That breaks it up small enough for the shop vac to handle.

Sort of a wicked Roto Rooter.

 

[oops!]

Re: Removing foam

5 inches isnt a lot of room....

can you open it up more????

just expand the test area and replace the wood cover with a bigger peice.

i have not tried this method....so it is just a suggestion....foam is uasually cut at the factory with a electric turkey carving knife.

if you could get one in there....it would possibly save you some time.....

most guys rip the floor to get the foam out.

cheers
oops

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: Removing foam

Cool ideas. I'm looking at doing the same thing next summer.

 

[salty87]

Re: Removing foam

lots of time can be spent taking things apart very slowly. you might test some other areas to determine the extent of the damage first. no point working thru a 5" hole if the area is wider than you thought.

sawzall makes quick work of foam but blades bend incredibly easy near the hull.

 

[boatguy19]

Re: Removing foam

sounds crazy but if the deck is off the best way to do it is use a weed wacker, make sure you wear eye protection and a mask. works like a charm

 

[Lou C]

Re: Removing foam

I used 2 crow bars, one in each hand, but I had the deck out then. Not sure how you will do it thru that small opening.

 

[watermellonI]

Re: Removing foam

a weedwhacker?

If you re gonna replace the foam, cut a large enough opening to work with a pry bar and get it out, then put new pour foam in, sand it down to the level of the glass and glass over it.

If you re not gonna put foam back in well...a weedwhacker.

 

[deputy00791]

Re: Removing foam

When I removed my old foam I found it way easier to remove the whole floor and cut it with a long blade on y sawzall

 

[frozenokie]

Re: Removing foam

EJ3 - I'm also in the process of removing bad foam from my Laser bass boat. What I found easy was using about a 5" wide putty knife that I pressed straight down into the foam and it sliced into it easily. That made it easy to break off the foam from the hull in chunks to discard. I also used a large flat head screwdriver in the tighter spots. My whole floor is removed though - working through a small hole will take quite a bit more time and won't allow you to see the full extent of damage that may exist. Good luck.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Removing foam

When I remove foam I cut it into chunks about a foot cubed using a thin blade... either a saw or a piece of scrap metal. The first one in a tight area usually gets broken to bits, but the chunks after that come out in big pieces, with the help of a prybar, and they're very easy to bag up and get rid of... no messing with a shop vac.

It all depends on the situation though. I've used everything from my fingers to a custom scraper made from a paint roller to a chainsaw to get foam out.

Erik