Foam removal

Axkiker

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
264
Any good suggestions for foam removal. Ripping up the floor to get at a stringer and the foam is killing me. I knew this stuff would take time but darn its the little stupid things that seem to get me behind. If its not the carpet glue holding me back its the foam

AUGHHHH
 

Q_ball

Seaman
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
61
Re: Foam removal

When I did mine, I used a wire wheel on a drill. my foam was 12" thick in a few spots. use the wheel to cut a grid then pry the squares out with a screwdriver or small pry-bar. the brass wire wheels will cleanup the foam on the fiberglass to so you can see what you have to work with.
 

tallcanadian

Captain
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
3,245
Re: Foam removal

It can be a pain for sure. Just keep picking at it. In some places I was able to use a flat bar to scrape along the bottom of the boat. I don't envy you. Any water down there? or is it all dry?
 

bonz_d

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
5,274
Re: Foam removal

Sorry all but I've found a drywall saw works every well.
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,525
Re: Foam removal

I found that a carpenter's framing hammer (the kind with fairly straight claws) worked well. Just turn it backwards and bury the claws into the foam, the pry up a chunk. Repeat a couple hundred times. You'll be done before you know it!
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2010
Messages
1,058
Re: Foam removal

Been there and done that like a lot of us here. A wire wheel on a drill works awesome.

br.jpg
 

jfas

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
47
Re: Foam removal

I ended using the claw end of a hammer and a flat pry bar. Mine was pretty wet, so it seemed to come out in bigger chunks. The places that it was dry was a lot more difficult.

JFas
 

frankk

Seaman
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Messages
63
Re: Foam removal

Prybar, taking small chunks at a time. Just keep kicking, you will gain more confidence as you go forward. I took about 800lbs out of my boat.
 

bonz_d

Vice Admiral
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
5,274
Re: Foam removal

still say a 14" straight blade drywall saw works best. Kinda like a fellet knife with teeth. big chunks and not a lot of mess.
 

zuluwarrior

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 11, 2010
Messages
109
Re: Foam removal

Brother I feel your pain. My boat had lots of foam in it and all wet. I used a small hand saw to get as deep as possible into the foam and cut a checker board pattern in it. Then used a prybar, crowbar and old 2" chisel to take it out. Removed about 20 trash bags of the wet nasty stuff!!
 

kcassells

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 16, 2012
Messages
8,576
Re: Foam removal

Like Zulu said! the claw hammer tech. was just to slow. I ended up getting a long blade on a tool called a sawzall and did exactly like Zulu explained except it was faster and easier on my old "Fogie" muscles. The checker tech. is the best and most eff.,like Zulu said. Towards the bottom of the hull I used scrappers and other tools whereas not to damage the hull. Yup, get the trash bags set up in a can next to the boat and go at it. Lots of bags. Don't look back, "you candoit".
 

Axkiker

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
264
Re: Foam removal

Thanks for all the help... So far I have come up with a combo that seems to work fairly well for me. I start by taking my sawzall with a really REALLY long blade on it and cut the foam into long narrow sections. I then take this thing I found in the garden section of lowes which looks like a small sorta flat bladed pick ax kinda thing... It has an end which is roughly 3" wide that I can use kinda like the claw end of a claw hammer. I use it to whack into the long strips of foam then pull back. By doing this I can usually pull up pretty large chunks fairly fast. Once I get to the bottom I can then use the same thing . Instead of swinging straight down I start to swing so it just barely scrapes the fiberglass. I can usually get it pretty clean. Lastly I use the large end of a small 10" nail pulling pry bar sorta thing I have to scrape against the bottom. This usually scrapes off any remaining foam.

I will still need to go over everything with a wire wheel but this seems to get at least 95% of the foam out prior to needing a wheel.

Anyways has worked the fastest for me.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,307
Re: Foam removal

I used a 3" cup brush on the end of a 2' drill extension and the shop vac. ground all the foam to dust, and sucked it into the vac
 

Rickmerrill

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 13, 2014
Messages
686
Re: Foam removal

Where it fit, which is most places, I used a 6" spade shovel. On my boat the foam came up in large chunks and pulled off of the hull clean. Try it, you might like it. Once you get out a little from the top you go all the way to the hull and start prying out 4 or 5 inch deep chunks at a time.
 

Decker83

Commander
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
2,592
Re: Foam removal

I used the sawzall with the long blade and a pry bar.. Was able to get out big chunks at a time..





 
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