Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

KewlBird · Apr 2, 2008

Well, after reading a bunch of different posts I have realized that "drying" my foam is not a solution. Instead of drying it I will be replacing it. I purchased a 2-gallon 4lb kit from us composites which will hopefully be enough. Plan so far is to remove the old foam then install the new floor. I will drill a 1/2" hole every 2 feet where I will pour in the foam. Now, I know I will probably make a big mess, and I see in my mind the foam expanding as I attempt to pour it in through a funnel

. So, is this a good plan? How much should I mix to pour into each hole (my plan was 9oz of each A/B)? How long do I have before this stuff becomes impossible to pour in through the hole? Will temperature have great affect on curing (it will be about 50-55 outside when I do it)?

jcsercsa · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Frist be carefully from what i have read on here, dont pour to much !!! it will pop the beck off !!! the funnel wont work after your frist pour the foam will fill the funnel !!!! the 2 feet apart is about right !!!! I was going to use little bigger hole i was going to go with a one inch !! that was what was recommended by the manufacture out on the west coast !!! it will cure at 55 but you wont get the expansion from it they said 80 works the best !! John keep us posted and good luck !!!!!

Ps If i rember right mix . stir for 8 sec, pour !!!!stir really well !!!!!
Pss the 9oz ??? its going to depend on the temp !!! I would allmost do a test pour . let it cure and then measure it , do the trig, do you know what the size of hole your tring to fill !! height x with = area

drewmitch44 · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

If its only 50 to 55 temp outside then you will have to use a lot more foam than if it was say 70 outside. The cooler it is outside the more foam you will have to use. It even tells you that on uscomposits site. I forget what the ideal temp is to pour but temp is important. Id look into that.

KewlBird · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

jcsercsa said:
Frist be carefully from what i have read on here, dont pour to much !!! it will pop the beck off !!! the funnel wont work after your frist pour the foam will fill the funnel !!!! the 2 feet apart is about right !!!! I was going to use little bigger hole i was going to go with a one inch !! that was what was recommended by the manufacture out on the west coast !!! it will cure at 55 but you wont get the expansion from it they said 80 works the best !! John keep us posted and good luck !!!!!

Ps If i rember right mix . stir for 8 sec, pour !!!!stir really well !!!!!
Pss the 9oz ??? its going to depend on the temp !!! I would allmost do a test pour . let it cure and then measure it , do the trig, do you know what the size of hole your tring to fill !! height x with = area

1" hole was circling in my mind but I just hate the idea of having 10+ 1" holes in my new floor

. But just to be safe I will go with 1" hole, I would hate to waste a batch of that foam. As for the area I guesstimated 5 cu.ft. total which was rounding everything up. The kit only does 4 but being that I overestimated I might be right on, I'll buy another quart if there is a need.

drewmitch44 said:
If its only 50 to 55 temp outside then you will have to use a lot more foam than if it was say 70 outside. The cooler it is outside the more foam you will have to use. It even tells you that on uscomposits site. I forget what the ideal temp is to pour but temp is important. Id look into that.

I just checked their website and it does say that ideal temp. is 75-80 or above. I think I'll look into getting the boat in someones heated garage

.

fixb52s · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

I just foamed my boat last week, and it was not that bad. I poured it with the decking out and trimmed it flush.

I poured it with an outside temp of 82. Once mixed, you really do not have much time at all to pour it. It starts to "grow" within 30 seconds from the time you start mixing, so you have to work fast. I was "touching" up a few spots, and the blob just grew out of the coffee can I was using because I was too slow.

You should be able to get away with that one kit if you pour it with a higher temp. It is suggested the temp is at least 72-75 for good expansion.

ezmobee · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

It would kill me to have to cut all those holes in my new floor. Personally I'd be going the "cut and fit the pink/blue foam from Home Depot" route rather than messing with that pourable stuff. By the way, you're doing an amazing job.

KewlBird · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

ezmobee said:
Personally I'd be going the "cut and fit the pink/blue foam from Home Depot" route rather than messing with that pourable stuff.

I think that the foam is supporting my deck so it won't feel hollow which is reason why I'm going with the expanding stuff. I would've loved to go to HD and have this job done today vs. waiting on the pour foam.

drewmitch44 · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

What cut/fit foam? Im curious as to what is the best foam to use for this? Ive seen those huge blocks of foam like they have at my local Tractor Supply store, but i think that foam will soak up water. And what Pink foam are you talking about at home depo? Im just curious as i may go this route and those pool noodles are too expencive to buy the ammount that will be needed to fill up under the deck. Thanks for any advice!

drewmitch44 · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Also Fixb5s's, how much pour foam is that that you have in your picture? Im trying to get a idea of how much ill need. And will also have to figure out how to get my boat somewhere where the temp is higher. Eather that or wait til warmer weather. Thanks

ezmobee · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Darn it drewmitch I was afraid someone would ask that.....I WISH I could remember what thread it was. It could have been over a year ago. There were pictures and everything. The person used what looked to me to be the inch or two thick insulation foam that goes on the outside of a new house. he cut it and fit it beautifully between the stringers. It may have been the same person or not but someone reported working on a construction site where they unearthed some scrap foam of this type that had been buried and it was dry as a bone!

fixb52s · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

I used just over one kit (1 gal pt A and 1 gal pt B). This is my first foam job and if I knew what I was doing, I could have got away with just one kit, but I was filling in some of the small areas. I cut a lot off the top so there was a lot of waste. I started out mixing up small batches, but went larger. This is the mistake I made, since this stuff kicks so quickly. Pour it in smaller batches one area at a time and you should be fine.

I looked into those noodles too. For the costs, and the fact they would be rattling around, I decided to use the pour stuff. I think it came out much better than trying to stuff all those noodles in.

KewlBird · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Couple of hours later the foam is out

. Certain sections were very wet and frozen. That section of foam that I left is not the same as the rest of the foam was. It didn't appear to have any water and feels more dense then the other stuff.

Question: The gaps that you see in the first picture, should I seal it with expanding foam before putting the floor in so that the foam doesn't run into the bilge? I'm talking about the gaps between the runner and bottom of the boat. I was thinking of getting a can of greatstuff and filling all those gaps before putting the floor in.

BillP · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Pour the foam in before you set the floor on. It will fill more voids and give way better coverage than doing it though holes. It also eliminates busting the boat if you don't measure accurately or have a clog that makes the foam expand without spreading in the hull first. Like fixb52s said, the stuff starts expanding immediately. It doesn't travel far when poured into a hole and ultimately can ruin your day if it doesn't.

If you need foam as a structural support to the floor your floor is too weak in the first place. Except for mom/pop backyard mfgs the foam in your boat was likely sprayed in before the floor went in. That's how it's done in the industry.

bp

KewlBird · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

BillP said:
If you need foam as a structural support to the floor your floor is too weak in the first place. Except for mom/pop backyard mfgs the foam in your boat was likely sprayed in before the floor went in. That's how it's done in the industry.

bp

The old floor has the holes where the foam was poured in and from what I can tell it was the original floor from the manufacturer.

oops! · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

kewl....you might want to pour that stuff with the deck off.....then shave the expanded foam down to floor height..so it will be a support for your floor.....then put on your deck....

no holes in the deck...no panic....you can see whats happening.....it will probably faster as well.....because you have to fix the holes in the floor by sealing both the hole and the plug......this way you just pour...expand...set...shave the foam with a knife....and install the deck as usual.

i read a post here a week ago...and the poster was standing on top of a peice of plywood that he had poured foam under....it lifted him !

both ways are correct...both ways will work....do what you think is best.

cheers
oops

oops! · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

btw.....

for all the glass boat guys......im just gonna leave some inspection holes in the floor in a inconspicous area......and stuff some old dry pfd's in there....

10 on each side...thats 6000 lbs of flotation....the pfd's can be removed or replaced at the end of every season...and they will never rot the stringers out.

if you worried about the hull intregrity..and the srtength added from the foam....just add another layer of glass over the inside of the hull....

no pool noodles..ping pong balls or innertubes.....just a bunch of garage sale 3 dollar pfd's !

just an idea for ya!

cheers
oops

jcsercsa · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

[.no pool noodles..ping pong balls or innertubes.....just a bunch of garage sale 3 dollar pfd's !

just an idea for ya!

cheers
oops[/QUOTE]

You oh buddie ??? you still feelling sick ??? no ping pong balls ??? just worried about yea !!! john

oops! · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

check out yer thread john...

redfury · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

They do have spray foam kits that act like using a bug sprayer for foaming, though I do not know about the cost for the kit. Same stuff they use for spray foam insulation in new home construction instead of fiberglass bats or cutting board foam to size. I suppose if you get more foam out of the kit, you could always use it in your house for insulating with the extra.

jcsercsa · Apr 2, 2008

Re: Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

redfury said:
They do have spray foam kits that act like using a bug sprayer for foaming, though I do not know about the cost for the kit. Same stuff they use for spray foam insulation in new home construction instead of fiberglass bats or cutting board foam to size. I suppose if you get more foam out of the kit, you could always use it in your house for insulating with the extra.

Them kits are like 3 x's the money !!!! John

Flotation pour foam, pouring method.....

Petty Officer 1st Class

Captain

Lieutenant Commander

Petty Officer 1st Class

Chief Petty Officer

Attachments

Supreme Mariner

Petty Officer 1st Class

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Supreme Mariner

Chief Petty Officer

Petty Officer 1st Class

Captain

Petty Officer 1st Class

Supreme Mariner

Supreme Mariner

Captain

Supreme Mariner

Commander

Captain