Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

[AJ168]

My dad recently bought an old Super Snark sailboat, but the styrofoam is very waterlogged. The boat is supposed to weigh about 50 pounds, but is nearly triple that. Through a small hole in the hull, I can see moss growing. After e-mailing the manufacturer and having them tell us to cut apart the plastic hull and then fiberglass over those areas to allow it to dry, I'm wondering if there's any less drastic things that can be done.

 

[trog100]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

i did read an article about "wicking" it out.. u drill holes horizontally and push in pieces of string/wick and let them dangle below the level of the foam.. the wick absorbs the moisture and kinda drips it out..<br /><br />its a less drastic approach but whether it works as well i have no idea.. u then of course have the job of sealing all the holes up effectively which might be difficult..<br /><br />trog100

 

[wvit100]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

I don't think the foam will ever dry out. I'd say you'd be way ahead to go ahead and follow the manufacture's advice.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

I might suggest you move this question over to "Boat restoration and building." You'll get more responses from people with experience in this area.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

I doubt even the method recomended by the manufacturer would work. You need to get the waterlogged stuff out of the boat and replace it.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

I would spray a combo of water and bleach in it to kill the mold and then get the hull into your attic and let the heat do the rest.Turn the cracked side up.Charlie

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

The ONLY way to dry it out would be to remove all the saturated foam. It will not dry out on its own. Period. My Starcraft runabout had saturated foam in it when I bought it. I removed the floor and stored the boat indoors for over a year, much of that time with the botbelly stove running 6-feet away . Even with the floor removed and the foam exposed to the open air it was STILL saturated a year later - enough so that I could get a half-cup of water from a handful of foam. Don't even bother with any "quick fixes" because you'll only end up doing it twice. Dig out the old foam and pour in some new....<br /><br />- Scott

 

[tommays]

Re: Drying Out a Very Waterlogged Boat

the water logged stuff is the boat its a foam boat with a thin plastic shell <br /><br />they were very littel money brand new<br /><br /><br />tommays