98 Q5 Construction

[carey965]

so i have googled this a hundred different ways but cant find much

did tahoe still use foam back in 98? im afraid i may have a soft spot on my floor just infront of the bench seat, now i know that is where water always sits when your in and out of the boat, i am just absolutely scared out of my mind that this is going to be a bigger problem, also i noticed it was just flexing in the spots between the stringers is this possible for a small amount of flex in the spots not directly supported by them

i bought it back in may from what i was told by many people is a reputable marina that supposedly went over this thing tip to tail i even got a report on it saying what was wrong

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

Boats have been using foam for quite some time as structural reinforcement and flotation . . . the issue that you are seeing may have nothing to do with foam though. If the deck is flexing in certain areas where previously it did not, then it could be something to do more with the core or stiffening material used for the deck. Often that is plywood, so you may want to look underneath where it is flexing to see what you find.

 

[carey965]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

i think i may have been high last night
i was out today and nothing, i think i am just so paranoid that i am feeling things that arent there, i need to stay out of the restoration forum

i was just wondering if they did use it without me having to pull up the floor, i know the late 90's is when boat manufactures stopped using it

 

[spdracr39]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

Isn't it a requirement for flotation foam in anything 20' and under?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

You might be thinking of wood instead of foam. Most all boat manufacturers use foam. Manufacturing standards in the USA (ABYC, NMMA, etc) are for boats up to 26 feet to have positive flotation. USCG requires positive flotation up to 20 feet. That is most always achieved by foam filled chambers in the hull.

My boat, at 33 feet, has foam as part of its structure. Many still use wood in the structure as well . . . Tahoe now has a fiberglass stringer system, but to your point, it is not clear as to when that was introduced. The decking may be plywood stiffened, you could tell by looking.

Boat manufacturers are usually pretty vague about the details of their boat's construction. Many that boast a composite stinger system, still use wood elsewhere in the boat.

It is good to know how your boat was built, that way you can stay on top of any issues that start to show. No need to be paranoid, just be knowledgeable.

 

[carey965]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

thats why i am trying to figure it out so i can stay ahead of it

i am pretty anal about letting it dry out after each outing, also when i did my new plug and battery both times i drilled into it nice dry shavings came out,

like i said i just keep reading the horror stories and dont want it to ruin my summer, and after the 500 bucks for my new skeg and prop if there is something else wrong with it my wife will divorce me

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

Is this your first boat? If so, boats tend to need a constant flow of $$$ going into them. . . there always seems to be something to fix or improve upon, as well as the seasonal maintenance. A real contrast to automobiles, where you can just drive them for extended periods of time between service & repairs.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

Is this your first boat? If so, boats tend to need a constant flow of $$$ going into them. . . there always seems to be something to fix or improve upon, as well as the seasonal maintenance. A real contrast to automobiles, where you can just drive them for extended periods of time between service & repairs.

Ain't that the truth. When it ain't fixing something its upgrading something. It's almost like I enjoy it :happy:

BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand

 

[carey965]

Re: 98 Q5 Construction

this is my 1st boat but we always had them growing up, so this is my 1st time where i had to care about it

but today i noticed there was some dry rot in the floor just in front of the ski locker, where it is there is nothing around to worry about but it is going to need to be fixed needless to say