Floatation Foam

[heiliges]

I have a '95 Four Winns 190 Horizon with a couple of soft spots in the floor. I pulled the rotten wood and the parts of the stringer that were bad anf as a result the outter layer of the foam below is open, no seal to the outside world. It appears in good condition and has no water in as far as I can tell. Does it have to be replaced or can I leave it and put on the new floor? Also, will poly resin adhere to it to seal it?

 

[Piece715]

Re: Floatation Foam

If the foam is dry it should be good to go. I am unsure about the poly resin but I haven't heard of anyone sealing their foam. It's made to get wet and doesn't need to be sealed. Its the exposure to large amounts of water for an extended period of time that does the damage and water logs the foam. Water logged foam can add couple hundred pounds of extra weight and will be soggy to the touch. Some fiberglass hulls use the 2 part pour foam as structural support so if you do decide to replace it you may want to keep that in mind. Other members may have more info for ya as my knowledge is limited. Please feel free to correct

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Floatation Foam

Did you core sample the foam to ensure it was not waterlogged. Poly resin will EAT the foam like ACID. If the outer skin of the foam has been torn or damaged it should be sealed but NOT with Poly. Epoxy will work.

 

[heiliges]

Re: Floatation Foam

I accidently pulled a good chunk out of a section its dry as a bone. Does it have to be sealed? Would rather not even mess with it. I have pulled old water logged foam out of another boat and it wasnt fun.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Floatation Foam

Foam waterlogs from the bottom up. If you don't core sample it you can't be certain it is not wet. And If the outerskin is broken it is NO LONGER Waterproof and can and will absorb water if and when it gets below the deck. It's up to you how you want to handle it. I'm just passing along the facts.

 

[heiliges]

Re: Floatation Foam

Looks like I am replacing foam then. At least its better than the last project boat where it was water soaked. Hopefully this will be easier to pull.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Floatation Foam

Poly is just fine for this resto..

Got some pics for us please .

YD.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Floatation Foam

He wasn't asking if poly was ok to use for the boat, he was asking if it would seal the foam. And NO it is not, it will eat the foam like ACID.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Floatation Foam

Also, will poly resin adhere to it to seal it?

He wasn't asking if poly was ok to use for the boat, he was asking if it would seal the foam. And NO it is not, it will eat the foam like ACID.

Chill out Wood.. Ive been away for a few days doing a few big projects...

Poly will NOT melt 2 part foam like Acid.. .. geesh..

You can use Poly to continue for your schedules ( Epoxy will not "seal" the foam either ).

I personally dont know what kind/base foam you have..so this is just a hands on advice Im giving you ..

But you knew that ..

YD.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Floatation Foam

I stand corrected. I was thinking of the Blue/pink Slab foam which Does melt with Poly. Thanks for the Catch YD!
But it's kina a moot point now since he's gunna replace it.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Floatation Foam

I pulled the wet foam out of my Four Winns.....replaced it with the blue foam What are you thinking of doing sheets or pour in?

 

[heiliges]

Re: Floatation Foam

Well, its pour in foam right now. I live in Florida and I can get it with ease around here, so i will probably stick with it. I reada few posts aout people tring to make blocks with pour in, may try something similar, not sure though. The reason for the poly question was I have a ton of it and was thinking a reseal would work for my needs. I really hate the effort of pulling out foam, but that is my goal today. Yank the foam, put in newly laminated stringers and complete the the little resizing that may be needed on the new floor ply. Then it will be more days of laminated those while I cover the stringers with glass, oooo fun. Sorry about the pics, this started out as an engine problem with bad gas and has turned into a monster project I was not planning on, thus the reason I have no big plan and no pics.