Foam removal

[Axkiker]

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]

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]

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]

Re: Foam removal

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

 

[JASinIL2006]

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!

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Foam removal

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

 

[jfas]

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]

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]

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]

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!!

 

[Woodonglass]

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.

Yup, those work good too!!!!

 

[kcassells]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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..