Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

[fishrdan]

How much weight will wet foam add to a 73 16.5' SeaSwirl tri-hull? (After an hour of looking at old posts for an hour I didn't find the answer.) I know water is about 8#/gallon, but don't know how much foam is in the hull for a guesstimate of the extra weight.

The floor was bad years ago and the PO (my buddy) and I skinned the floor with 1/2 ply, but that was a temp-hack job just to firm up the floor. The floor is still solid, but I know there is a mold factory deep down in the boat and a load of soaked foam.

Here's the quandry, I really don't like the tri-hull and don't want to put a bunch of work into the hull. I have a feeling this is going to be like opening up a can of worms and turn into a full blown stringer job, which I'm not going to do in this hull. I'm looking to remove the plywood floors and foam, glass up any offending leaks and make the foam areas water tight, pour new foam, lay new plywood and glass in the floor. I know the stringers are most likely shot, but not sure what I'm going to find when I get in there.Is this going to be a waste of time and from your experience and I biting off more than the work I listed.

I have the engine out right now and wouldn't mind spending an extra 2-3 days replacing the foam, but don't want to spend weeks re-doing stringers. I would be looking for a new boat/hull before putting that much work into the tri-hull. Well actually, I'm keeping my eye on Craigslist for boat with a blown 3.0 that I can swap my rebuilt engine into so I can get rid of the tri-hull.

 

[i386]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

Why in the world would you go through all that and not replace the stringers if they need it? All of that you mentioned is a big job (just got my deck in recently).

 

[brian3127]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

well i got done pulling all the wet foam out of my boat and took it all to the dump. the old soaked floor and foam weighed about 700 lbs. you can read about all the work and see pics. of my progress (pics of my boat project) thread

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

Hey Brian, what is the title of your thread, I'd like to check it out.

Yeah, I knew I was going to get beat up on proposing this, but I can't see putting that much work (full stringer and most likely leading into transom) into a boat I really don't intend on keeping. If this were a deepV I wouldn't have a problem going in that far, just not on this hull design as I hate the way it rides in 2-4' chop. I'm keeping it for now (and decided to rebuild the engine as I didn't want to drop $5-10K for another boat) but looking for another hull. Finances are slim and it was best to rebuild this engine instead of getting a "project boat", but I'm waiting to see if a 17-18 deepV with a dead 3.0 comes around and then chop up this hull and take it to the dump.

It is stupid (even I admit it) to rip up the floor and replace the foam without doing the stringers, but the only reason I'm doing it is to reduce weight and make the boat safer in case it gets swamped. Not looking to make the boat last for another 20 years, I'd actually like the put it in the grave yard in the next few years.

What I want to do is pull up the skin floor and remove the rotted sections of old plywood, remove the wet foam, seal up the cavities, replace the foam and then patch in new pieces of ply. I haven't torn into it yet so not sure if I have to replace the entire deck or if this is going to turn into a full stringer job which I want to avoid like the plague.

For the amount of $$$ it would take to do a complete transom/stringer job I could probably find my deepV that needs the engine replaced, just going to take some time finding a boat like that.

 

[salty87]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

that's a bunch of work to do. it would be good practice for your next hull but i think i'd just get a big 'ole bilge pump and stay close to shore if you don't like it/aren't going to keep it or sell it.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

All ready have 2 big ol' bilge pumps that have been tested out in snotty conditions

Not sure if I'm going to remove the wet foam at this point since it's been there for the 10 years I've owned the boat. But I need to get it figured out before the engine is ready to go back in,,, still waiting on a few last minute parts to arrive.

I've done a lot of little fixes to the boat while rebuilding the engine and would like to get the wet foam replaced while the engine is out. Cutting access holes or stripping off the deck to replace the foam doesn't seem like too much work as I all ready have the interior out to replace the carpet, but taking it all the way down to a bare hull for stringers and transom replacement does.

 

[brian3127]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

its caled "pics of my boat project" its in the restiration section. there is no pics of the floor and the foam coming out but there are pics of a clean hull with no stringer. i didnt think of taking pics. untill after i got the floor and foam out.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Wet foam weight, 73 16.5' SeaSwirl

if you have wet foam, you have rotted skeleton, your boat is unsafe. do it right, or get another hull for the engine. i would not step foot in your boat, or allow my family or friends on it.

http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,346,00.html