Quote:
Originally Posted by Destroyer
Yep. That last 1-3 inches of foam is usually where the water is the most. It's amazing how much extra weight just those few inches can add to the total overall weight of the boat.
I'm in the process of removing the same thing (saturated foam) from my 16.5 Airslot. I've already removed over 350lb of saturated foam. I think I'm going to try something a little different this time. First, I'm going to use solid foam noodles (think of the ones used in swimming pools) instead of foaming in place to fill the voids.. This way I'll always be able to remove and replace them easily and cheaply if they get waterlogged. Second, instead of glassing the deck back into place like I did with my V21, I think I'm going to secure it back down with SS screws and seal the edges with silicone caulk so I'll always be able to remove it easily. The whole idea is to make it as easy as possible to remove the deck again if I ever have to replace the fuel tank or bilge pumps or filler hoses or.... well, you get the idea. I'm all about convenience on this project.  |
I like the pool noodle idea. And the boat I was going to fix up for my nephew had a removable deck like you speak of. Seems like an ok idea as long as it’s done well (his wasn’t). I’m going to seal this one up good. I didn’t get to work on it today as my mouth is hurting a lot worse then I though it was but I’m my blank mind of a day thought of something. I noticed on this boat at the top of the foam there is a hole through the stringer into the center of the boat to where any water that gets on top of the foam in theory will go into the bilge before saturating the foam.
I seriously doubt this worked but I can’t really rule it out with this boat because the floor has been cut open to the elements for over a year so there’s no way that much water could of ran off quick enough. But my thought is what if I re-foam the compartments then put a couple layers of chop strand over the foam then make weep holes into the bilge area. It may be a complete waste of time but is there any reason anyone here thinks I’d regret doing it?