Wet Foam Flotation:-

[Seafever]

Reading a couple of threads here on wet bilges/boats.......

Have a question.....

Lets say every time you remove your drain plug a lot of water comes out.

Water that got in there for various reasons.

Most boats have lots of foam flotation under the deck.

And foam flotation seems to suck up water like a sponge.

So the water comes out of your drain hole....but there's still a lot of it in there in the foam flotation.

Assuming that you fixed all the water entry points and your boat no longer leaks.......how long does it take for the foam to dry itself totally out?......or does it ever?

I heard there's a difference in foam types...open cell as opposed to closed cell.

Does closed-cell get rid of water retention issues?

Hauling that residual waterlogged foam around is a lot of weight.....

 

[RCA Dog]

Short answer is that it will not ever dry out. Closed cell foam will still get waterlogged eventually. Waterlogged foam can add hundreds of pounds of weight to the boat. Of course, if a boat has had water in the foam for many years, it's almost guaranteed that some water found it's way into the stringers and transom, and they are either rotted completley, or just starting.

 

[Sculpin]

I hate foam and there isn't a single square inch of it in my gal. I have 3 compartments and two of them are totally sealed. I have driven by a certain famous aluminum boat shop a couple of times in the last 15 years and have seen bottoms completely being replaced due to water logged foam and corrosion issues that it can have on aluminum.

Just ask Albernifisher how he likes foam lol. It can wreak havoc on fiberglass boats as well. The key is proper installation where there is no chance of water being a factor. Many fiberglass and aluminum boats with non self bailing decks are affected by poor manufacturer's placement of the foam without proper drain channels etc. into the bilge.

I have self bailing decks and a totally dry bilge. There is never water under the decks due to the freeman hatch and other sealed area's.

 

[casper5280]

Don't want to derail this thread, but how can do you check for this? Don't want to just start drilling holes in the boat to see if there is water in it. But really, is that the only way to be sure? And if it is, just drain and seal it? Pull the floor and start dealing with it on the inside.

 

[Sculpin]

Don't want to derail this thread, but how can do you check for this? Don't want to just start drilling holes in the boat to see if there is water in it. But really, is that the only way to be sure? And if it is, just drain and seal it? Pull the floor and start dealing with it on the inside.

I wouldn't know, as I can see the inside of my gal from tip to tail. I have heard and read with some of the retrofits on bigger glass boats they call the waterlogged foam area's "black holes". This can't be good. You have to do some digging to find them.

There was a great picture by picture refit on Pacific Tackles website that showed them refitting a 30' Innovator. Ali and Jason from BD Outdoors bought the boat after the refit. It detailed quite a bit about "finding" these "black holes".