Crusader Project
- Thread starter blazeracer
- Start date
ChryslerJet
New member
CliffCrusader said:Believe it of not, the floor was in pretty good shape.....replaced probably 3-4 years ago.......my best guess. Curiosity got the best of me so I lifted the floor to find the rest of the stringers rotted. I can say that without a doubt, these are the original stringers. The space between the stringers were fully with foam and it too seems original. Since I'm replacing the stringers, I need to dig out the completely saturated foam. That in itself is a chore!! I not only was pulling out saturated (heavy) foam, I must have drained an estimated ten gallons of water too. I think after all the foam is out of the boat, I will have lightened the crusader by 100 pounds. Where can I buy pour in foam???
I'm done for today. After six hours of steady work, I'm tired for the day. Here's a picture of today's stopping point.
I got my foam from AeroMarine along with my Epoxy www.aeromarineproducts.com
The foam is not supposed to hold water but over many years will deteriorate and hold water if water gets to it. Now that being said the foam shouldn't get wet and with drains shouldn't stay wet if it does. I am replacing my foam in my boat but sealing it in with drains. You can get different strengths of foam from 2lb to 8lb. The differences will be the weight a cubic foot of foam will float. 2lb will float 2lbs per cubic foot 4lbs will float 4lbs per cubic foot and 8 lbs will float 8lbs per cubic foot. I am mixing my 2lbs with epoxy sealed soda bottles to give it more floatation. If your really worried about the foam holding water just use the epoxy to seal the caps of enough water and soda bottles of different sizes packed under the floor, then you have a large sealed packet that will take 100 years to degrade or more.
spd500
New member
If you are buying a new boat them the foam is probably fine. . But there is no way you will get it sealed up as well as a boat builder can, and even their work let water in eventually didn't it? If water never got in you wouldn't be working on it now. Fact is that if the water had a way to drain out instead of staying in there the wood would not rot. So to me the best bet is to put drain holes and not put foam. If you keep it dry it will not rot.
blazeracer
New member
My boat has so much foam it's unreal. The entire back end is solid foam. The space under the floor between the stringers and hull is filled with foam, but not in the center. Up under the gunwales are filled with foam and the supports on my hood are fiberglass wrapped foam. My boat might be heavy, but it's not sinking. The piece of mind is good. You take your kids out a lot, foam it full.
ChryslerJet
New member
blazeracer said:
Sometimes the foam is not always for floatation its part of the structure design in the boat and removing it could cause more flex in the hull than was meant but the manufacturer. I can't speak to Cliff's boat but I can to mine and going back together without foam would be disastrous for me in the long run. What I am doing besides what I mentioned above is the foam will be fully contained in a plastic drop cloth so that it can be easily removed if repairs need to be done or replaced as necessary as well as be able to make drain lines within the hull below deck around the foam. If you glass in the empty space and put drain holes and the hull gets swamped there will be no floatation because the drain holes then become fill holes for the water. It would be better to put some old inner tubes partially filled with air stuffed down there or old soda bottles of different size sealed up with epoxy so they don't leak out the cap under the deck. Neither of those will hold water. If you need the foam for structure do like I am and mix it up with a little foam and soda bottles. Then the soda bottles just become large air pockets in the foam that wont ever hold water.
Its unconventional but I am sure it will work good add the 6mil plastic sheeting and makes it even better.
ChryslerJet
New member
Crusader said:
I got my epoxy and foam from them Cliff.
blazeracer
New member
Dang it all... I left my SD card in the laptop at home or I would snap some pics of mine and show you how mine is under the gunwales and up front. I think it uses premade strips of foam glassed in. I read about a CV16 restoration where the guy the foam under the hood also. In addition to flotation you get a stronger hood you can walk on. The down, you have to either flip the boat or uncap it to install it right.
EDIT: Daughter has the shop camera here with her SD card.
First pic is the flotation under the front hood. Seven 2x4" strips of foam are glassed into the underside of the hood. Makes it buoyant and strong enough for three people to walk on.
Second pic under the gunwales. Runs the full length, from front to the back bilge vent openings.
The downside is you have to turn is upside down to put it in and make it stay. The upside, the stuff will NEVER get wet or soaked.
EDIT: Daughter has the shop camera here with her SD card.
First pic is the flotation under the front hood. Seven 2x4" strips of foam are glassed into the underside of the hood. Makes it buoyant and strong enough for three people to walk on.
Second pic under the gunwales. Runs the full length, from front to the back bilge vent openings.
The downside is you have to turn is upside down to put it in and make it stay. The upside, the stuff will NEVER get wet or soaked.
blazeracer
New member
You know if you would have gotten a CVX to begin with all this stuff would already be there. LOL Just rubbing it in man!
ChryslerJet
New member
Actually if it never gets wet it does no good for floatation. Now in normal use yes won't ever get wet or soaked but in a sinking situation it will get wet at least the glass for the underside of deck will not the foam glassed in underneath it. Looks like the stuff under the gunwhales would get wet in a sinking but it should still work to hold as long as the cap holds to the hull. The only thing with putting the foam up higher is the floatation is higher which means the boat will have to be farther under the water before it helps with buoyancy. With it under the floor (sole) it helps keep the gunwhales at or above water level. With it in the gunwhales I can imagine they would have to be 1-2 feet under water before they would float the boat.blazeracer said:
blazeracer
New member
Ok knuckle head..LOL...
In the normal scope of use it will never get wet. When it come time to keep your boat from sinking it will be there ready to do it's job not all water logged.
Didn't think I'd have to explain that one. haha
In the normal scope of use it will never get wet. When it come time to keep your boat from sinking it will be there ready to do it's job not all water logged.
Didn't think I'd have to explain that one. haha
ChryslerJet
New member
On know just raggin on ya cause I can't get anything done on mine.blazeracer said:
Edit:: I was serious on the floatation being higher in the boat then the boat would be lower in the water if it was swamped though.
blazeracer
New member
ChryslerJet said:
Well, get off the darn computer and start turning wrenches!
ChryslerJet
New member
Not everyone can work on their boat while at work. I am 40 miles away from right mine now. Notice I really only post during the day while I am at work.blazeracer said:
blazeracer
New member
Last Mohican said:
That's the whole idea. If your boat's that low in the water you're screwed anyway, but the boat's not sinking or capsizing. It's just sitting low in the water and can still be towed in.
You can see the life jackets and cooler and crap floating in the back if the boat. It never went under, just to here. Our boats need mega flotation in the back to hold level like that.