Water logged foam??

I have a fiberglass Tuffy and the inside sides I believe are foam filled. I put some drain holes in the lower rear section and one side had some water in it, the other did not. Boat still sits level in the water. How do I make sure foam is not water logged? The foam is enclosed inside fiberglass, yet a few holes are in the fiberglass from previous owners installing fish finders and other stuff.

And if it is, would it matter if I removed it since waterlogged foam doesn't float? If I would have to remove it, I would like to make it into more usable space and install some foam and then also add some storage, and with the wood frame that might make up for lack of foam in some spots. I would not be using fiberglass for the casing though since I suck at glass work, it would be wood frame with plywood to cover it all.

Hoping to hear everybody's thoughts regarding this. I know it is not a tin boat, yet it is the current project at the moment. After this one is done, the tin boat is next on the list.

Matt

Yes you can remove it but if you do make sure you replace it with an equal to or greater amount of foam, not less. There is no half measure with it - if you have enough it will keep your boat at the waters surface, if you do not your boat will sink.

Not ripping it apart unless I know it is waterlogged though. Not sure how to tell without ripping it all apart either. Any suggestions?

A 197? fiberglass trihull, yeah your foam is waterlogged and your stringers and transom are probably a rotten mess too. Glass boats rot from the inside out and you don't realize it until it's too late.

Go to the restoration forum on iboats and have a look at all the fiberglass boats on there, a lot of them are a lot newer than yours too. they have some good fiberglass pros on there that can help you do your job right.

jigngrub said:

A 197? fiberglass trihull, yeah your foam is waterlogged and your stringers and transom are probably a rotten mess too. Glass boats rot from the inside out and you don't realize it until it's too late.

Go to the restoration forum on iboats and have a look at all the fiberglass boats on there, a lot of them are a lot newer than yours too. they have some good fiberglass pros on there that can help you do your job right.

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what if you have water logged foam in a tin boat. i just bought a 1432 lowe i found three pinholes in the back of the boat near the transom in randoms spots on the bottom of the hull. tonight i flipped the hull on its side drilled the holes out some when the bit went up in the hole i noticed the foam looked more like sludge. i just patched the holes with marine jb welded so we could fish out of it this weekend the biggest issue is from the factory both sides of the foam are wrapped with tin and are not just pop rivets they have washers on the back side so my sheetmetal tools are limited to tear it apart and put it back like it was.

Start a new thread and post pictures of your boat so we can better help you. The foam is doing you no good as is and does need to be removed. Also you shouldn't use JB weld on the hull of your boat.

I do not mind taking a cut off wheel on the grinder and cutting out a small section of fiberglass to check mine. My main problem is I do not know what waterlogged foam looks like, or how to tell if it is. I am just wanting to know how to tell if the foam is waterlogged once I see it. Once I know, then I either scrap it, or stick some cash into it to make it more fishing friendly.

So how do I tell if the foam is waterlogged? jbp84 mentioned sludge. If that is an accurate description of what waterlogged foam will look like, then I have my answer. Anybody confirm this?

Thanks,
Matt

P.S. I am already going to be checking out a 14' aluminum boat to use for those places where the launches suck.

It's not necessarily going to be sludgy...I think that is an extreme case. Mine had actually gone past the sludge stage...most of it had evaporated/dissolved/the elves stole it/I have no idea over the years and what little was left on the bottom was hard, brown and formed to the shape of the hull floor...messed up stuff.

It may very well be water logged before that happens though. I would imagine you could see a little brown tint, and sticking a knife into it may reveal some answers...

Jdholmes,

Thanks on giving me some tips on what to look for. The only type of foam work I did before was in the ice shanty and that was just the pink board stuff. As long as the weather holds out a bit I will cut into the inside walls tomorrow. I figure if I cut out about a few 3"x3" inspection squares, that will give me a very good idea of how the foam is throughout the sides. Easy enough to seal back up too if the foam is good.

If it turns out that jigngrub is correct, then I take things to plan B...lol. I will remove the Tuffy from the boat trailer and pick up the 14 footer and do some quick mods to it and get it ready to fish out of. Then the Tuffy will undergo its restoration project.

Thanks again for letting me know what to look for.

Matt