Waterlogged foam timespan

I had a question for you guys and gals concerning waterlogged foam, I'm thinking of pulling a trigger and buying a new Xpress 16dbx and after reading reviews it seems like all the Xpress boats have the waterlogged foam problem and it's got me a little concerned. My question is how long would it take for the foam to get waterlogged, and how does it become waterlogged? The boat would be kept under a garage and drain plug would be pulled every time it was put on the trailer, and would never be left in the water for more than a weekend.


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Open cell foam isn't like a sponge just waiting to suck up any and all water that gets near it. Any foam open or closed cell will work if it stays dry. It does take awhile for open cell foam to become waterlogged and that's if it's in constant contact with water.

Many years ago when I headed up the Carolina Skiff Owners group on MSGroups (long gone now)...CS boats had the same reputation.

What we found from many owners was that the water was getting into the hulls, in most cases, due to poor installation of Center Consoles; Cleats; Cooler hold-downs; and other attachments. Either the dealer or the boat owner, people screwed things down without any 3M500 or other caulk.

Then, they left the boat outside for weeks and months at a time. To make matters worse, often the thru-hulls and drain plug areas would be allowed to be plugged with leaves and blown debris.

Water will find its way into any little opening. Especially if it has weeks to do so.

If you make sure that every nook and cranny has been properly caulked, and keep the boat inside or at least under a cover, you probably won't have the issue at all. This holds true for almost any boat.

I have to leave my new G3 hull standing outside in the open and in the rain for five months every summer. Guess I will buy a cover for it...but I don't want to.

regards, richg99

Thanks guys I'm gonna do a little test with a five gallon bucket of water and the some old scraps of old closed and open cell foam just to see whats what


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lgpjr49 said:

Thanks guys I'm gonna do a little test with a five gallon bucket of water and the some old scraps of old closed and open cell foam just to see whats what


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Click to expand...

I think it's going to take awhile before you see a real difference but then I could be wrong.
Lets us know what happens.

I'd put a few drops of gas in with it as well, just to see what happens.

Can't hurt anything but if you tuck it into a corner and don't forget about it you never know what it'll tell us and I like the gas idea


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i didnt know manufactures still used open cell foam. Crap, now thats got me worried if my new tracker has open or closed cell foam.
Can anyone verify this for me. I know some of the old bass trackers had this problem but not sure of how the new ones are made.