Great educational video about how foam soaks up water

Looking forward to the boat build 👍

Great video! Thank you sir, this changed my mind on keeping the old foam in my boat

Great video Jeff!!! I’m going to enjoy watching this boat build.

And that would not keep that boat floating. Great presentation Jeff! Looking forward to the next videos on the build.

Great video. Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks for sharing 👍

I would've never thought. Kind of out of sight out of mind. Thanks for the information. Looking forward to the next one.

Ready for this rebuild .. Man that 1 chunk held more that 1 gallon of water. #400 is probably going to be close. Thanks for sharing Jeff

Very interesting. I knew nothing about marine foam before this.

I've been excited to see this series come together. Keep em coming Jeff!!

Wow that's wild! Never would have thought it would hold water like that.

Keep the video's coming I am an aircraft mechanic... new to boats you are educating me, thank you

Thanks for sharing have a blessed day in the name of Jesus

Oh the joys of removing the foam. I had horrible time removing all of mine. I removed over 1100 lbs!!!! Thanks for sharing!

I know that my boat is the same way. My boat is waaaay to heavy for an 18.5v. I plan on gutting mine soon. Thanks for posting this video. I look forward to seeing your progress on this boat. God bless👍

What an awesome idea.

You Sir are an awesome teacher. New Subscriber :) You break it down and it makes perfect sense. I'm starting a restoration on a boat I bought for $100 from my Father in Law, that I found laying in the weeds. It's a simple 1960 aluminum 12' Meyers Laker 12 "Row Boat" (max 10hp) and I purchased a beautiful and runs great, 1964 Johnson 9.5hp 2 stroke just for this boat. I called Meyers boat company and they sent me "for free" a new capacity sticker. SWEET :) Ohio ODNR has issue me a H.I.N. because it never had one when it was built. From your videos, I have learned how to remove and install rivets. I have to remove all 3 seats and replace the floatation foam (over 150 rivets) but I want to do this right. Floatation foam must be used in the event that the boat gets swamped with water so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the lake. I think of it as good "invisible" insurance and cheaper than hiring a S.C.U.B.A. diver and recovery. :)

Can't wait to see this all done! I wonder if this is the reason in my 2021 tracker all the foam is inside plastic. My boat never freezes since its inside but this is great info Jeff!! Thanks!

Great information Jeff great show

Lots of great info...THX One thing I never thought of is freeze and thaw info THX

looking forward to the project Jeff, Please make sure the fixing up another boat virus is not contagious as I am in the high risk age! "Just Sayin"

Went through the same thing with over 500lbs of foam removed. Picked up 6 mph on the top end when I tested the boat no foam. I’m actually pouring the new foam today. I definitely wouldn’t run the boat without it. I took water over the bow in the bar crossing at my river entrance when I took it for the test run without the foam and almost lost the boat. There’s a reason the USCG requires it under 20’. Good luck and be safe!👍

Finally someone who really understands it. There's so much misinformation out there about foam, and a lot of it just didn't seem right to me. This explanation makes sense. I have an old fiberglass boat with a foam floor/hull, it was damaged from the underneath and water had got in. Even after giving it ages to dry, I tried patching the holes but they just re-wetted. Think I'm going to have to remove the foam like you have done. Thanks for sharing.

Thats polyurethane foam,not styrofoam.Polyurethane will absorb water over time where styrofoam will not.Big difference.Iv,e sprayed thousands of pounds of the stuff in my lifetime.Styrofoam is what they use for floatation in dock,s because it will not absorb water and it doesn,t go bad other than wear.You keep calling it styrofoam when it,s not.Styrofoam is actually polystyrene.

thanks for taking time to do stuff like this

Goooooood viryi goood 🎣🎣 le

Thanks for this... I have a 1998 16/51 Excel mod v boat I use to fish and duck hunt out of. It has a tall transom and when I am at a decent speed. 1/2 to WOT, and I slow down, the back of the boat settles down and the water swamps the back of the boat. I am going to get down into the boat and check to see if this is what is happening soon.

Wow!! Thats a good thing to know about styrofoam.since i am removing the back floor wood and under it ,it has styrofoam,and from your video i am going to take of those styrofoam. I will follow u for more video ideas as i go on fixing my boat floor.thanks

When it breaks down to that level it is more of a sponge than flotation. That 10 lb section you weighed is holding more than a gallon of water.

try to put the foam on a plastic bag to avoid water and put a panel over it or glue the plastic bag to the boat.

This is gold.

Air mattress or tire tube Fiberglass the air stems for access to pump up 12 volt compressor cut slots in the floor for drainage 1 gallon empty water jugs glue lids use plumbing straps to hold them down

Water is about 8lbs a gallon.Thanks much for your info.

Jeff, thanks for the video. Could you comment on repairing a waterlogged fiberglass boat? I’m interested to know what the level of effort would be to fix one. Blessings from Fredericksburg, Virginia.

I like you're Videos. Tip Bilge Pump Mount on small Aluminum Plate, wrap entire Pump and Plate with Black Fiberglass Mesh, Ny Tie tightly shut voila ..no more Pump stoppage from Foreign Debris.

thanks for the video, now I have to take all of it out of my boat . But its worth it.

The big picture is that the cell membrane over not so long of time is water permeable. All of it. Iso is probably the best yet it too will soak up water totally. Boston whaler used Iso foam between the hull skins they started building in the sixties in ten years they began to fail. When the outer fiberglass skin was removed time and time again showing the entire foam core was saturated, totally. If you have foam you are going to have soaking foam in time. Something else such as a bladder needs to be used for flotation purposes. A bladder could be pressure checked occasionally to see if it was water logged. Regulations requiring the covering to be removable to inspect for damage would enhance their performance. Foam is just not the answer.

You need a open area in the centre bottom front to back for air and drainage

That's nuts! Will that happen to newer boats? I have a 2012 that's been full of water a few time but always garage kept. Happy Fishing!

Put that FOAM on a STOVE...to dry it out. Oops...disregard...you'd end up with: FOAM, FOAM on the range.

Great video, had the same problem in a fiberglass boat, top foam dry but wet under! I wonder if you cored out a 2" or even 4" or so hole in the floor down thru the foam to the waterlogged part, would the water collect there so it could be vacuumed or pumped out gradually???????

I just did this on a old tracker. I bet I took 150plus pounds of waterlogged foam. 30-40 pounds of water logged dirt out of the entire boat. I’m going back with the pink 2” foam under my floor but there are some areas I’ll be putting pour foam back in. The way I see it the boat it 30 years old if I do it this way I won’t have to worry about it in my lifetime. Then eventually another guy can have a project boat with his kids like I’m doing.

Well I ripped all the pour foam out of the boat. I have a few corroded spots on the floor and a few ribs. I filled the boat up with some water & checked for leaks. No leaks at all. Some of the corrosion is pretty bad. But not leaking. Bottom of the boat on the water side looks brand new. It was never painted. Maybe a clear coat not sure. Anyway, I washed inside of boat real good. Sprayed with vinegar and scrubbed. Then I washed and scrubbed with AlumaKleen. Worked pretty good. My question is what do, I do with the corrosion / pitted bottom inside the boat. DO I filled pitted areas with something or just leave it alone? Any help or suggestions would be great. I herd that JB Weld has metal in it which I think would cause more corrosion. Whats your thoughts on this problem.

Thanks for posting this. I'm rebuilding a 2000 targa 18 and was wondering about what to reform with, whether sheeting or mix.

Thanks again just have a question about inside aluminum of the boat. Maybe you said or has been answers in the comments that I didn't see. If it is wet and is not the greatest shape.. how do I need to clean it, and what do I put on to stop the corrosion??????

I wish the foam came up that easy in my tri-hull

Ok problem identified. What is the solutions?

Thanks I have 1985 hydro sport I'm taking out everything. I have to do it like you said. 400-600 extra pounds is very bad.

Polyethylene is a closed cell foam. It looks kind of like styrofoam as it has a bead appearance. It will not absorb water like the spray in foam. There are different types, pool noodles for one. But there is a type that really cant be compressed much at all and will actually spring back if you do try to compress it. Pink foam is polystyrene. Im not sure its a good choice because it is not very chemically stable (gasoline? ). Bet it is not coast guard approved. Heres a link to a video. go to 15:15 and 21:36. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qLmWarhoxrWne2g.html I just ripped the foam out of my boat and replaced it with the stuff used in the video. Should really watch all the video. These guys do awesome work.

Do you have a vid on foam replacement on this boat,great content

When I do mine I want to make it where I can plug in a dry air blower to circulate air through the hull

Whats the advantage of replacing that foam vs just not putting it back? I removed most of mine and didn't put any back. There is a little left. I left it because it "looked good". I do believe ill be removing it now. If i did have some pitting would i be able to save it by using brazing rods?

I pulled 1 full piece out of one stringer about 8ft long and 10 inches wide that weighed over 80 lbs. That was the small piece. The center stringer was 2 times bigger and 3 times heavier. In total I pulled about 500lbs of wet foam out.

I suspect my 15.5 foot aluminum 1990 Legend has waterlogged foam . It has not been in the water for 3 years as it sits in my driveway with the bow up at about 20 degrees to allow water to drain out the back . Would drilling a few small 1/4" holes in the floor then using a hot prod to melt the foam , then use a dry prod to check for water on the bottom ?

Hi, my grandpa's old aluminum fishing boat was left outside, uncovered, through all 4 Michigan seasons for about 15 years. The wood is in surprisingly good shape, but I'm replacing it anyway because although it is not completely rotted, it is water logged. How can I tell if I need to replace the foam?

What would you replace the foam with? Seems to me you might as well leave it empty, since at least empty room won’t soak up any water that gets in.

What about using a blue dock billet in place of 2 inch panels ?

Poluretyan foam need use

Can this be done to a v hull angler boat?

So I just got a boat 1984 all the floor board is rotted since I'm replacing the board should I just replace the foam 🤔

I have the exact boat. What type of foam should I be replacing this with?

I wish my foam came out that easy !!!!!!!!!!!

What are you going to replace it with !

I think that the boat floor needs to be sealed to keep the water out. That pour in foam is good only for fiberglass boats where under the floor is completely sealed off by the fiberglass floor and the water on the floor runs back to the Bilge pump and rear plug compartment, which is completely sealed off from under the floor. If water gets under the floor, it is coming from a bigger problem like a hole in the Hull of the boat when the boat is built properly with a sealed floor.

The think that sucks is i will have to put all new foam back for a fibreglass one.

Makes we wanna strip my boat out.

That is not Styrofoam. It appears to be a liquid foam

Did you tear your boat down?

Id lay off the finger food for a while..

Real closed cell will not absorb water. Manufacturers are cheaping out and not using closed cell! You can not compress closed cell foam like you did.

You can't use the word "styrofoam" when you're not talking about styrofoam...styrofoam is the white beady stuff that comes as packing. It's the same as if you're talking about rutabagas but keep using the word "carrot" every time. The foam you're dealing with in your boat is called "Pour-foam" There's also spray-foam and the purple stuff that comes in sheets at Big Box stores. There's green sheets too. Just like every vegetable is not carrot, every type of foam is not styrofoam. These words refer to specific things. I have to translate everything you're saying. It's aggravating. But, I'm now convinced that I will not install this pour-foam in my boat as I was planning so I'm both irked and happy. I think I dodged a bullet. I was going to fill the entire bilge on my 23 foot cuddy.

This guy doesn’t know his foams. This is two part polyurethane foam, sold a waterproof, it never was, especially as quality control when mixing and pouring is not good. Styrofoam is an extruded polystyrene foam, it is truly waterproof. Will not take any water into its core, though the surface can get wet. This is the best product to use. Expanded polystyrene is a bead board, the beads are expanded in the factory and fill the spaces between themselves…but not fully, and can take up some water. Ok to use if the area can be drained.