[Public-list] MY 1968 pre liner bilge

Tue May 4 09:39:25 PDT 2004

Gord & Mike,

Thanks for the foam feedback.  My clarifying question is one of scale.  If I
encapsulate one to two square feet of foam in fiberglass (no joints), will
not the chances of saturating the foam be greatly reduced?  With this
scenario, there appear to be only two ways moisture can get in, osmosis and
condensation.  Hopefully osmosis is not a possibility and condensation
doesn't occur w/ solid material.  Perhaps the greatest risk is flexing of
the hull would cause delamination between the foam and the inside surface of
the hull and condensation could form there.  Any theories on the cause of
the foam saturation in your Whalers;  leaks from seams / through-hulls,
delamination, leaky beer coolers?

I can't find any self leveling foam so, it probably doesn't matter anyway.
Thanks for your valued input.

Roger

Roger L. Kingsland, AIA
Managing Partner
Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates (KSBA)
N40° 27' 49"  W79° 57' 59"
3441 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
www.ksba.com

1(412) 252-1500 X101 - Office & Voice Mail
1(412) 779-5101 - Mobile (no voice mail)
1(412) 252-1510 - Fax

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net>
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Public-list] MY 1968 pre liner bilge

> Hello Mike -
>
> I agree - I do not believe that there is any way to be sure that the foam
> will not eventually become saturated.
>
> Gord #426 Surprise (whose dinghy is a Boston Whaler Squall - great boat
but
> heavy...)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Here's a personal experience I had with a foam-filled boat. You know how
> > they advertise Boston Whalers to be unsinkable because they are foam
filled?
> > Remember seeing the ads where they cut a boat into thirds and all the
pieces
> > still float? (I'm not sure why that attracts anyone to buy the boat - I
> > would never cut my boat into thirds!) What does happen, I found out, was
if
> > water gets into the hull and foam the boat becomes very, very heavy. Ah!
But
> > you say, the foam is closed-cell and doesn't absorb water!! While this
may
> > be true intially, after a few freeze-thaw cycles, I have found that the
foam
> > becomes absorbant and acts like a huge sponge. I wrote to the Boston
Whaler
> > folks and they sent me a complete set of printed instructions on how to
fix
> > the problem (think this has ever happened to anyone else?). The
instructions
> > started out by flipping my 17' Whaler over and cutting out large
sections of
> > the hull so I could dig all of the water-laden foam out...I sold the
boat.
> > They buyer was told that the foam had become water logged and replied:
"No
> > problem, a lot of them have that".
> >
> > Just a word of caution from a personal experience.
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike Lehman
> > "Gilleleje" #505
> >
> > ~~~_/)_/) ~_/) ~~
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----Original Message Follows----
> > From: "Matthew Hay" <haymatthew_ at hotmail.com>
> > Reply-To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
<public-list at alberg30.org>
> > To: public-list at alberg30.org
> > Subject: [Public-list] MY 1968 pre liner bilge
> > Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 00:08:54 -0400
> >
> > Bill,
> > When I had my engine out in my 1968 pre liner bilge i also had about a
foot
> > of silica type sand stuff in the bottom of the bilge in the V shaped
> > section.  I did not have any sort of covering of fiberglass or any
material
> > over the sand.  I just had smelly oily sand.  Perhaps in an attempt to
seal
> > off the oily bilge smell or some other reason? someone poured a new
floor
> > over the sandy stuff??  In my 1968 boat the bilge under the engine and
the
> > small bilges under the cabin sole are not connected.  They are sealed of
> > with a wooded wall between the engine bilge and the smaller bilges.
With a
> > drain hole cut so any water in the forward bilge (or sand) is washed
back
> > into the maine engine bilge.
> > Why would you want to fill your bilge up with expanding foam?  In my
> > experience expanding foam in an out doors type application when left on
its
> > own and not protected from water etc. turns dark orangeish brown and
starts
> > to deteriorate.  Perhaps you should just wait until you can take your
engine
> > out sometime and then just clean out your bilge.   I would rather clean
sand
> > out of a bilge then expanding foam.  Also think of your re-sale value
and
> > trying to explain to someone that you filled the bilge with expanding
foam.
> > The floor over the sand does not make any sense to me.  I do not believe
the
> > sand to be functional since I found tools and bolts way down at the
bottom
> > of the bilge under all the sand.  Meaning that it collected somehow over
> > time.  Your bilge is basically just the entire inside of your keel which
is
> > very solid fiberglass.  Maybe the missing section of the false floor is
not
> > really an issue?
> > I hope this helps some,
> > Matthew #314 1968  "Renard"
> >
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