polystyrene beads?

[dezzerts10]

so this past weekend i yanked my foot strap out of the hull and make a nice little hole, and now that i can see the wet foam ima go ahead and de-foam it. my question is that if i re-inforce the hull like i was gunna run no foam and install drains and fill the thing with polystyrene beads (like in a bean bag chair) how would that work? the beads would just be there in case of a leak so it wont sink.

thanks for any help

 

[blaster800]

Nothing like thinking outside the BAG . Im positive it will float , it will work ,it will be MESSY , go for it ,be ''green '' and reuse ! Its just something I would rather avoid the mess .

 

[OCD Solutions]

I had the same idea with my Matrix but everybody talked me out of it. Right now the bottom rear is an empty sealed chamber but should it ever spring a leak I was going to fill it with small beads at the same time i install the drain plug just to displace water. They make various pellets that would be suitable depending on how much weight you were willing to sacrifice. Those really light pillow types are very clingy and messy to work with. A vaccuum with a paper filter on the opposite side of the chamber would work very well. Set up a negative draft and pour them in with a funnel and let the draft pull them in.

 

[Cannibal]

One other thing to think about is when using drain plugs, there's a good chance you'll be loosing some of your beads when you drain the water out as well, and if you don't loose some beads, they might plug up your drain hole. Just about everyone that has re-foamed with any alternative to 2-part has experienced some water intrusion from somewhere, so don't plan on it being 100% water tight when you are done.

 

[SurferSmurf]

do what i did. its nice i drain it every time i ride and have no issues.

http://www.x-h2o.com/threads/76412-PING-PONG-BALLS-defoam-tray-widening-zero-SJ-sponsons-plus-more

 

[wright2383]

^^ i read the ping pong ball refoam thread. where did you get the balls? link please.

 

[vomitspot]

also consider bean bag beans will offer little support in the tray/foot hold they will just move out the way

 

[Patrick Star]

I'm going to run some dock foam. That stuff is tough, adds structural support, and bounces back when hit.

 

[dezzerts10]

One other thing to think about is when using drain plugs, there's a good chance you'll be loosing some of your beads when you drain the water out as well, and if you don't loose some beads, they might plug up your drain hole. .

i though about this. what i was gunna do was put some kind of a screen infront of the drains. let water out but mo foam

 

[dezzerts10]

also consider bean bag beans will offer little support in the tray/foot hold they will just move out the way

the plan was to re-inforce the tray so that no foam was needed for suport. the foam is there just to prevent sinking

 

[dezzerts10]

thanks for all the replys! think im just gunna go for it, see how it works out. i'll be installing rev foot holds at the same time and think im gunna cut the gunwales like the sxr look.
also wanted to put in a tube to run a trim cable, what side of the pump do those typically go on, or does it matter?

 

[augustaf]

the left side

 

[SurferSmurf]

^^ i read the ping pong ball refoam thread. where did you get the balls? link please.

just search on ebay. you need about 1000 ping pong balls. make sure they are the plastic beer pong balls. they are smaller so you can put more in and they are not crushable.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

 

[Matt_E]

Bad idea.

 

[227]

Instead of using the shipping peanuts has any body just shaped blocks of "beer cooler" foam? I know you can't really sand it but a hot knife will give you a smooth cut. It seems like it would not only be water proof but lighter and offer support also. BTW any body know anything about "beer cooler" foam? The coolers come shaped so they obviously came out of a mold, why couldn't it be poured in having the hull itself be the mold and just never remove it?

 

[Matt_E]

That's just polystyrene I think. Lots of people have used that, me included.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

That's what blasters come with from the factory, front and rear. No wet foam issues there. It's pretty easy to make a hot wire cutter that could carve that stuff up anyway you want it.

 

[Idok]

someone here told me I should use sand.

its plentiful, so why not?

 

[SurferSmurf]

someone here told me I should use sand.

its plentiful, so why not?

mixed with quickcrete. dont worry about adding any water, it will find a way in.