Superjet foam Problem

Vumad

Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
One thing I have not once seen in a waterlogged foam thread is the before and after weights. The composite added to repair what was done by cutting out the tray is not weightless. Has anyone done a before an after comparison of weights? I can't imagine there are significant benefits to replacing the foam as compared to simply adding drains and letting it work itself back out, especially on newer skis, but I don't actually know either way.
 
Pro-pulsion

Pro-pulsion

Location
Ontario, Canada
I can say from having to remove my foam when it was soaked that it weighed at least an extra 20-30 lbs heavier. I did the drains hoping it would let the foam drain out and dry up but it doesn't. It drained some for sure, the time in between rides though wasn't long enough to get it fully dried. Actually, when I removed the foam it was in the early winter if I recall when it became frozen. That was about 2-3 months after I winterized the ski and it still held that much weight even with the drains open. I'm certain that with all the extra work I just recently did including epoxy filler for the tray to get smooth lines back on the finished job it still didn't add more than 7 lbs total. I couldn't lift the empty hull when the soaked foam was in it, I'm a lot more lazy and a lot less strong right now but I can at least lift the empty hull on my own now.
 
Sanoman

Sanoman

thecolorpurple
Location
NE Tenn
brapperdoodle said:
I also found that a really sharp chisel can be used to cut through the glue when you hold it like a knife. Not plunge cuts, dig a corner of the chisel into the glue, then lightly tap the handle of the chisel and it will butter through that glue. Got my FX-1 mega clean using that method. You can also get a chisel underneath the glue flat and twist, it will help lift the glue and break the bond.
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Yes,that method worked for me.Thanks for the tip
 
Vumad

Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
Pro-pulsion said:
I can say from having to remove my foam when it was soaked that it weighed at least an extra 20-30 lbs heavier. I did the drains hoping it would let the foam drain out and dry up but it doesn't. It drained some for sure, the time in between rides though wasn't long enough to get it fully dried. Actually, when I removed the foam it was in the early winter if I recall when it became frozen. That was about 2-3 months after I winterized the ski and it still held that much weight even with the drains open. I'm certain that with all the extra work I just recently did including epoxy filler for the tray to get smooth lines back on the finished job it still didn't add more than 7 lbs total. I couldn't lift the empty hull when the soaked foam was in it, I'm a lot more lazy and a lot less strong right now but I can at least lift the empty hull on my own now.
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Thanks for the reply.

I wonder if it could be dried more efficiently by using the factory pour holes to push some air and putting the entire boat on somewhere with a dehumidifier. Or perhaps some use of Damp Rid.
 
Pro-pulsion

Pro-pulsion

Location
Ontario, Canada
I don't believe so V, I had the sticker on the exhaust side already removed from mine thinking the same thing. That foam is much like when pool noodles soak up the water, it stays in them for weeks and unless they have ample air to dry them out, they just don't. I tried versi-plugs, screw in boat plugs left open during storage, that sticker removed, without pulling the foam it just wasn't going to dry out. I have since changed my foam over to high strength blue construction foam. It's all new to this year so we'll see how it holds up. No foam is a bad idea though, the foam is a structural thing, without it the sides will collapse from water impact and the tray will buckle and crack from rider weight and big landings. I won't do the expanding foam again though, too much mess if ever damage had to be repaired again.
 
CBiDrive

CBiDrive

Location
Denver, ColoRADo
From when I did mine all the answers here are spot on. I did the blue foam up to the deck, sealed the bond line and all through fittings and then added drain plugs. The sides I did with polyester expando foam because I was molding in footholds. No matter what you do it will still leak into tray so drain plugs are absolutely necessary. I though I had mine sealed up tight and first run after doing it I had water come out of drain plugs.
 
fastgtfairlane

fastgtfairlane

Location
Charlotte, NC
My superfreak has no foam in it. I'm debating on cutting the tray open to inspect the cooling lines and exhaust tube as the freaks are notorious for corroding cooling lines in the tray although this is a glass hull. I wasnt planning to refoam it as I like how light it is.
 
Pro-pulsion

Pro-pulsion

Location
Ontario, Canada
Quinc said:
Adding the pink hard foam from homedepot only adds at most 1-2lbs. Not sure its enough to float though. Probably just buy you an extra minute or two before it sinks.
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It's not strong enough either at about 30psi compressive strength. It needs to have a lot more resilience. I just went through this lol...if you put a piece of it on the floor and stand on it you'll leave indents. The higher strength stuff comes at a cost but can handle 100 psi loads and will also be good as a structural integrity maintainer. The sides and tray won't be as likely to buckle under the big landings or lack thereof lol :p
 
fastgtfairlane

fastgtfairlane

Location
Charlotte, NC
Most of the aftermarket hulls I've seen do not have any foam inside. They also have 26mm plush padding under the turf which would soften the impact from a hard landing. I will be cutting the tray open on my badass just to make sure everything is sealed properly and the aluminum lines are not eaten through as this ski has been in salt pretty much since it was built in 2012. I'm not planning to put any foam in there either. I'm gonna use 4 layers of 2 inch wide 8oz glass tape and make a few strips to go under the piece I cut out. I'll use a few rivets on either side to hold them in place on the hull and glue the panel I cut out to the strips. Then and a few layers on top to seal it all up.
 
Pro-pulsion

Pro-pulsion

Location
Ontario, Canada
The underpad will compress and stay that way after a year or two tops. I've tried a few things from the Hydro Turf thick stuff to anti-fatigue industrial soft foam kneeling pads, all of them compressed over time.
 
cpenn

cpenn

Location
Minnesota
For anyone who is reading this thread to learn what's involved with defoaming/refoaming, I made a video that shows the process on my '92 SJ.
 
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