air bladder to replace foam....

the WaTeRhAwK

the WaTeRhAwK

fryin' up a/m electrics..
Location
okc
has anyone ever thought of replacing the foam in these things with an air bladder system? it seems like it would be a hell of a lot lighter than foam. you could just have a pressure gauge mounted to back of one of the gunwales, with a small valve stem for filling it.
 
the WaTeRhAwK

the WaTeRhAwK

fryin' up a/m electrics..
Location
okc
guiness92 said:
ping pong balls would be better :)
Click to expand...



yeah, yamaslut thought of that a few years ago. but you would still have to foam it with them, and you would still risk letting water in and soaking the foam and getting amongst the balls. with a bladder system, it could be configured to take up all the nooks and crannys while completely eliminating water.
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
I'm sure air bladders would work... However, since the tray is no longer supported, you will have to beef up the tray in order to take the load that the foam is no longer adding...Unless your bladder is going to be pressurized...

In the end you have to weigh out the cost vs. effort vs. weight savings.
 
GDFL

GDFL

Location
Melbourne, FL
There is no way a bladder would work. Look at all the lines going through there that you couldn't possibly get around. It wouldn't fill any better than pingpong balls, probably less. Think about it, 2 cooling lines, steering tube, drive shaft tube, exhaust tube, scupper tube, footholds, sharp fiberglass strings from reinforcement. It'll never work. Several people have sealed everything and added a drain plug while running no foam. It seems to work pretty well unless you are a high flying surf rider, which lightweight isn't nearly as important. The current freestyle national champ ran that way.
 
Idok

Idok

F1pro
Location
Nations oldest muthaF+++kin city
I was playing around with dirtbike tubes the other day.......I had one jammed up inside the hood of the F1..it fit fine, but you couldnt put much air in it..


also thought about cutting up one of those tubes and makeing ust a long straight tube out of it to put inside the pole.....


if I ever refoam a superjet, Im using plastic coke bottles with a reinforced tray...thats the easy part!!!
 
WFO Speedracer

WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
Location
Alabama
What I had looked at was boat fenders,the new ones come in various sizes they are damn thick vinyl,uv resistant and have a place for a football needle for inflation,I am going to look at this a lot closer before I seal th T-JET back up.
 
GReenANt

GReenANt

GReenAnt
Location
Indianapolis
i would say a combo of 2 liter bottles and ping pong balls would keep the most foam out of that area and would lower the amount of water that could be absorbed but it seems like support would be needed under the tray
 
accbr

accbr

addicted
Location
Lexington, KY
Kayak flotation might work. I still have some of these from my whitewater days. They're fairly tough, but it might be a pain getting them out if they did bust. I left some in my kayaks for two years without deflating them, and they never dry rotted. They did slowly lose air, but you could just blow them back up.

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1760

edit: the exhaust would probably melt them if you didn't shield them from the heat some how. Wrap the exhaust in that heat tape you see on motorcycle exhausts???
 
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Matt_E

Matt_E

steals hub caps from cars
Site Supporter
Location
at peace
It is a bit lighter, but you're not talking major savings here.

A SJ needs about 4 cuft of foam, so when using 3lb foam you're at 12lbs total.
 
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