Foam Filled Stringer q's??? Structural???

[hogdogs]

Is that foam structural? Mine has some water of course... I drilled a few weep holes down low on inside of each near the stern as it up at extreme angle on the trailer right now....



My question is what level of structural integrity did the foam add when dry and new and what is it adding besides unwanted water weight while wet?



If it is doing little or nothing, I would think digging as much out as possible would be a way to reduce the weight and possibly make it possible for them to dry out further while I am building the new floor...

What says ya'll?
Brent

[Tx49]

Most definitely so. I'm speaking from engineering knowledge not boat knowledge. There are bunch of threads on here about guys who have rooted out there foam and replaced it with 4#closed cell. I'm sure more experienced guys than I will chime in soon.

[RickK]

If you cut off the tops of your trapizoidal stringers and dig out the foam (or however you engineer doing it - many ways to skin a cat) and then beef up the stringers before repouring foam, the foam is actually more floatation than structurall. The original stringers on the old boats were not very thick so I think that the foam was partly structural.

[hogdogs]

So would spending some time on the heat gun to dry it as best I can and leaving it alone is a good option?

Brent

[gran398]

So would spending some time on the heat gun to dry it as best I can and leaving it alone is a good option?

Brent

Don't expend the energy They're wet, but most all are wet to a greater or lesser degree.

Unless you're planning on doing it as Rick said and cut the tops off stem to stern....dig it all out then re-foam with closed cell, then reglass....run her. If she's real heavy...cut some holes low and in the very back of the stringers this winter, jack up the bow and let her drain

[CLM65]

The old foam was apparently not as water resistant as the new closed cell foam.  You can theoretically spend the time and energy to dry it out, but unless you figure out how to keep the water out, you are just going to end up with water logged foam again in the future.  I know it is a bit of a pain in the a$$, but the best thing to do is do as Rick suggested, or at least remove part of the tops of the stringers (maybe a foot every couple of feet - enough to get in there and dig it all out), and then pour in new 4# foam.  If want to go sans foam, you can reinforce your stringers like Rick did on his rebuild.  I would not leave the stringers empty without reinforcing them.

[wingtime]

Definitely structural....  Like the foam inside a surfboard

[gman 82 aquasport]

The foam helps the stringers hold their shape..With your floor already out, your half way to a stringer rebuild anyway , so why not cut the tops off, remove the old foam(use a sharpshooter shovel, makes it quick) reglass the tops down and re-inforce the sides of the stringers and re-foam..all new again..   As long as you seal all new mounting holes good when you redo the floor , most water should not see the stringers Like everyone else has said new closed cell foam is better and will last longer..if you check my rebuild, I did the stringers in just a few days of working on it and actually raised the floor level while rebuilding my floor..I had no fiberglass experience before, it something doesn't turn out the way you want, you just cut it back out and go again Re-doing mine took out 100lbs or so, so it was worth it..just my .02.. :pirat:

[gran398]

I'm with Gary (gman), Bruce (wingtime), Craig (CLM) and Rick (Rickk)....you're pretty much already there.

Go ahead and spend the extra few weeks of time right now while she's opened up. Five, ten years out....you won't be wondering about "those wet stringers" beneath the new deck.

Do it now...will be a done deal then

[hogdogs]

Not doing the whole floor... left the cable trough... Front is still there etc....

Building a new floor of 1/2 marine ply. Not going to screw the floor section down... it will be bedded and bonded like factory but much stronger so little chance new water will get in the foam much...

I have all of the bad wood out....

I am on a strict budget... When we found out about the cancer the wife managed to find $5k for this... not a penny more... Had to buy the boat and trailer out of that as well as the tank... Not much room to add to floor costs.

Brent