Try somthing different

[saltfly]

After reading about so many people having water logged stringers. I thought I would relate something a friend did and it worked for him. After he realized he had water logged stringers in his 17 Aquasport. He did something, though unortadox, made sense. He drilled a hole in the bow down through the deck  into the stringer and half way in to the foam. He they bonded a heave wall plastic pipe into the stringer, leaving about a ½ inch gap from the bottom of the hole in the foam and the pipe. He had put a air fitting on the pipe. He then drilled another hole 6 inches up the hull from the transom up through the bottom and into the foam. He set his air compressor to about 25psi  and hooked it to the fitting in the deck and opened the valve. It didn’t take long before water started coming out the hole in the bottom. He had weighted the boat before he started. After 2 weeks of doing this off and on. He then weighted the boat again. He told me after doing both stringers this way. He got all the water out of the foam. I know it sounds crazy. But I saw it work and from an engineering stand point  it makes sense. Your using air pressure to replace the water with air. So if redoing your deck and stringer is a problem for you and your stringers are water logged. You may want to try this and form your own conclusion if it works or not.

[Capt. Bob]

And this also kept them from absorbing water again?

[saltfly]

No water will continue to get in the same way it got their in the first place. In his case the boat was kept in the water.  Now it is kept on his trailer and kept covered. So his stringers have stayed dry. The only way to stop it. Is to remove the deck and reseal the stringers. But you will have to agree. That doing that is a lot less work then digging out the foam or replacing the deck and all the stringers.

[seabob4]

I like it!!!

[saltfly]

Well thank you kind sir. You are truly a gentleman and a scholar.   And if I where down your way. I would most suredlly buy you a beer. But since I'm not. I'll Just call you bob.

[seabob4]

Well thank you kind sir. You are truly a gentleman and a scholar.   And if I where down your way. I would most suredlly buy you a beer. But since I'm not. I'll Just call you bob.

Salt,
You will find a myriad of methods to deal with water-logged foam, which, in my humble opinion, is simply a stop-gap measure to deal with the real problem, water intrusion.  That is the key, stopping water intrusion. Short of digging out all the foam, your buddy's method seems to be the cat's meow.  The question I have to ask, though, is what remains of the structural properties of the formerly water-logged foam?  In other words, now that the water is gone, does the foam still have any structural integrity to it?  It has often been said that if stringers are properly glassed, the wood "core" could be removed, and the glass would serve quite admirably as the stringer...I've wondered about that...

Anyway, don't worry about the beer, always have plenty on hand...

[saltfly]

Hey Bob
Structure analysis, show that when new,  the design and size of those stringer do not need the foam. That type of foam really doesn’t add  any real support after the glass and rosin cures. AS you know everything is pores. Water , when constantly present. Will eventually work its way into the stringer.  As you also know even gel coat will start to absorb water after only a week when it is not painted and kept in the water. porosity is and will always be a problem to be dealt with, and their in lays the problem. As fiber glass ages. The porosity problem becomes worse, as the rosin and glass begin to break down. Constance maintenance is the only way to keep up with it. But stringers being under decks prevent people from maintaining the stringers integrity. So the only thing we can really do with older boats. Is to remove the deck and reseal the stringers after the water has been evacuated. Now with that said. I can’t remember what the chemical is. But I was told by a chemist were I worked. That there is a chemical in liquid form. That can be pumped into the foam that will impregnate the foam and will stop the foam from absorbing water. At least for a number of years. Some one here, may be a chemist and know what it is. It can be done using the same process used to press out the water. You just hook up the pump to the air fitting and slowly pump it in till it starts to run out the back hole. Now with all of that said. If I have to do the stringers in my 196. I’m going to remove the deck and cut the top off the stringer. Remove the foam and refoam. I wouldn’t replace a fiber glass stringer system with wood. Water will eventually get to the wood.. Now it will take more years then most will keep the boat. But I won’t do it. If I where going to replace the stringers. It would be done with those prefab fiber glass stringers and bulkheads. Man now this old guy is tired . I haven’t use my brain in this way in a number of years.  Bwahahahaha Also that's the way to use refrigerator.



( man I don't like know it alls and I hope I'm not coming across as one. if so I apologies)

[gran398]

Hey, that was awesome. Great post!

[saltfly]

I can only hope my post can help some one. I've picked up a few things in my life time and like passing it on, if it can help people. I know I've learned a number of things on this board.

[fabuck71]

I think it's a fab idea. Most of the time the foam gets wet from screws from center console and lean post penetrating into the stringers and not properly sealed with caulk. If you do this and reseal all the screws then you should be fine. Even leaving in the water.

[GoneFission]

I like the idea, but I think vacuum might work better than pressure.  Put a vacuum on that stringer, and the moisture would vaporize and be removed.  Similar to what you do to get moisture out of air conditioning lines.  You could use a vacuum pump or a wet-dry shop vac.    

So the question is - is suck better than blow?  

[John Jones]

So the question is - is suck better than blow?  

One time I had a girl ask me....  aw, never mind.  

I tend to agree with Capt John about the vacuum unless one could supply heated air.  Two of the things that speed up evaporation are heat and moving air.  I don't know if I could stand to listen to a shop vac run for days.

[saltfly]

Using a Vacuum pump would work. The only difference would be pulling Vs pushing. Also it would depend on how many holes are between the opposite end from the pump. The vacuum pump may not be able to pull the length of the stringer, if to many openings are in the stringers. The vacuum pump would be pulling the foam away from the openings in the stringer. Were as the compressed air would be pushing the foam in to the openings. The only other point would be. More people have compressors then vacuum pumps and most don’t know how to use a compressor as a vacuum pump. And compressors when used that way. Aren’t as efficient when used in that manner. But I think the most important thing about this discussion is, look how many are thinking of other useful ideas.

[Mike453]

All the suck/ blow taken into account,transom work wet stringers, could you apply compressed air drill or cut hole  into rear of stringer, and auger foam out, possibly saving floor? Now my brain hurts!

[seabob4]

All the suck/ blow taken into account,transom work wet stringers, could you apply compressed air drill or cut hole  into rear of stringer, and auger foam out, possibly saving floor? Now my brain hurts!

This helps...