bite the bullet and did some cutting

[seabob4]

Aqua,
Keep in mind the foam is not there, nor was it ever intended, to lend a hand in support of the cockpit sole.  The foam is shot in first to fill the cavities between the stringers, b/heads, whatever.  If it rises above the stringer top level, it is shaved down so it doesn't interfere with decking the boat.  The stringers and b/heads are what support the sole.

Foam should never be shot into cavities after the boat has been decked, unless there are strategically placed "foam holes" to allow excess foam to escape should an over-zealous gun operator be on the trigger.  With no where to go, foam will pop even a cured bond line loose if there is too much expansion.  

Actually kind of a neat noise it makes...  

[aquaaggie]

I probably wasn't very clear earlier...I think I was on the iPhone at the time.

What I mean is that I have not cut into my deck at all yet, as it seems to be pretty solid and hasn't given me a reason to. However, if I did cut into it, I would want to see if any foam underneath is wet, as many people have encountered with AS's of my age (and even newer). A very common theme on here seems to be a 70's AS sitting low in the water or "below the water line", causing owners to get creative on scupper covers, etc. The one time I have splashed my boat since purchasing it (have to replace the trim motor), mine sat pretty well in the water with two people aboard. However, I haven't really tried loading it down yet.

Definitely not looking to shoot foam into my boat; just curious as to what type of results the OP sees after pulling out that much weight from his boat. After having read most of the threads on here before purchasing mine, eventually cutting into the deck to remove wet foam was always something I figured would be necessary. So far, so good; but haven't gotten too from the dock far just yet! Sorry if I'm lost in translation somewhere!