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This is the place to post your ideas, thoughts, questions and comments as relates to general boatbuilding and reconstruction techniques and procedures (i.e. recoring, epoxy, fiberglass, wood, etc.)
I believe the foam inside the keel of my Person Commander is water logged. It has been leaching water for what is now over a year since the boat was last in the water. I purchased this boat a couple of months ago and want to fix the water problem once and for all.
The keel was built as part of the hull when they built the boat and the lead ballast installed inside after it was molded. Behind the ballast foam was put in and then the inside top of the keel was glassed over.
I am seriously considering cutting out the glass inside and digging out all of the foam and replacing it with something that will not become water logged again.
I'm getting a lot of small blisters from the water in the keel and I want to put a stop to it. Any and all advise would be appreciated.
I replaced the foam in the cavity on my Triton project. If Pearson used the same foam in the Commander, then you’ll find it very, very porous indeed. The material on the Triton was a loose cell foam that must have been readily available during the 1960’s because the same basic stuff was used on the ice box of my 1969 Tartan 34 when I recently trashed it to support the cockpit seat during recore work.
I think you will be happy with the two part polyurethane “flotation” foam that is available at Jamestown Distributors and elsewhere. This is a much different foam than what is probably there now. If the cavity were filled with this foam, very little water could reside there. It is a closed cell foam that is also much stronger than what is there now.
You’ll be amazed at how much expansion will take place after you mix the product. You can pour small amounts at a time until you get the cavity filled. If you over-fill the cavity, you can then sand the foam down level with the top of the cavity, and use this surface to laminate new material over the top.
I have a question about this foam.... How much pressure would it exert? If I pour it into a section of my float, through a small opening in the deck what would/could happen? If I over pour?
Thank you very much. That could be just the ticket. I need to cut into the glass closing off the top and dig all that junk out and let the keel dry out while I'm doing other projects. Then I'll seal any possibility of leaks that I can conceive and this closed cell foam should then seal everything up nicely.
I have a question about this foam.... How much pressure would it exert? If I pour it into a section of my float, through a small opening in the deck what would/could happen? If I over pour?
It can exert a surprising amount of force actually. I have no doubt that it could blow out a cavity like the Triton "false keel". One solution to this problem is to drill relief holes (around an inch or so) in a couple of areas in the side of the cavity (near the top obviously). These holes are easily repaired by laminating new material over the shaped foam later.
Jerry shouldn't have this problem because He'll need a large enough hole to get his arm into that cavity to break apart the old foam, though relief holes sure can't hurt.