Aftermarket hull build, Foam or no Foam?

[BrightE's]

I wouldn't mess with beads.

Cut your tray open like you would any superjet and line the bottom deck up to the bond line with pink expanded polystyrene foam from home depot. Or if you want an easier material to pack, buy exdpanded polypropylene foam. Its less rigid so its easier to pack into a tray, and its impervious to solvents and gasoline, which the polystyrene is not. Costs a bit more and has to be ordered online.

Seal up the tray, drill two holes, and top off the gunnels with expanding 2 part urethane from US composites.

Put in drains while you're at it if you haven't already.

Sent from my VS980 4G

 

[Ducky]

Ahhh a freestyle factory chan built as a kit...yea, id probably foam that guy.

 

[SXIPro]

Stuff your pole with pool noodles, or better yet, makes some pool noodle sponsons and glue them on.

 

[bach6177]

Ahhh a freestyle factory chan built as a kit...yea, id probably foam that guy.

Wasn't quite a "kit" and the hulls are not bad. Ride great!

 

[tightithrash]

With out a versa or scupper the only other way to sink a ski immediately would be to blow a hole thru the hull or loose the hood which is pretty preventable. Right?

I get what your saying I just don't want the heavy water logged foam (which will eventually happen) or I would have stuck with a sj hull. I got thicker top and bottom hull halves and was trying to cut down on weight with no foam

You answered you own question. If the ski is "air tight" then why would foam get wet? Because it's not air tight.... Then fills with water.... Then sinks your boat... Then you are SOL.

 

[bach6177]

You answered you own question. If the ski is "air tight" then why would foam get wet? Because it's not air tight.... Then fills with water.... Then sinks your boat... Then you are SOL.

I know.... It's fiberglass and eventually what is air tight won't always be. That's why I put in a drain plug.

 

[Magnum Mike]

Are the three air chambers in the back of a Superfreak Badass enough to keep the tail bobbing at/close to the surface? I guess the space under the tray displaces less than a than a superjet since there is -4.3 compared to a full length superjet.

What if the Superfreak had the equivalent nose foam as a superjet. (how many super noodles is that?) Do you think it would sink to the bottom or bob at the surface?

 

[Vumad]

Are the three air chambers in the back of a Superfreak Badass enough to keep the tail bobbing at/close to the surface? I guess the space under the tray displaces less than a than a superjet since there is -4.3 compared to a full length superjet.

What if the Superfreak had the equivalent nose foam as a superjet. (how many super noodles is that?) Do you think it would sink to the bottom or bob at the surface?

If you wanted to get all scientific with it, you can measure the flotation of the foam and the weight of your ski. Im sure if you asked superfreak how much wet foam it takes to build your ski, you can multiply it out to get the bouyancy. Tie weights to a foot of pool noodle and see how much floation you get from your use . If you go the pink foam route, you can subtract your total from your waste to find out what you put in the ski. Add some extra because your engine, exhaust, etc components wont have water in them when you weigh your ski. Bouyancy at the lake is not the same as bouyancy in surf undertow. If a wave pushes it down, it might not come back up right away. Im sure if i was in heavy surf when my x2 went down, the tray foam alone wouldnt have been enough.

 

[Quinc]

This video helps put the sinking ski into perspective.

 

[txsuperjetfreak96]

Cut a piece of the tray out put pink foam from home depot glass section of tray back what i did on my bot


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[bach6177]

This video helps put the sinking ski into perspective.

So the moral of this story is an SXR is Buoyant enough to support a guy holding a sunken ski........right? Jk good vid.

 

[OCD Solutions]

My hull only came with foam in the sides of the upper tray area and relies on the lower rear holding air. After a couple seasons it's still bone dry so I have faith that it will always have enough air to float my ski. Even if it does develop a couple small leaks, it won't allow enough water in to offset the remaining buoyancy. If that changes, I will be sure to make the necessary repairs and I will be adding the pink foam at the same time.

I also added a block of foam in the nose and a noodle in my hood for safe measure.

 

[MikeyB]

I wouldn't mess with beads.

Cut your tray open like you would any superjet and line the bottom deck up to the bond line with pink expanded polystyrene foam from home depot. Or if you want an easier material to pack, buy exdpanded polypropylene foam. Its less rigid so its easier to pack into a tray, and its impervious to solvents and gasoline, which the polystyrene is not. Costs a bit more and has to be ordered online.

Seal up the tray, drill two holes, and top off the gunnels with expanding 2 part urethane from US composites.

Put in drains while you're at it if you haven't already.

Sent from my VS980 4G

x2

I went the polypropylene route since it is more robust and what the oem's used for the nose foam, but its not cheap.


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[MADMAT]

My chan has no foam as well, very torn about that and am on the fence about cutting it open this winter and adding foam. If you do decide to add foam, do not use two part pour foam, do not use foam in a can and do not use ping pong balls.

Why no beer pong balls?

 

[JMew03]

My ski has zero foam.. it also has duck bills which are the worst things ever invented. I can watch the water pour in from the drain tubs when it is sitting in water.
So use versiplugs or drainplugs and a good bilge if you want no foam.
As far as ride difference. A ski with foam will be easier to ride since it will stay above water with a person on it. Lol

 

[JT_Freeride]

My ski has zero foam.. it also has duck bills which are the worst things ever invented. I can watch the water pour in from the drain tubs when it is sitting in water.
So use versiplugs or drainplugs and a good bilge if you want no foam.
As far as ride difference. A ski with foam will be easier to ride since it will stay above water with a person on it. Lol

Foam or no foam will not change the "floatation" of a ski its job is to not allow water to fill those voids what's floating the ski when it's under water is air in the area where the foam is.

Bilges and scuppers will not save your ski if your hood flys off and tips under the water line. They will also not help if your ski is upside down taking a pounding in the surf. Or in if its up right and waves are crashing on it, a wave will pick the ski up and bring it straight to the bottom (skis don't float very well on aerated white water). Anything can happen while riding.

Ps. my ski has no tray foam or a bilge but it floats.

 

[bach6177]

Foam or no foam will not change the "floatation" of a ski its job is to not allow water to fill those voids what's floating the ski when it's under water is air in the area where the foam is.

Bilges and scuppers will not save your ski if your hood flys off and tips under the water line. They will also not help if your ski is upside down taking a pounding in the surf. Or in if its up right and waves are crashing on it, a wave will pick the ski up and bring it straight to the bottom (skis don't float very well on aerated white water). Anything can happen while riding.

Ps. my ski has no tray foam or a bilge but it floats.

So why do you choose no foam over foamed tray?

 

[Freakie]

It defies any reasonable logic to spend anywhere from 1K to 30 K on what we derive so much pleasure from over many years, and then not to spend a bit of time and less than 30 USD to ensure your ski wont sink in the worst case scenario....surf or FW.

I have a carbon Freak...comes with no foam, but sealed chambers under tray..... I might qualify for OCD or extreme paranoia

..heres what i do.

I have sunk it in my swimming pool on purpose to check if it floats (that''s posted in my build thread) and takes on water in the tray...it does not yet....I still regularly check for water here from drains that i fitted...it floats very well, nose down but tail is quite high above the waterline.....then I added more floatation.......
I now have almost 3 noodles in the engine bay as well.
I also now have nose foam from an old SN
I also have 2 inflatable bladders around my PFP area.
I have a quick release retriever on my handle pole...about thirty feet of kevlar in the the bag (MTB under saddle bag works well)
As a last measure I shackle a quick release tow rope looped around my waist every time I ski...its used mostly to tow my buddies back to their ski when they get separated from their own ski in the surf...happens a lot in big surf....but its there in case something goes wrong with my ski (hood off...although my brap strap has two belts)...I can quickly fit the shackle to my bow eye and loop it through my life jacket (you actually better off without it in big surf conditions)

 

[JT_Freeride]

So why do you choose no foam over foamed tray?

I didn't choose no foam. Rickters come with no foam in the tray. If I had the choice there would be foam

 

[Vumad]

Ensuring a air based ski doesn't let water in, ignores the possibility of a cracked hull. While not common, people do hit each other, hit the bottom, fail a trick from high enough to crack. Engine compartments can be reinforced, but trays often are not.

It's a lot of ifs, but I think everyone who has lost a ski thinks those things won't happen. The day I almost lost my x2, I thought everything was fine, until a Pipe cooling issue took out both my motor and my bilges. I thought I had enough foam in my tray, and thankfully I did Just barely for the conditions. Sometimes things just go bad suddenly. What is the plan b?