Freestyle Looking for options foam or no foam in my kdx hull

baxt3r

BBQ
Location
Charlotte, NC
I suppose you're right. It just seems a little strange when in one thread people insist on its importance and in another the builder is confident enough to leave it out. Maybe I am the only one seeing it this way.
 
So, why is a $4500+ hull not coming with foam?

Because some people with common since relize no matter how good you seal from the bulkhead back water will find its way into the foam compartment. So 2 months after you paid $4500 for your 80lb hull it now has 30lbs of water in the tray and needs to be cut open.

A few years ago No one ever wanted to believe that a hull will float when swamped without having foam in the tray, I would hope most people are past that. As long as you seal it up as good as possible and you dont blow apart the hull (50lb hulls) the boat will float better then it would with waterlogged foam. BET THAT
 

Christian_83

Xscream
Location
Denmark
Yeah what happened?
Ive allways allso thought that it would be impossible to seal a bulkhead 110% BUT if its possible to make a 100% air cavity, wouldnt it allso be possible to make the bulkhead foamed and keep water out ? :)
 

raytherace

Canadian Brapp Dealer
Location
St-Ray Beach, QC
My hood pop out during a barrel roll attemps with my G3 and there is foam in a BOB and the ski sank in less of 3 second. By chance the lake was not too deep. We were able to dive and attach the hull with a rope and bring it back to the shore.
 

Christian_83

Xscream
Location
Denmark
Ray wtf?! Thats pretty :):):):)ty, wonder what BOB guys say to that. Lucky you got it back, but if its not enough foam to make it float. Its a false "safety" i mean if you were in the ocean?
 

raytherace

Canadian Brapp Dealer
Location
St-Ray Beach, QC
Ray wtf?! Thats pretty :):):):)ty, wonder what BOB guys say to that. Lucky you got it back, but if its not enough foam to make it float. Its a false "safety" i mean if you were in the ocean?

Which ski float without a hood up side down ???

Fill it with ping pong balls

To be honest with you the nose of the ski was touching the bottom of the lake who is around 15 feet and the tail of the ski was still in the up direction so, does the ski would float if there were like 20-30 feet of water, i dont know, but I can confirm you that the tail of the ski was under the water at 4-5 feet. So i suggested to add some empty waterbottle in the nose of the hull, but finally I just decide to run hood strapp.
 
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djkorn1

kidkornfilms
Site Supporter
Location
Cleveland Ohio
F THAT! You NEED floatation...especially in waves and Lake Erie is not shallow enough.... I know skis that were 'sealed' that went down too. I'd do 1000 or so industrial pingpong balls and make sure it has a full bulkhead, versaplugs and an 1100Rulemate floatswitch pump (won't wear down your tiny battery running when not needed. Your boat will still be super light, no foam to get waterlogged, it'll never get heavier and it'll always float. There is NO downside to this...

Anyone who says this is a bad idea doesn't know any better.......believe the pingpong ball hype...if my Trinity foam ever gets wet, I'm ponging it. I've seen two skis with it done. Both will NEVER sink.

Another option is polystyrene strips stuffed into the back.
 
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I suppose you're right. It just seems a little strange when in one thread people insist on its importance and in another the builder is confident enough to leave it out. Maybe I am the only one seeing it this way.


the big diff is the guys saying you need it are surf riders,so much more can go wrong. Do as they suggest,fill the back with the type of foam strips that dont waterlog or ping pong it.use the small type screws to use as drains to check once in a while.no better way to go.
I dont think anyone really knows yet if a superfreak will sink yet.No one has posted losing one in the surf and having it COMPLETELY fill with water,like a hood getting knocked off or to the side and the ski get away from you in breaking waves...unless someone posts this has happened and it still was bobbing around,id foam it up.
Its happened a few times here with foamed superjets,and they bob around with just a few inches of the tail showing,its a pita to get them outa the ocean like that,but at least you dont lose the ski.
 

motozachl

uPsiDeDoWn
Location
JAX
Foam your ski. Mine went down in about two minutes with my hood ON !!! I think the exhaust hose blew off or something but I couldn't even hold onto my ski when I lost it (granted it was a wave day).
 

Proformance1

Liquid Insanity
Site Supporter
Vendor Account
Location
New York Crew
From what I remember Paul foamed the upper half of his KDX

Just IMO, Foaming a ski, depinding on the ski may or may not help. If its a tiny ski with a billet motor etc, it will probably go down. I hate to say it as it make me nervous, but this is why I think some builder dont think foaming a ski is worth it. IMO do whatever you feel is best, and add more polystyrene every place you can. Then always ride with a friend and carry a tow rope, and hope you get lucky and never find out if it floats or not. Another idea would be to weigh you motor, electrics and try and sink it with them out. If you have a few friends around and a boat/sit down you may know without damaging your motor etc during a build.
 
fig a full tank of gas to be sure also,add that weight to the motor elecs pole and pump weighed out and put the corressponding amount of iron weights from a gym in it,put it in a pool and dump some water in her....only real way to know.......
 

raytherace

Canadian Brapp Dealer
Location
St-Ray Beach, QC
the big diff is the guys saying you need it are surf riders,so much more can go wrong. Do as they suggest,fill the back with the type of foam strips that dont waterlog or ping pong it.use the small type screws to use as drains to check once in a while.no better way to go.
I dont think anyone really knows yet if a superfreak will sink yet.No one has posted losing one in the surf and having it COMPLETELY fill with water,like a hood getting knocked off or to the side and the ski get away from you in breaking waves...unless someone posts this has happened and it still was bobbing around,id foam it up.
Its happened a few times here with foamed superjets,and they bob around with just a few inches of the tail showing,its a pita to get them outa the ocean like that,but at least you dont lose the ski.

Maybe Lucas who know hahha

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djkorn1

kidkornfilms
Site Supporter
Location
Cleveland Ohio
and add more polystyrene every place you can.
Good idea!


My Long term plans:

1. PingPong balls in the back.
2. Polystyrene STOCK SXR Gastank holder (already have this!).
3. Polystyrene strips in the handlepole & attached to the hood.
4. Two 1100 gph Rulemate bilgepumps auto bilge pumps.
5. A modified XMetal scupper with a spring going all the way into the engine bay to hold the door shut.
6. Dual Brapstraps.

UNSINKABLE BOAT! (with no real weight added...)
 
wow...twin 1100 bilges and a scupper...not much on vegas are ya....lol
Im not much on scuppers,I run twin 500 bilges, im sure youd be good with 1100s,those pups will empty a hull quick.
 

naticen

Site Supporter
Location
wilmington, nc
I sank a 550 flatdeck packed to the max with polystyrene. It sank 20' down, but I do believe the foam gave me more time to tie a rope on it. It might not keep it afloat, but it may still help. It sank because I had the hood tubes cut to clear the motor and a scupper to let all of the air out while it was upside down.
 

JetManiac

Stoked
Site Supporter
Vendor Account
Location
orlando
From what I remember Paul foamed the upper half of his KDX

Just IMO, Foaming a ski, depinding on the ski may or may not help. If its a tiny ski with a billet motor etc, it will probably go down. I hate to say it as it make me nervous, but this is why I think some builder dont think foaming a ski is worth it. IMO do whatever you feel is best, and add more polystyrene every place you can. Then always ride with a friend and carry a tow rope, and hope you get lucky and never find out if it floats or not. Another idea would be to weigh you motor, electrics and try and sink it with them out. If you have a few friends around and a boat/sit down you may know without damaging your motor etc during a build.

I agree. Foam, sealed chamber, or whatever method are all just different methods of trapping air to add buoyancy to a ski.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy

Yamaha tested superjets full of water to make sure they would float with the oem nose, chinpad, tray, and pole foam.

Much smaller aftermarket hulls with no nose, chinpad, or pole foam and much smaller trays as well as billet motors it is questionable whether they will float with an engine compartment full of water no matter what is in the tray. Simple physics. IMO that is why someone needs to develop a device to inflate upon sinking or at least a rope with float that comes out so ski can be found easier.
 
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