Who's done a no foam refoam?

[SJBrit]

I'm just about to start tearing my ski apart, and I'm very seriously considering going the no-foam route. This is for flatwater freestyle.

My plan right now is a couple of layers of 8.9 oz S-glass on the sides, and a laminate of the same S-glass and some 2mm Coremat on the bottom of the tray. I figure that should be pretty darn tough and not too heavy.

Thoughts?

 

[Matt_E]

I considered it and decided to run polystyrene sheets instead.
Here was my reasoning: Why do I want no foam? Because I don't want wet foam.
Great, so I used foam that is truly closed cell. Best of both worlds, you get emergency flotation, but it never gets wet.

 

[rowand44]

Hey Matt what do you mean by polystyrene sheets? Where could something like this be bought? UsComposites? Thanks

 

[Matt_E]

Home Depot, building insulation foam. It's called extruded polystyrene and can be bought in 4x8 sheets for under 10 bucks.
You have to cut it up and fit it. It's like a a jigsaw puzzle.

 

[rowand44]

I think i am going to try this out when i do mine in a few weeks. cool idea.

 

[TB]

on my x2 i stuffed 13 20oz mountain dew bottles with the caps screwed on tight in it after i defoamed. then just used very little 2lb foam to hold them in place...worked so well that after cutting the seat area down, adding bottles, and reglassing half of the pump is out of the water when it's just floating there by itself

 

[WILKEY]

Smart

 

[feartheride]

I considered it and decided to run polystyrene sheets instead.
Here was my reasoning: Why do I want no foam? Because I don't want wet foam.
Great, so I used foam that is truly closed cell. Best of both worlds, you get emergency flotation, but it never gets wet.

Did you add layers of glass to the sides or tray as well

 

[Big Kahuna]

Adrian, do the sheets like Matt is talking about. You got to have some floatation in there.

 

[SJBrit]

Yes, sheets are a good idea: easy an cheap with no future problems. Silly not to I guess. But I will need to reinforce too - the foam is structural after all. So, a couple of layers of 8.9oz S-glass? Seems like that would be pretty tough.

 

[Freakrider]

I considered it and decided to run polystyrene sheets instead.
Here was my reasoning: Why do I want no foam? Because I don't want wet foam.
Great, so I used foam that is truly closed cell. Best of both worlds, you get emergency flotation, but it never gets wet.

had polystyrene sheets put into mine with carbon fiber to reinforce bottom sides and tray...do not forget to install drain plugs...all hulls leak some even after running 5200 along all seams inside...about a half cup or a little more of water drains out at the end of the day...

 

[Big Kahuna]

When I got my current hull, I pulled out the footholds, I was pleasantly suprised to find that wamilton had reinforced the insides of the hull (ouside wall) at the rear where you land rolls and it cracks the hulls. There was a small crack there, but not bad, I added some extra carbon there for safe measure.

 

[GDFL]

I disagree. The poured in foam provides "some" structure. The polystyrene sheets will provide none so essentially you'll have equal structural strength whether you have sheets of foam in there or not. Your reinforcement more than makes up for any losses of removing the poured foam. Has anyone here or even your sister's friend's boyfriend's cousin ever heard of a catastrophic failure in the tray area? Not to my knowledge. Sure they crack (minimal chance after reinforced), but the cracks are never to such a degree that water comes flooding in at a rapid rate.

Put small drains in the back and run no foam or upper foam only. The water is going to get in there in small amounts whether you have sheets of foam in there or not. For the sheets to really be effective anyway in the extremely rare catastrophic failure scenario, you'd have to have enough sheet foam to displace virtually 100% of the tray cavity volume to keep it from sinking.

I think the sheet foam makes people feel good, but in actuality if you took an axe to the side of your tray for some reason, it would sink either way. I think the real worst case scenario for an average rider is that you get a crack under your bondline (very unlikely after reinforcing) and you get a slow trickle of water in there. It won't be enough to count unless you somehow were riding 10 hours straight without beaching to refuel and use the little drains you should put in to get what little water is in there out. If you were the lucky guy that somehow ended up with a massive hole in the rear of your ski while the engine simultaneously died, then the sheet foam you add will likely only slow the rate of decent to the bottom of the lake and make it drift around and harder to find later.

That's just my 2 cents.

Yes, sheets are a good idea: easy an cheap with no future problems. Silly not to I guess. But I will need to reinforce too - the foam is structural after all. So, a couple of layers of 8.9oz S-glass? Seems like that would be pretty tough.

 

[SJBrit]

My ski sits in the water all day tethered to the back of the boat. If the foam sheets make me feel good then that's worth the expense - I can enjoy sitting around in the sun then (even if it false comfort).

 

[Big Kahuna]

I would still use the pour foam to fill the voids.

personally I am going to use the pour foam. For one, it gives the footholds support. With no foam, there is no support.


I have seen SN hulls with the tray totally seperated from the sides. Ronny had one in his graveyard that was that way.

 

[GDFL]

My ski sits in the water all day tethered to the back of the boat. If the foam sheets make me feel good then that's worth the expense - I can enjoy sitting around in the sun then (even if it false comfort).

old man. After a ride or two you'll know your water ingress rate. Unless you do something to change that (bad crack), then it'll do what it does. If your tray cavity fills with water in a day of riding with or without foam then you have bigger issues that need to be fixed. Sounds like someone isn't confident with their reinforcing and sealing skillz :bad3:

 

[SJBrit]

I'm confident in my glassing skills - rebuilt an entire 18 foot boat from the shell up with no problems. My point is, for the small cost, the small amount of effort, and the minimal weight, why wouldn't you chop up some closed cell foam to throw in there? Weird crap happens all the time out on the water, and this is cheap insurance.

Let me ask it this way, what am I gaining by not putting it in there?

 

[AtomicPunk]

Let me ask it this way, what am I gaining by not putting it in there?

you are saving the environment by not using it... :veryhappy:

 

[orangefinger]

what ever happend to the ping pong balls idea.. ??

 

[SJBrit]

you are saving the environment by not using it... :veryhappy:

By not putting 3 cubic feet of polystyrene in my 2-stroke jet ski? :cool2: