Who's done a no foam refoam?

[McDog]

I did 1/8 npt brass fittings fiberglassed into the bottom rear with a little cabosil and resin and the little 1/8 npt brass screw plug. Available at Lowe's/Hope Depot for super cheap.

 

[ryan]

i am doing no foam. let you know how it works out!!

 

[Waternut]

For reference I ran loosely fitted polystyrene when I did my flat deck SJ so that adds no structure to the tray. I used 2 layers of 17oz biax on the entire tray and an extra layer where my feet go. It held up great all summer and even held up after 2 days in Daytona this year.

 

[WAB]

I did bottles in the bottom half and foam sheet in the sides. I reinforced the inside sides and the tray heavily. Little more glass & some CF was added to the tray since these were taken. Will try it out within a month now I hope.
You guys are killing the environment and I'm recycling. ancake:

 

[cattledog]

are you going with fur again , i love the look of your sn

 

[X2guy]

No foam will actually make the ski more buoyant...that is if you can keep the water out. I weighed the foam I removed. It was all dry and came in at over 5lbs. If you have a tendency of putting large holes or cracks in your hull surely run bottles or foam. I'm doing no foam with the little brass fitting drain plugs mentioned before.

 

[jetski9010]

I just did a SN with no foam. I am about to rip an octane up I might go with foam blocks for that one just because its an octane and it will make me feel better I guess haha. The SN turned out good.

 

[ryan]

i just got off the phone with wammer and he said dont do it.(no foam) he said it will handle like a wet noodle. lol. now i am confused!!!!

 

[jetski9010]

i just got off the phone with wammer and he said dont do it.(no foam) he said it will handle like a wet noodle. lol. now i am confused!!!!

So what is he saying to run in there?

 

[Speedfreak]

I am running no foam and cutting the bottom of the bulkhead in a few places to make it kinda like Darin did his conversion ski. Just dual scuppers in the back and some foam wedges covered with glass to make the correct angle for the water to run straight out. NO foam and holes in the bulkhead means you will never have to do it again. Problem solved for eternity.

I know... I know... it won't float... But I don't care.. I have insurance doesn't everybody? So what is the worry.

I will post pictures when I do it. I have been busy but it should be soon in a few weeks.

 

[ryan]

4 lb in the bottom and 2 lb in the sidesis what he said. or do the poly then pour for it.

 

[SJBrit]

Update:

Here's what I decided in the end. I really really don't want my ski to sink, so I'm not going the no foam route. I have reinforced with a 6" strip of 1708 biax along the bondline then full coverage 1708 from nose to tail. In the rear I added a layer of 8 oz e-glass for good measure since I had some lying around. That's where I've had some cracking so I wanted to make it extra strong there. The tray is put back in the same way - 1708 biax tape over the seam ans a layer of 1708 over the whole thing. I also have a layer of 1708 biax and three layers of e-glass under the pole mount - should be pretty tough!

Basically this is a very tough boat for flat water and occasional surf. Now I will fill with 2lb foam for flotation and some rigidity. I wouldn't go as light as 2lb normally, but with the reinforcement It will be plenty.

I haven't weighted it yet, so it will be interesting to see where it comes out after foaming. I was 114lbs in a similar state before the defoam/reinforce. Will have to wait till Sergio ships my footholds before I can put the foam in and weigh though.

 

[Waternut]

Update:
Now I will fill with 2lb foam for flotation and some rigidity.

You mean 2lb sponge for flotation? The us composites stuff is ok for filler but unless you want to refoam it before the season is over, I highly recommend you use mostly polystyrene. Half a season on my SN with brand new 2lb foam and I had gained 40-50lbs in water. Closed cell my @ss...

 

[Big Kahuna]

Update:

Here's what I decided in the end. I really really don't want my ski to sink, so I'm not going the no foam route. I have reinforced with a 6" strip of 1708 biax along the bondline then full coverage 1708 from nose to tail. In the rear I added a layer of 8 oz e-glass for good measure since I had some lying around. That's where I've had some cracking so I wanted to make it extra strong there. The tray is put back in the same way - 1708 biax tape over the seam ans a layer of 1708 over the whole thing. I also have a layer of 1708 biax and three layers of e-glass under the pole mount - should be pretty tough!

Basically this is a very tough boat for flat water and occasional surf. Now I will fill with 2lb foam for flotation and some rigidity. I wouldn't go as light as 2lb normally, but with the reinforcement It will be plenty.

I haven't weighted it yet, so it will be interesting to see where it comes out after foaming. I was 114lbs in a similar state before the defoam/reinforce. Will have to wait till Sergio ships my footholds before I can put the foam in and weigh though.

Thought you were going with REV's?

 

[SJBrit]

Thought you were going with REV's?

Changed my mind. I was going to start with REVs and build something custom, but I'm rather sick of fiberglass after all the work I've done, so I took the easy but significantly more expensive option!

 

[SJBrit]

You mean 2lb sponge for flotation? The us composites stuff is ok for filler but unless you want to refoam it before the season is over, I highly recommend you use mostly polystyrene. Half a season on my SN with brand new 2lb foam and I had gained 40-50lbs in water. Closed cell my @ss...

The stock foam in my ski was almost completely dry and I had a 6" crack all the way through the hull under the bondline. That's a 2003 ski and the crack has been there over a year. But, You do have a point and I may stick some ploystyrene in there and then foam it up to keep everything together. Hadn't really thought about that option. Or maybe some empty soda bottles - I saw someone on here did that and it's a great idea for long lasting flotation.

 

[Big Kahuna]

As much as I hate to say it, the WCF footholds are the best I have used.

Dont like the idea of plastic bottles.

I think the plastic actually leaks a small bit over time.

 

[Mark44]

I installed no foam and a compressed air rope deployment system and on the end of the 200’ rope I have a red buoy. So when the ski sinks the rope deploys with the buoy at a preset water pressure then all you have to do is pull up the rope with the ski attached and drag it to the beach.

Mark44

 

[SJBrit]

As much as I hate to say it, the WCF footholds are the best I have used.

Dont like the idea of plastic bottles.

I think the plastic actually leaks a small bit over time.

Those plastic bottles are a menace to landfill sites because they last for years and can sustain huge internal pressure so they never crush. The only problem is that they will become brittle after a while due to UV damage, but not inside an SJ

 

[Big Kahuna]

just fill the inside of the bottles with cement.