Ok everyone I am pretty sure that the foam in my 2200 is water logged. I am not in a position right now to address the problem will have to wait till next winter. My question is can I drill a few small weep holes somewhere to drain any excess water out of the hull that might be trapped in there. Then i can silicone a screw in there to plug the hole.
I read somewhere that Bob said that after injecting the gambler hulls with foam at 1500psi, there is no way to get enough water in the hull to effect performance. Maybe the other guys can chime in.
How does one know if there is water in the foam? Just curious..
MY '88 GT183 had that problem. The floor under the seat was rotted. When I pulled it up...filled with water and foam was waterlogged. I removed some of the foam and left it open for 2 months. Water drained for over 2 weeks and I used a shop vac to remove it where it didn't flow to the drain hole. I ended up drilling holes in the stringers and used fiberglas to waterproff them...now the water flows to the drain hole. Have no idea how/why this happened...but I knew floor was damaged when I bought it.
What is used is a closed cell foam. When injected it creates a tremendous amount of heat and pressure as it cures. It also bonds to both the hull and the inner liner. This bond is what gives Gambler/Sterling the strength and unique sound they have comming across the water. Typically that means 98% of the foam consist of closed cells. Closed cells means water will not penetrate that particular cell. There are LOTS of’em. Can the foam become saturated? Yes, absolutely. Can enough of it become waterlogged such that it affects performance - probably not. Is there a way to get it out - NO! Why not? The water, what there is of it, has, over time, gotten in the 2% of the closed cell foam that was compromised. You can not drain it, it will not evaporate in my or your life time - it is not exposed to the atmosphere in a meaningful way. Some have suggested using an evacuation pump like is done on A/C systems. That evacuation system does not suck out water. It puts a vacuum on the system, the more the better. Under vacuum the water boils at very low temperature relative to the 212 degrees most folks associate with boiling water. You can boil water on Mt. Everest. The water temp when it comes to a full boil? 70 degrees. It is the boiling effect that removes water from an A/C system.
If you have the balls.... your hull is 3/4” thick. Measure up from the outside of the hull, where the pad ends, 1 1/4”. Then use a 1” hole saw to drill through the hull at the back of the pad. I have done 2 - 209’s like this. You’ll get 1 maybe 2 pints of water in a weeks time. Then nothing. You can take a 1/4” steel rod and force it into the 1” hole. This creates a void and could allow a little more water drain - couple of drops. Once done you can install a 1” screw in type drain plug in the hole you drilled. Understand to begin to be effective you will have to do this procedure on the centerline side of each stringer. I know where they are on a 209. Call Ackerbloom and he can give you the precise location of each stringer - if you’re convinced waterlogged foam is what plagues your boat....
Something else to to think about. How much does 2 full livewells slow your boat down? We’re talking about roughly 30 gallons of water. Rest assured - there is not 30 gallons of water in the foam.
Last edited by yupitsme; 11-06-2019 at 07:50 PM.
im so glad, someone else finally shot down this theory...Originally Posted by yupitsme
Sterling 22XS / Mercury Pro XS V8
I would only agree with yupitsme on Gambler boats from 1999 to present.
I am so very thankful for all of this amazing information. I appreciate everyone on this forum and the Gambler brotherhood. Now I can move my focus to the next project which is wet sanding and buffing. Thanks to everyone who commented.
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