I'm sorry Kathy, But I'm going to have to blame you for this.

[Pat Cella]

I got my new ComforTroll trolling motor footcontrol tray today. I spent ten minutes measuring, five minutes cutting out my hole. Now I'm thinking this whole thing is not going to take me but about twenty minutes. But luckily I know how these things usually go so I was not too surprised when I could not get the portion of my deck out that I had just cut.

After a little work I realized that there was foam on the bottom side of my deck which was keeping it from coming up. With a little persuasion I got it up to realize that the entire underneath of the deck was full of spray foam.

Is this normal? I have seen pictures of boats under the front deck when other guys put these in and they were wide open, no foam. I realize that this is a good thing and that it has to strenghten the boat and it may be the only thing that kept me from sinking when I left my plug out earlier this year. Must just be the the superior craftsmanship of the Cobra boats.

Anyway I spent the next two hours cutting out the foam for the tray and trying to cut me a hole for my drain tube, to no avail. I got a piece of PVC pipe and tried to tap it through the foam to open me up a hole to run the hose, but I never was sure that I got all the way out of the foam. So I was scared to hook the hose up because I was afraid that the water would not drain? Any Ideas?

Another surprise that I got was that my deck is solid fiberglass. It is a 1999 201D and I thought that it was plywood. Are they all fiberglass?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Cleveland]

So how is it my fault that there is foam in the middle portion of your deck stringer??? Back in 1999 I was working back in the detailing dept. That was back in the Charles Luna and Ivan Due days.

All of the boat decks are made out of fiberglass.....the decks are connected to the cap....it's all one piece. Your floors, where your drain holes are, your hull stringers, and your transom are made out of wood.

If they filled the middle chamber of your hull stringers full of foam too....boy oh boy.....I have to think on this one. Hmmm.....

I am thinking that it wouldn't make any sense to fill the middle chamber of the hull stringer full of foam because that is the bilge area. You don't have to worry about your stringers getting wet....they are encapsulated in fiberglass. The only thing I know to do is keep tapping until you can't go any further, You're not going to tap a piece of PVC tube through the bottom of the boat. You'll know when you have hit bottom. Pull your pipe out, run your drain hose thru it and see what happens. I don't think you are going to waterlog your boat or anything.

I am actually at a loss here. I do know that at one time a certain plant manager had the bright idea to fill the middle chamber of the hull stringer full of foam and I am hoping that your boat isn't one of them.

Wish I was there to see your boat. I'm not much help on this one.

[Pat Cella]

Thanks Kathy. I tapped the PVC pipe downward until I hit something solid, the bottom of the boat I guess. Then I tapped it straight back until I hit something solid. Neither time did I feel like I got out of the foam. I just didn't feel good about it so I left the drain out for now. But I do feel like I am going to have to do something with it .

Thanks again for your help.

[MigAz]

Cobraman,
Could you post pics of that job, please? That would be great to refer to these, since I'm contemplating doing the same thing. As for your install, I would definitely ensure good drainage to the bilge. I understand if the foam wicks water, it is very difficult to dry out. Not to mention that it will add weight and slow the snake down!

Good luck!

[Cleveland]

Yes Pat, please post some pics if you can. There has got to be a way to get the water to the bilge area. You don't want the water to just drain anywhere. I hate not being able to help with something this simple.

[Pat Cella]

Well here are a couple of pictures of it in. I was planning to take some during the process, but when I got started I realized that the batteries in my camera were dead and I didn't want to stop what I was doing do get some.

It looks kind of bad because I just got back from the river fishing when I took these and everything is dirty.




As far as th drain, Kathy I am like you, there has got to be a way to get back there, I am just not sure which way to go. I don't know what is in the way where. If you could give me an idea, like go towards the rod box on the right or go straight back.

It just seemed that whatever direction that I went I hit something. I may not have really been hitting anything I may have just still been in the foam but I wasn't sure and didn't want to tear up something.

Thanks for the help.

[Backlash Ar]

Pat...take off the plate on the floor drain and look inside. There should be a transducer in there somewhere for the front locator. See if there is foam all around the transducer or not. If not, then it should be open for the water to drain aft to the bilge area. Go straight down from the trolling motor pedal tray to the keel area of the boat and let the tube empty into the keel area.

[Cleveland]

If he has a floor drain plate then his hull stringer doesn't have foam in the center of it. If you don't have a floor drain and you only have the 2 little dinky round basket drains, one by the driver and one by the passenger seats, then there is a good chance the stringer has foam in the center.

You can't run it towards the rod boxes. if you take off your bow panel and stick your head inside the rodbox and look towards the front of the boat.....you'll see light.

This has really got me puzzled. I have helped Donnie at the plant install quite a few of these trays and I don't ever recall a bulkhead or anything in the front of the boat that would prevent you from somehow running a drain tube. The foam isn't a big concern to me.....the not being able to run a drain tube is. Hmmm.....

I might have to call the guru on this one.

Gonna have to wait until tomorrow though....I am just taking a break from the Ohio State vs Texas BBQ we are having at my brothers house right now.

GOOOOOO BUCKEYES !!!!!

[Pat Cella]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Backlash Ar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Pat...take off the plate on the floor drain and look inside. There should be a transducer in there somewhere for the front locator. </TD></TR></TABLE>

The problem there is that my floor drain is under my extension where I can't get to it without taking the extension out, and that is kind of a pain. I may just do that anyway.

I probably just need to do like you said and try to tap my PVC pipe again and go straight back. I didn't really hit very it hard last night I wanted to ask and make sure that there wasn't something there that I was going to tear up by doing so.

I try to work on it a little tomorrow night.

Thanks for both of your help.

[Cleveland]

Alright then....that answers the question I had in my mind....weather there was foam in the center area of your hull stringers.

Yes....tap your PVC pipe at an angle straight towards the bottom and the back. What a mess.

[Pat Cella]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cleveland &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes....tap your PVC pipe at an angle straight towards the bottom and the back.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Got it!

As usual I made it much harder than it had to be. I was trying to go at too flat of an angle. I just went more down and got right through the foam.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cleveland &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> What a mess. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No it was not a mess, but it would have been without your and Larry's help.

Thanks.


Modified by Cobraman at 8:19 PM 9/11/2006

[Cleveland]

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY !!!!!!!!!

You're WELCOME Pat