In theory...
Say you have water logged foam, and you have found where it all resides. Couldn't you put a dehumidifier in the boat with a hose leading out, seal up/wrap the boat and run it for a few days (preferably in a closed garage). Would that get the water out or once the foam is soaked, it's irreversible?
Just a silly question that has been on my mind.
Had similar thoughts after reading a thread on here about someone drying out their wet wood transom with heat lamps for weeks. I'd think you'd have to run the dehumidifier it for several weeks, since you'd be attempting to draw the moisture out from deep within the pores of the foam. Plus, if you didn't cut through the skin covering the foam to expose it to the air, it would likely take much longer. Theoretically might work, but how would you really know? You'd need to accurately weigh the boat before/after. Then there's the issue of mold. If there's water, chances are there's stuff growing in it.
Only fool proof way would be to physically remove the foam.
You could probably do this with the type of dehumidifier used to dry a house out after a flood. can be rented at the depot.
2017 Phoenix 819
2016 200ProXS, s/n 2B359849, Mod 1200P73BD
I would think without making a hole for it to escape it(the dehumidifier) might not be able to draw the water out but it would be worth a shot
It would take months, if it is open cell foam, and then you still would not get it completely dry! That is why they use closed cell foam now!
It would take months, and you still would have moisture in it, if it is open cell foam. That is why they use closed cell foam now!
From talking with the guy that did the rebuilding work on my Champ, and has years and years of experience, you just can't get it out. He said one time they had a big center console with rotted decks. It had a lot of flotation foam in it that was wet. The owners was in no hurry, so they made holes in the top and even through the hull, like 6" diameter holes, into the foam and let it sit in the hot summer for months. He said the foam was just as wet after all that time as it was in the beginning.
The suction idea seems good at first, but you have to have some hole somewhere else for air to take the space of the removed water, otherwise you just have a vacuum and nothing changes. And even with some vent holes to allow the water to be sucked out, it'll probably just develop some channels in the foam that are free of water where the air is being sucked through and it doesn't really pull from other areas that are still wet. It's sucky for sure, but very no bueno when the foam gets wet.
Kevin | 2000 Champion 191 | 2000 Yamaha OX66 200hp
I saw a post on A Gambler boats Facebook Page this morning...
A guy was inquiring about blueprints for a G-boat hull so he knew where the foam was located.....his plan was to drill 1/8" or 1/4" holes in the boat to "drain" the foam....
He said he had done it on another boat and drilled a drain hole and a vent hole...put boat at an angle for 6 months and once in a while hooked up a shop vac to the hole...said he removed 41 gallons of water from the boat over the course of six months.
He then sealed up the holes and that was that...
Just food for thought
who has 6 months to wait to get the water out and hopefully get it all just get rid of it all and then fill it back up with closed cell foam, good to go
1990 374V Ranger Still kickin' bass after all these years
It's actually a common misconception that closed cell foam doesn't absorb water. It most definitely does!Originally Posted by Mike D.
I've pulled many thousands of pounds of waterlogged foam out of boats of all ages.
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The dehumidifier will burn up for lack of air.
2000 Javelin Renegade 20 DC.
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Why not just dig the Foam out?
The proper way to get water out is to remove the foam. I did a javelin bass boat restoration and it had wet foam. If the foam is wet, then the water will be resting against the stringers and if you have wooden hull strakes/stiffeners inside the hull they will be wet too. Only way to know 100% no water is take it out. You will find one of two things, the stringers are soaked from the hull up at about 1/4" or higher. You might get lucky and no moisture against the stringers. It can be done and depending on boat manufacturer removing top cap is required and then ripping floor up. Closed cell foam for a bass boat averages about $400 for the two part closed cell foam.
I have also found that when the foam has been wet and if in a climate where the temps vary widely and with high humidity, there are other problems. It seems that every tiny airspace allows water to creep into what would seem otherwise impossible places. Hull stiffeners with no wood seem soft and crumble easily. Glass coatings of stringers sometimes have mat or bi-axe that was not fully saturated and those areas will be rotten and moldy, and of course the wood parts are all history. I tried everything to dry a wet but still solid transom with every thing I could find, even drilling holes and forcing hot dry air into it to no avail. As you dry one area, the water in the foam elsewhere will wick surprising distances to the dry area. I don't know the scientific name for it..Hydro-something. But it will make you nuts! I bet that the fellow who got 40 lbs of water out still had much more remaining, I couldn't lift a plastic garbage can of soggy foam I took out!
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