Well everybody I have a lead on a very cheap prindle 16. There is some delamination on one of the hulls and the decks are soft infront of the tramp. Read below and let me know your feelings about this expanding foam? I will not be racing, I will be just sailing for fun in the ocean here in daytona!

Foam comes in 2, 1 gal cont.( foam & harderner) and will fill 1 hull from tip to front pylon, I used 2 sets. Adds 16lbs to each hull ( 4cu ft x 4lb). You may want to go with the 2 lb. The 4 lb is a lot harder that the manufacturer describes. I believe the 2lb is going to be very hard also and you only add 8 lbs of weight to each hull. Up to you... if I was going to do over I would use the 2lb. Just to give you an idea of how hard 4 lb is, you cannot push a screwdriver through the foam, have to hit it with a hammer. Good luck...


This guy had this done for 4 years. Yea it added about 20lbs of weight but like I said I am not racing. This is marine foam used by boston whaler and will not absorb water.

What do you all think?

BAD BAD BAD BAD EVIL!! It adds weight, gets waterlogged - despite the claims (no hulls are completely waterproof) and doesn't provide any bouyancy unless you break the hull wide open. You aready have plenty of foam in between the 2 layers of fibreglass. If you have delam problems injecting epoxy into the delaminated parts is relatively simple, there were a couple of really good threads with instructions on how to do it recently here. That is a much simpler easier solution.

DON'T DO IT, PLEASE! You will ruin the boat I promise!

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Well this foam should not get waterlogged. This Foam is closed cell and can in contact with water and not absorb.

Here is a link to the website with all the specs and info on this foam.
http://www.uscomposites.com/faq_foam.html

Like I said before adding 10 lbs of weight per hull really does not bother me I am crusing not racing.

You say you are not a racer, but if there's one other Hobie or Prindle out there, you are racing, & you will lose with a heavy boat. I've never added more than a pound or two with injection method and have done over a dozen. Pete

Another downside is that you will never know when a hull starts to leak or weaken, even if the foam doesn't absorbe the water.

--
Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
--

So you want to take a boat that is not sound and fill it with foam instead of fixing it and sail it in the Atlantic Ocean?
And why are you putting foam in it? And what difference does being a racer or cruiser makes if the boat is not sound?
When the bow breaks off, your still S*** out of Luck.

I'm not a fan of injection because it's often just a short term fix, but if you are going to buy a delaminated boat, injection is the way to go, foam does nothing.

The hulls were not designed for preasure from the inside out, you may pop the deck off if to much foam is put in.



Edited by nacra55 on Jun 14, 2011 - 11:45 PM.

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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I just did a Huge delamination repair on a 78 p-16, about %35 of the total hull area, using the injection method. The expanding foam is definitely a no-go. If the delam is in a high-stress area it will still break open, even with the foam in there.

Heres the thread, hopefully your boat isnt as bad as mine was : http://www.thebeachcats.c…ms/viewtopic/topic/12515

As others have said, filling the hulls with foam is an incredibly bad idea. Delamination is a very serious structural failure and usually is the beginning of the end for a boat. You should not sail a boat with obvious delamination. It is unsafe. Epoxy (not polyester) injection between the hull layers is the only recommended "fix" for delamination. And usually epoxy injection will give you only a couple of more years of life before you have a parts boat. Filling the hulls with foam will not cure the structural problem nor, as Wolfman stated, will it add any bouyancy to the hulls. Just the reverse. Most experts will recommend that you not even buy a boat with delamination. You'd be much better off finding a boat without delamination. There are a lot of them out there. Need to keep looking.

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Dave Wilson
Hobie 16, Hobie 14
Tampa, FL
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cats in good condition are worth it, buying a boat that doesn't need any fiberglass work is a pretty good feeling. Yes it will cost more, but in the end.. its well worth it.

Where are you located? You'd be surprised with what you can find within ~2-3 hours distance.