Anyone out there, or anyone know of anyone who has filled hulls with liquid foam as an alternative to penatrating apoxy? I've done lots of fixes with apoxy but I have a new project boat (18' hobie) where both outsides of each hull is completely delaminated.
I'm wonder how stiff the foam would make the hulls and how much weight might be added.
A distributer here in FL offers 2lb, 4lb and 8lb foams with 8lb being the best for support and 2lb being the best for bouyancy.
Thanks for any help
~john

i don't see that filling the hulls is going to help, the problem is that the outer thin glass layer will still be thin and unsupported after you've filled the hulls with foam. when you do the epoxy injection the outer glass is bonded back to the foam. but by all means try it, it sounds like the hulls would normally be junked with such bad delame so you'll only be out the cost of the foam

Ya, thats what I was thinking too. Rebonding the delamination is really the only way to fix it. I woke up this morning seriously thinking about cutting the hulls up and parting the rest of the boat out. I bought this boat cheap with the plan to fix it up and sell my 16 (which is in perfect running condition). I can get a 2 gallon kit of the pentrating epox for $75 but the thought of doing both hulls from stem to stern is just not getting me very excited. Did I mention that there are soft spots on the decks as well?
I'll probably think on it for awhile. Maybe I can come up with a more efficient way of pumping the epox in then using squirt bottles.
Thanks for the reply.

Get a caulking gun and some cartriges to inject it. I would use polyester lam resine. That is what the boat is made of.Works good I have done it like this for years on foam core boats and surf boards. Drill a small hole and use a drill stop so you dont drill through. Pump it in use two or more holes so you get a good flow . Use alot of masking tape for the over flow.

Alot of the hobies use clark for for a core If it gets hot the foam will gas an thats how they delam I have seen it all the time on surf boards. If its all over both hulls sides and deck I would cut them up the hobie 18 is already a heavy boat and fixing tons of delam is going top make it a dog.