Shoulda answered thru group...
In a message dated 5/8/99 12:38:41 AM Eastern Daylight Time, hlg@pacbell.net
writes:
<< 'm not happy to learn that. I wonder how much water I'm carrying around in
my poured in foam. But at least it is low and forward. My V-berth deck is
also epoxy saturated plywood (exterior but not marine) with the edges
secured with fiberglass tape. I can only hope it is well sealed. >>
Do not despair!
Poured in foam is same thing as "Great Stuff" they are both hygroscopic. If
you leave em wet or immersed in water for more than a couple of weeks they
start sucking in water.
If you keep bilges dry there should be no problem whatsoever. Even immersed
for a week pour-in foam will be fine. More'n that gets iffy.
Plywood immersed in epoxy or fiberglass will not readily absorb water. As
long as you treat it like "Great Stuff" and keep it dry most of the time it
will not get damaged.
Ocassional immersion in full for a week will not harm it... As long as it's
allowed to dry for another week more or less... I've got a piece of
"encapsulated plywood" I use to cover electrical well in yard exposed to
weather all time and it's still in good shape... In fact, I've had two pieces
of painted CDX plywood forming a deck for my rocking chairs, directly on top
of dirt, that have survived two years under the palm trees.
<< Does the polystyrene foam sold for insulation make good flotation
material? >>
It took me a while to think this one out. I believe that white stuff sold at
home depot for insulation in 1" or 2" X 4' x 8' panels is also called
styrofoam. Polystyrene may be its composition. You can buy blocks as big as
4' x 4' x 8'. They cut it to smaller sizes like lumber.
I got a couple of pieces of that stuff floating around from when I used it to
lift bunks on my old powerboat trailer to accept new P19. It actually made
trailer float above water <BG>. Once I found out boat fit between fenders I
took it all out. Stuffed some inside cabinets in P19. I use a block to cover
cockpit. It does deteriorate under exposure to sunshine and rain. They
recommend you paint it, if left out exposed to weather for long. One piece
has been in water under dock ( in case dog falls in at low tide ) since last
summer and is worn out on top from exposure to weather but still floating
high...
Best
SF
thunder/lightning forecasted