I really need help with my carolina skiff

[keith75]

I bought a used carolina skiff flat bottom work boat and its drafting 10 inches
with a 40 hp four stroke and 2 200 pound persons. The boat has no self bailing portholes and its drafting above the floor line. I was wondering if this is normal for this type of boat? I feel that there is water in the subfloor,I have drilled the transom and only minimal water has drained out of the boat. The specs on the boat says the draft is supposed to be between 4 to 6 inches, Im drafting 10. Is there any suggestions on getting water out of a sealed foam filled floor. I am really at a loss. Any suggestions?

[Ike]

Well, you can do what we did at the Coast Guard's test lab, pull the plug and stand the boat on end for a few months. I'm not kidding. That's what we did with boats that had waterlogged foam. Even then it didn't get it all out and as soon as you put it back in the water it will start soaking up again. The only real cure is to take up the floor and replace the foam.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by keith75

I bought a used carolina skiff flat bottom work boat and its drafting 10 inches
with a 40 hp four stroke and 2 200 pound persons. The boat has no self bailing portholes and its drafting above the floor line. I was wondering if this is normal for this type of boat? I feel that there is water in the subfloor,I have drilled the transom and only minimal water has drained out of the boat. The specs on the boat says the draft is supposed to be between 4 to 6 inches, Im drafting 10. Is there any suggestions on getting water out of a sealed foam filled floor. I am really at a loss. Any suggestions?

They are constructed of individual foam beams maybe 3"x6" x the width of the boat with fiberglass between each of these "logs" that verticaly connects the hull of the boat to the floor. If you poke into the foam from the hole in the transom you should run into a fiberglass wall after 3-6". It's like that all the way to the front. I don't know how you could effectively drain the hull. Here's a link to the patent on their hull construction which will show and tell you how they're built. (Once you get there click on "images")...
http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...&RS=PN/4495884
Here's the Car. Skf. homepage where they tell you what each model weighs...
http://www.carolinaskiff.com/
What size is your boat? Is it drafting 10" along the whole length of the boat? Sam

[keith75]

guys I appreciate the help, the boat is a carolina 19, actually is 18 foot long
Its a 1990 model which i would guess would be the dxl, by the dimensions.
The boat drafts 10 inches at the transom and tapers off at the console, still way below floor line. I drilled the front of the boat and glassed a fitting in so i could pump air into the floor, elevated the nose and got a bit of water out , but i still feel the foam is waterlogged. There is a keel someone mounted to the bottom with caulk and skrews, I believe thats where the leak came from. I got a little water from that area not enough to explain the high draft though. I am considering pumping Dry Nitergon Into the floor or just pulling the floor up. any suggestions on seperating the floor from the cross beam? I've got a ziz wheel which goes through any thing but Im looking at alot of work seperating the floor. I need to save it to save money. What do you think?

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by keith75

guys I appreciate the help, the boat is a carolina 19, actually is 18 foot long
Its a 1990 model which i would guess would be the dxl, by the dimensions.
The boat drafts 10 inches at the transom and tapers off at the console, still way below floor line. I drilled the front of the boat and glassed a fitting in so i could pump air into the floor, elevated the nose and got a bit of water out , but i still feel the foam is waterlogged. There is a keel someone mounted to the bottom with caulk and skrews, I believe thats where the leak came from. I got a little water from that area not enough to explain the high draft though. I am considering pumping Dry Nitergon Into the floor or just pulling the floor up. any suggestions on seperating the floor from the cross beam? I've got a ziz wheel which goes through any thing but Im looking at alot of work seperating the floor. I need to save it to save money. What do you think?

I don't know if you looked at that patent but here is a page from it that pretty much shows how it was built...(click the X and close the control box that comes up first)...
http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=...6RS=PN/4495884
You can see in figure 2 that there is a crossbeam every few inches. Figure 4 is an end view of the beams and shows how glass (1 1/2 to 3 oz mat) is layed against the outside hull, up the side of the foam beam and then along the top of the foam beam and completely encapsulates it. Then some more mat and woven roven is laminated on top of the foam beams and that is the inner floor you stand on. I can't see how you could separate the floor from the crossbeams without tearing it all to pieces and the boat gets all it's strength from the glass between each piece of foam that connects the hull and floor together. Unless you have longitudinal cracks (inside or outside) that would let water into a bunch of foam spaces, I would think any water would be only in spaces that screws from the keel pierced. I have a specifications printout from 2004 which shows the approx. weight of a dlx 19 (18' 11") to be 850 # and the standard model 1965 (18'8") is 750#. Get your truck, trailer and boat weighed at a truck scale, put the boat in the water, get the truck and trailer weighed, subtract and find out what the boat weighs. Don't forget to subtract the motor weight if you leave that on. 4 to 6" draft would be with the boat level, with that boat you could actually put a level on the floor to find level. Sam

[gonzo]

These boats are basically built like a surfboard. The foam is keeping everything together, and there is a fiberglass skin. I can't see how you could keep the shape of the boat after removing the foam.

[longliner45]

are these boats blown with polyeurithan foam? polyeurithan absorbs moistier,and needs to be replaced evey 5 or 7 years also gelcoat lets water pass eventually,

[keith75]

I tore a portion of the floor up and the foam logs are in good shape at the back, I didnt go any further. I just cant beleive this particular boat has no self bailing portholes and drafts below the floor line. Going out this weekend and going to pull the plug and see what happens.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by keith75

I tore a portion of the floor up and the foam logs are in good shape at the back, I didnt go any further. I just cant beleive this particular boat has no self bailing portholes and drafts below the floor line. Going out this weekend and going to pull the plug and see what happens.

Was it hard to tear up? How thick was the fiberglass in between the logs? What is the draft at the stern when no one is in the boat? What else is in the boat besides the center counsol? Pictures? Sam

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by keith75

I tore a portion of the floor up and the foam logs are in good shape at the back, I didnt go any further. I just cant beleive this particular boat has no self bailing portholes and drafts below the floor line. Going out this weekend and going to pull the plug and see what happens.

Well, what happened? Sam

[Corpus Skipper]

I just cant beleive this particular boat has no self bailing portholes and drafts below the floor line.

This is an unfortunate situation and you're not alone. Too many builders think this type of construction is "water tight". As we all know, fiberglass is not COMPLETELY water tight. Compounded with the habit of boat owners poking numerous holes in their craft to mount things, the result is waterlogged foam cores and water trapped in "compartments" formed by the 'glassed in foam, with no way to escape. My solution? If you do rip up the deck, lay in pvc drain pipes with holes drilled every so often to drain the compartments. I have also welded a 1 1/4" "paddle" bit on a LOOOONG piece of threaded rod and bored a hole through the foam and bulkheads (be careful! Too much force will "steer" the bit through the bottom) and then inserted a drain line, 'glassed in place with a plug installed. Works good.

[SamSam]

Originally Posted by Corpus Skipper

This is an unfortunate situation and you're not alone. Too many builders think this type of construction is "water tight".

Are you talking about Carolina Skiffs or fiberglass boats in general? I like your solution for drilling a hole in them. Have you ever ripped up a deck in a CS? I am interested in how they are constructed. Sam

[Corpus Skipper]

Boats in general, constructed with "sealed" compartments. All compartments below deck should have drains. Period. Never ripped up a Carolina, they're not too popular down here.