who knows boston whalers

[fiberglass jack]

anyone know what the foam in the whalers is , will it absorb water?

[ondarvr]

It's the same type of foam everybody else uses, and yes, it will absorb water.

[BETTY-B]

Polyurethane TDI,3
Here is the most info I have found on this very subject. By far more info than you will ever get from even BW:
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001747.html

[dereksireci]

Originally Posted by ondarvr

It's the same type of foam everybody else uses, and yes, it will absorb water.

I wonder what information you base such broad statements on. The foam in a Whaler depends on when it was made. The chemical makeup and application procedure have changed over the years.

djs

[BETTY-B]

Originally Posted by dereksireci

I wonder what information you base such broad statements on. The foam in a Whaler depends on when it was made. The chemical makeup and application procedure have changed over the years.

djs

Where are you getting your info from? I would love to see an exact reference to this.

[buckknekkid]

it was an article in Professional Boat builder. Explained how one of the originators developed the system, then left to start his own company and continued developing his methodology.

[ondarvr]

For the most part, 2 part, 2lb CG approved foam is about the same as it's always been, there are a few ingrediants that have been changed to make them less toxic, but they haven't changed all that much. They are about 95% closed cell when done correctly, correct mix, temp and application, so to start with 5% of it could absorb water (not likely though), if any of the these steps are not done correctly then the % of closed cells can go down, or the cure may not be complete. There is no real strength in this type of 2lb foam, so after it's in the boat, the stress of pounding through waves and getting beat up on the trailer, some areas may (will) get crushed, now there are even more open cells, the more flex in the boat the more cells will fail, it will then absorb more water, get heavier, flex more, crush more cells and absorb even more water.

One problem you run into when doing a repair below the water line on a BW (not just BWs) is stopping the slow flow of water draining out of the foam.

[dereksireci]

Originally Posted by BETTY-B

Where are you getting your info from? I would love to see an exact reference to this.

Mr Expert Professional,


My reference is my eyeballs while working at Whaler PD&E. The technology of isocyanate foams has changed since the days of somebody mixing up part A and part B in a big blue barrel on top of the hull and liner molds. There have been water blown foams and other formulations. It has been driven by regulatory changes or the threat of changes.

djs

[ondarvr]

I agree the formulas have changed some, but I haven't seen a big difference in the performace of the foam itself, those changes have been taking place for around ten years.
I must say I haven't repaired a BW in many years (I don't repair that many boats anymore), but if they are using the same, or similar foam as other boat companies, then water logged foam is still an issue.