Question on water logged Snark

D

deeman

Member
Hello, I'm glad I found your forum since I just purchased a Snark Sunflower 3.3 for a whopping $30. Best thing is, I was sailing it within 10 minutes of bringing it home and it sails just fine!!

The only issue is that this boat has a stryofoam hull covered in ABS plastic. There are some smaller gashes on the bottom of the boat. When my brother and I tired to move it it literally weighed about 300 lbs. and it's advertised weight is 50lbs!!! Obviously it's retaining more water than it should.

The boat was right-side up when it was sitting for sale, and filled with water. I have since cleaned it and turned it over to help any water trapped in the bottom of the hull escape. It's also worth noting that there is a seam that would be behind the rub rail if the boat still had one, that connects the top of the abs shell which is the inside of the cockpit to the bottom of the shell which is the hull. The ABS shell is still glued or adhered to most of the stryofoam near this rub rail portion but I am hoping that water will escape along this seam.

I am afraid to seal it up with water still trapped in the hull.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again!
 
I had a water logged Snark that had been stored outside bottom up for years and the UV rays made the ABS outer skin brittle and it was all cracked. It weighed 85 lbs so I ended up removing the outer skin and then stored in a hot barn loft for most of a summer until it was the correct weight in late August. Weigh the hull so you can monitor you progress and then get is in a dry hot airy place until it is correct weight. No loft, cover with black water proof covering in airy sunny spot and bake the water out. Removing the seam that covers the joint and carefully wedging open the skin can help release the water but this is not a fast process so be patient. The best is to store in dry location and forget about it for a year. The other thing that you have to watch out for is if the boat was frozen when water logged as the foam core can sustain internal damage as water freezing expands.

><> Minas man <><
 
I am thankful to discover I am not the only one who has a heavy snark. I just purchased for $40 and was excited until my husband and I tried lifting to take it away. It takes both of us and it is hard to lift. I am glad to hear it will still sail and that there is a way to dry it out. I just don't want to wait a year before taking up my new hobby - while it is drying. Any thoughts or experiences to some alternatives?
 
Drying a EPS, expanded polystyrene hull takes time! No way around it and that and that is why you got the boat for $40!
Suggestions to help speed the process.
Hot dry place is best or covering hull will black or dark colored tarp in an airy location if the sun is your heat source. If you still have plastic the skin on the hull you need to remove the joint strip between inner and outer skin so the moister can be released from the inner foam core. This is going to take time for all that water to migrate out of the cell structure of the foam. How long will it take is hard to say but you need to weight the hull now and then monitor the progress. Scales can be had for cheep at thrift stores. Keep the boat upside down as the water will migrate to the gunnels via gravity where the seam is opened and it will be able to escape through evaporation. The hull might need to be in many positions to help the water escape so you might have to rotate it several times during the process so do what ever works.
One cubic foot of water weighs 62 lbs so that much water wood easily double the weight of 50lbs hull.
You could try wrapping the hull with an electric blanket but this is a procedure that has to monitored for safety reasons so temps do not get to high start at low heat and then slowly hotter.
Making a sealed plastic tent with dehumidifier is another method.
All the best

Minas man
 
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