Someone removed the foam blocks from my sunfish hull?

SmprFidels

SmprFidels

Member
When I bought this boat I noticed that the access ports were stuffed with noodles and expandable foam, but i didn't realize why. Now when I remove the noodles to cut down on weight i find that in the back at least the foam blocks are missing.

Does anyone know how important the blocks are to the structure of the boat? will it float without them? Where can i get replacement blocks, and how can I get them down through the 6inch access ports?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt
 

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Holy Top Ramen Batman At 5 bucks a strand that looks like more invested than fixing it right.

It’s a common misconception foam flotation helps a healthy boat float better. It really only does its job when the hull no longer can. Float a dixie cup in a bowl of water. Add a handful of wine bottle corks to the cup. See if the cup floats higher.

Sunfish hulls, and other small boats too, are thin enough so they flex in the wide flat areas. The main concern is the bottom ahead of the cockpit. Without internal support this area flexes enough to soften up and begins to form a convex cave-in. That shape messes with water flow along the hull and makes the boat sail slower.

You can get foam from the Sunfish dealer and from suppliers on the internet. You ain’t gonna fit the blocks through a port. Fitting blocks like new entails splitting off the deck. The Sunfish Sailors group has an instruction page. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor
 
Dan said:
"...At 5 bucks a strand that looks like more invested than fixing it right..."
Click to expand...
Certainly not the way to fix the problem, but Wal-Mart has them at $3 each for the fat ones (4" diameter).

I had the same problem, but it was I who removed the foam. "My" foam had turned to giant sponges, no good for flotation, and were very heavy anyway.

I'd say that depending on what you weigh, you may get by without replacing the foam as a structural member. I'm heavy, at 220 pounds, so I glassed the top surface of the...um...um...poop deck, and added a secret flotation—not swim noodles. (Being tested this season). :)

Looks like I should add another layer of glass and epoxy on the poop deck, though.

The foam forward seems to be OK, as the builder had raised all but a rib of foam from the hull bottom (center), and saturation by water was less likely to occur.
 
Dan B "You can get foam from the Sunfish dealer and from suppliers on the internet. " Please let me know your sources. Every LP source I have talked to says no foam. And the suppliers sold big blocks that ran about $800 before shipping.

Smpr FIdels if I had to make foam blocks today, I'd got to Home Depot and buy the Owens Corning pink foamboard, 4x8 sheets one inch thick, cut them up and laminate them with adhesive or tape together with 3M HVAC tape. The blocks are about 4 inches wide and conform mostly to the hull shape, then are fixed in place with expanding foam. I'd use Great Stuff, knowing that it is not closed cell and will absorb water, and just make sure my hull had no leaks. How you get them in the hull is your decision, split the seam or maybe it works to put in small sections at a time. I'm sure there are other creative ways to get some support in there, which is what you need to prevent the oil canning mentioned, forward of the cockpit.
 
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