My boat has a piece of white foam (polystyrene) on either side of the boat neat the motor I was originally going to replace it but I figured I can just seal it .can I just use epoxy resin or do I need to rap it in some fiberglass mat first.
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how old is it ?
how big is it ?
is it water logged now ?
is it eaten up from fuel and oil getting to it ?
is it falling apart ?
is it encased within the hull walls ?? or just sticking out.
WHY do you want to cover it with something ????
whatever you decide to use, TEST a spot first to ensure you don't melt it.
I had some bench foam that was about 10x14x40" that touched the bottom of the
boat and the gas and oil had eaten a couple of inches off the bottom. I just trimmed
it up to get rid of the rotten stuff and added some same styrene from Lowe's to fill the void.
It is all electric now so no need to worry about the fuel damage again.
Just a thought - - - - and :WELCOME: - - - - pull up a seat and enjoy the ride
how big is it ?
is it water logged now ?
is it eaten up from fuel and oil getting to it ?
is it falling apart ?
is it encased within the hull walls ?? or just sticking out.
WHY do you want to cover it with something ????
whatever you decide to use, TEST a spot first to ensure you don't melt it.
I had some bench foam that was about 10x14x40" that touched the bottom of the
boat and the gas and oil had eaten a couple of inches off the bottom. I just trimmed
it up to get rid of the rotten stuff and added some same styrene from Lowe's to fill the void.
It is all electric now so no need to worry about the fuel damage again.
Just a thought - - - - and :WELCOME: - - - - pull up a seat and enjoy the ride
onthewater102
Well-known member
Don't bother testing - polystyrene will melt if you apply fiberglass/epoxy resins to it.
You can apply resins to urethane foam, but that's the 2 part expanding stuff and it can be a ***** to work with, especially if you're trying to fill vertical cavities with it as it starts off as a thick liquid so you need to somehow seal the bottom and sides...
You can apply resins to urethane foam, but that's the 2 part expanding stuff and it can be a ***** to work with, especially if you're trying to fill vertical cavities with it as it starts off as a thick liquid so you need to somehow seal the bottom and sides...
It is about 25 years old and it is behind the aluminum bulk head on the rear sides of the boat. I was going to incase it because when I drive down the road it leaves little balls all in my rod storage so I figured if I wrap it in something it will stop doing that.
well shoot, if all you want to do is keep it from messing up your rod box,
all ya gotta do is get some cheese cloth from the fabric store, wrap your foam in it,
and paint it with some house latex paint to match your boat.
OR/ to save you a trip into town, go get an old bed sheet, tear off the hemmed ends
and discard them. (the hemmed ends do not laminate well) wrap it and paint it.
The paint will last 25 years . . . . . . (or so it says on the can).
end of problem
and yes, I actually have done this before. For a July 4th parade, I made a 10 foot
Navy Sailors hat (Dixie Cup) out of a wood frame covered with chicken wire then,
covered the wire frame with cloth and painted with white latex paint.
LOL LOL yep, everyone was very impressed at the simplicity of it. and it actually looked good.
all ya gotta do is get some cheese cloth from the fabric store, wrap your foam in it,
and paint it with some house latex paint to match your boat.
OR/ to save you a trip into town, go get an old bed sheet, tear off the hemmed ends
and discard them. (the hemmed ends do not laminate well) wrap it and paint it.
The paint will last 25 years . . . . . . (or so it says on the can).
end of problem
and yes, I actually have done this before. For a July 4th parade, I made a 10 foot
Navy Sailors hat (Dixie Cup) out of a wood frame covered with chicken wire then,
covered the wire frame with cloth and painted with white latex paint.
LOL LOL yep, everyone was very impressed at the simplicity of it. and it actually looked good.
onthewater102
Well-known member
Latex paint is water based so you should be safe with the polystyrene not dissolving. Still spot check it, or better yet test it on a Styrofoam coffee cup from D&D to keep the boat safe.
yes of course it will stay together - - - I think you are WAY over thinking this
Just for your own peace of mind - get you a big piece of polystyrene foam like the one you are
having problems with. wrap it in cloth, paint it, let it dry.
Then, play kick ball with it in your front yard.
Do your own tests - do your own homework - then you will know.
Just for your own peace of mind - get you a big piece of polystyrene foam like the one you are
having problems with. wrap it in cloth, paint it, let it dry.
Then, play kick ball with it in your front yard.
Do your own tests - do your own homework - then you will know.
smackdaddy53
Well-known member
Wrap it in saran wrap
1lhorn
Active member
You can definitely apply epoxy resin to both XPS and EPS foam. Some surfboards are made with epoxy over polystyrene.
I was at TAP plasitcs looking at their epoxy resin system and they had examples of items that were coated with their epoxy and one was a block of EPS foam.
From: https://www.tactics.com/info/epoxy-surfboard-construction
"PU is the most common type of foam used in surfboard construction (it was the only type sold by former blank giant Clark Foam for over 40 years). However shapers are more and more using polystyrene foam, an alternative foam that is lighter weight and not as chemically harmful to those who handle it. The foam technology has been around a while but was not able to be applied to surf boards because it was not compatible with Polyester resin. Now with the introduction of epoxy resin it is quickly becoming the new standard. Polystyrene foam comes in two varieties – expanded and extruded – each compatible with epoxy resin, and each with its own positives and drawbacks."
I was at TAP plasitcs looking at their epoxy resin system and they had examples of items that were coated with their epoxy and one was a block of EPS foam.
From: https://www.tactics.com/info/epoxy-surfboard-construction
"PU is the most common type of foam used in surfboard construction (it was the only type sold by former blank giant Clark Foam for over 40 years). However shapers are more and more using polystyrene foam, an alternative foam that is lighter weight and not as chemically harmful to those who handle it. The foam technology has been around a while but was not able to be applied to surf boards because it was not compatible with Polyester resin. Now with the introduction of epoxy resin it is quickly becoming the new standard. Polystyrene foam comes in two varieties – expanded and extruded – each compatible with epoxy resin, and each with its own positives and drawbacks."
onthewater102
Well-known member
Sorry - you're right, I generalized the two when I was responding earlier but epoxy resin would work - but it has to be epoxy resin not the more common poly resin. Epoxy resin is much more expensive too.
