foam for a cooler

[bcbouy]

i've decided to build a cooler in my bow area. the front seat forward is wasted space right now,so im going to lift one side of my deck and foam it in.i want to make it watertight,and run a drain hose to my bilge.my questin is,what type of foam? will spray foam stick to aluminum,and is it closed cell? will foam mats with glue work ? will caulk/glue hold up to cold water? its 0.65 thick welded v hull so flex is minimal.i really need input here. thanks.

 

[nick4203]

i have been thinking along the same line i want a built in ice chest as well i would think you would want a liner of some sort surrounded with foam other wise the foam would end up getting chewed up after some time plus a lid to seal tightly

mabe foam it up like your sayin and a layer of fiberglass or 2?

 

[jigngrub]

Use the 2 or 3" EPS sheet foam.

Use 3 layers of woven fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin to hold it together and make it watertight.

Sand and paint or gel coat it.



Some of the spray foam in a can is closed cell/waterproof, Great Stuff Pond and Stone is the only one I know of. The rest have to be painted to be waterproof.

You can buy the closed 2 part urethane expanding foam online and mix up your own for cheaper than the cans of Great Stuff Pond and Stone. Painting any expanding foam is a good idea to make it completly waterproof.

 

[bcbouy]

i'm thinking of covering the foam with that stuff you coat the roof of an rv with.i just don't know what to foam/glue it in with.i don't plan to remove it after its done for a loooong time. i'm using an access hatch about 8 or 10 inches round that fits flush so i can still lay and walk around the deck. i know some of you guys had nightmares scraping glue off your projects.i'd love to know what kind of glue it was

 

[jigngrub]

Uh, yeah. Let us know how that roofing stuff works for you.

You can't use solvent based adhesives on foam because it will turn it into goo.

Check Home Depot for foam adhesives, but also make sure they're waterproof.

 

[bcbouy]

i dont understand what you mean about " let us know how that roofing stuff works out for you."are you saying it wont work? there are several products that are water based,not solvent,so it wont melt foam,however i dont know if it will stick to it. have you used this stuff?

 

[jigngrub]

i dont understand what you mean about " let us know how that roofing stuff works out for you."are you saying it wont work? there are several products that are water based,not solvent,so it wont melt foam,however i dont know if it will stick to it. have you used this stuff?

I dunno, it sounds like you're wanting to use Kool Seal? Like they use to seal the metal roofs on mobile homes? If the stuff you're talking about is Kool Seal or a similar product it won't stick to your foam nor will it protect it.

There's not a lot of stuff that will stick to foam, nor is there a lot of stuff you can use for a foam adhesive.

I suggested the epoxy resin and glass cloth because I know the epoxy will stick to the foam without melting it and when combined with the glass cloth is will make a hard barrier that will protect your foam, it'll also waterproof the inside of your cooler.

If you do find something that works let us know, I'd be interested in knowing what it is.

 

[nick4203]

bcbouy did you ever make a cooler? this keeps coming up on my to do list for my boat lol i need to make a built in cooler allready!

 

[longshot]

My dad did this years ago he used styrofoam sheets and coated them with several coats of elmers glue. It held up well if I remember right.

 

[bcbouy]

i've been too busy working on my camper, and now i've started working on a t top for the boat, and now that the kids have all moved out i'm redoing the bedrooms into a media room and a man cave(before they boomerang back in)but the cooler is still in the plans.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Use nontoxic contact cement to glue pink or blue foam panels together.