foam

[clarego]

im getting another boat. 1988 tracker tx 17' does anyone have a clue or a way to find if water destroyed the foam underneath the decking without ripping it apart ?


also ebay research https://cgi.ebay.com/30-POUNDS-FRESH-SHREDDED-POLYURETHANE-FOAM-STUFFING-/260828213437?pt=US_Pillows&hash=item3cba92b0bd#ht_613wt_1139

 

[jigngrub]

The Tracker boats disassemble pretty easily. The decking is screwed down through the carpet so all you have to do is find the screws buried in the carpet pile. You should be able to remover the rear deck easily to check on the condition and type of foam.

The foam in the boat should be the 2 part pourable urethane foam that doesn't waterlog unless it's been submerged for a year or so. If you're unsure about the type of foam, post a pic here and we can identify it for you.

 

[clarego]

considering the age i hope it isnt to bad once i get her ill post up

thanks

 

[Aaron Lariscy]

The rear deck on my 84 was all aluminum with no way to remove it short of a cutting wheel. Unfortunately the foam had somehow overexpanded and buckled the aluminum.

 

[reedjj]

There are a million threads in the Modifications forum of Tracker TX17's being gutted and rebuilt. Looks pretty easy to do.

 

[clarego]

al that would be one thing to be consider if this is the case wich i hope not

 

[MoHops]

I have an 83 tracker TX 17 and I am currently in the process of removing the back deck. The rear deck is all aluminum, however Tracker used an expanding foam in the cavities and it way overexpanded and made the floor push up as bad as an 1-1/2" in spots. Plus another design flaw is that the foam touches the transom which stays wet and rots the edges of the transom. I'm at the point where I've drilled out enough rivets and pulled enough panels that I'm going to just completely gut the rear and start over. That foam is nasty!!!

 

[jigngrub]

I have an 83 tracker TX 17 and I am currently in the process of removing the back deck. The rear deck is all aluminum, however Tracker used an expanding foam in the cavities and it way overexpanded and made the floor push up as bad as an 1-1/2" in spots. Plus another design flaw is that the foam touches the transom which stays wet and rots the edges of the transom. I'm at the point where I've drilled out enough rivets and pulled enough panels that I'm going to just completely gut the rear and start over. That foam is nasty!!!

Did you buy this boat new or used? That doesn't sound like something Tracker would do, sounds more like something a PO would do.

I'd like to see this mess, could you post pics when you get the back deck off before you do the tear out?

 

[MoHops]

I'll take some pics of the rear deck for you. It's definitely something from Tracker. It's like they framed up the back deck area and livewell, drilled a couple of big holes and then pumped foam in until it reached the top. it's jammed in everywhere. I would just leave it if the floor wasn't raised up so much. I'll probably just scrape the top couple of inches off of it and put the deck plate back down. Hate to lose all that floatation if I ever sprang a leak.

 

[SVOMike86]

You'd be surprised how much waterlogged foam (if its waterlogged) can weigh. The foam you have in that link is not suitable for the job, however, you can buy sheets of foam at big box hardware stores thats used for under flooring (i think thats what its used for). Comes in a 4X8 sheet, generally less than $20 a sheet, and is closed cell which won't absorb water. If you take the decking up, you might as well get all that old crap out and replace it...

 

[cooter brown]

i'm in the process of rebuilding a 95 Tracker TX 17. The front deck is held down by screws as noted in the above post. My boat had the expandable type open cell foam under the front deck only. When the foam was sprayed in, it expanded under the drainage channels in the hull. The front foam was completely saturated. The expandable foam was very hard to remove and even harder to get out of the drainage channels. Under the rear deck of my boat they used 6" wide sheets of open cell foam. It wasn't near as saturated because the channels were not clogged up. I would be willing to bet the front of your boat has about 150 pounds of water logged wood, carpet, and foam in it! Let us know what you find.

 

[clarego]

im afraid to look

 

[jigngrub]

This is the foam in my Tracker, expanding closed cell. It's good stuff and I really like the way they did it!

There's not a speck of open cell foam in this boat, I think all of those that are having open cell problems are dealing with a PO's idiot mistakes.

 

[clarego]

so not all of them were messed up good to here that !

 

[jigngrub]

so not all of them were messed up good to here that !

The only way you can tell is to open 'er up and have a look C, if you have any doubts post some pics for us to look at.

 

[sams]

Closed cell 2 part foam can and will absorb water. This is a common issues with boats of all sizes that use foam for level flotation. There are plenty of sites where you can see owners pulling out OEM pour able foam that is water logged. I have a 17' whaler that I bought as a project. The foam in that hull is so water logged that a sample I removed lost 80% of its weight after 4 weeks.

Once you remove any wet foam you should make sure you figure out why it got wet and fix that before replacing it.

Sam

 

[jigngrub]

Closed cell 2 part foam can and will absorb water. This is a common issues with boats of all sizes that use foam for level flotation. There are plenty of sites where you can see owners pulling out OEM pour able foam that is water logged. I have a 17' whaler that I bought as a project. The foam in that hull is so water logged that a sample I removed lost 80% of its weight after 4 weeks.

Once you remove any wet foam you should make sure you figure out why it got wet and fix that before replacing it.

Sam

From the USComposites site concerning their 2 lb. density foam:

Common Applications: Our 2LB density marine foam is recommended for void filling in nonstructural applications. This product can be poured underneath decks and inside cavities where a lightweight flotation foam is needed to provide buoyancy. This foam has been tested in accordance with U.S. Coast Guard Regulation # 33 CFR 183.114 . This foam is approximately 95-98% closed cell which resists absorbing water, however continuous water submersion can eventually lead to loss of buoyancy over a period of years. We recommend this product strictly for flotation applications. If looking for a liquid foam for sculpting or casting we recommend using at minimum our 3LB or 4LB density.

Their foam selection:
https://www.uscomposites.com/foam.html

My '97 Tracker has the 8 lb. density foam which is a much better foam.

 

[sams]

My '97 Tracker has the 8 lb. density foam which is a much better foam.

The 8lb materials is more durable, but, also heavier. I work with boat builders all around the world and would be very skeptical that the foam in your boat was 100% closed cell to start. After years of service there has almost certainly been some degradation of the cell walls that will allow increased absorption.

If you have a good scale capable of reading hundredths of pounds I would cut a small piece of foam and weight it. The submerge that piece of foam it in water for a week or so and then weight it again.

Sam