Floatation

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Floatation

Postby Guest » Wed Nov 24, 1999 1:00 am

Fun with foam ...

I'm considering re-filling the "air tanks" in my 1971 O'Day built DS1 (3501) with foam. The idea at this point is to remove the pop bottles (see below) clean out what remains of the original styrofoam and pour in two part poly-urethane foam.

I want to achieve several goals:

*get full bouyancy benefit from the tanks (the spaces between the pop bottles will not displace water should it enter the tank)

*add stiffness to the hull

Has anyone tried this?

Comments?

On Jul 21, 1998 Jerry Plante (previous owner of 3501) wrote: I removed the soggy wet styrofoam floation from inside the seats and the bow tank last winter. It weighed 50 pounds!!! I've heard of it weighing as much as 100. I put a 6 inch "inspection" port in each tank and have been stuffing empty plastic Coke and Gatorade bottles in them all season.

Gary Tabor (ratracer-at-rust.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Wed Nov 24, 1999 1:00 am

Make sure the two part foam that you use is a closed cell type. The kind that does not soak up water over time. Some of our fleet boats used insulating foam from hot tubs. Now those boats weight almost 700 pounds and don't right very easily from a capize.

Gus Heismann (gheismann-at-hotmail.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Fri Nov 26, 1999 1:00 am

Beware of two part foams... If not used properly you may end up seats that get "blown" off the hull skin, or worse a lumpy unfair hull, as the the will require the removal of the seats and foam to fix. RP Associates in Bristol RI stocks a 2#/ft^3 closed cell foam that if used properly will produce a good part.

No, I don't work for them I've just used the material.

Matt Hammatt (Mhammatt-at-aol.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Thu Dec 09, 1999 1:00 am

Matt,

Many thanks for the input. What has been your experience with this foam? In what application did you use it?

It sounds like the perfect choice.

I intend to approach the foaming cautiously. My 1971 Oday DS1 already has 6" inspection ports in each of the 3 tanks. My plan is to fill one tank at a time with the hull supported so as to place the inspection port at the top of the tank. I'll calculate the volume of foam needed for each tank and take care to not over-fill by pouring in 2 or 3 smaller batches than one big one. This should ensure that the expanding foam has some place to go thereby avoiding building up pressure in the tank and blowing off the seat or bulging the hull.

Comments?

Matt Hammatt wrote:

Beware of two part foams... If not used properly you may end up seats that get "blown" off the hull skin, or worse a lumpy unfair hull, as the the will require the removal of the seats and foam to fix.


Gary Tabor (ratracer-at-rust.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Thu Jan 13, 2000 1:00 am

For general information

I just removed the old soggy original styrofoam blocks from the seats of my DS1 #4000 and refilled them with pellets (after retaping the joints). It took three and a half 100 liter bags of pellets to do the job.

This means the seats displace 770 lbs of water (350 X 2.2 lbs/kilogram).

I'm also adding four Optimist dinghy floatation bags under the cuddy (where the original package trays went) in the hopes that the boat may turtle more slowly on capsize. Anybody know if this will help?

Bob

Bob Torson (safehbr-at-pioneer.net)
Guest
 

Postby Bob Hunkins » Mon Jan 17, 2000 1:00 am

I saw an article in the last Day Sailer Quarterly that suggested getting these things I think they are called "Water worms" or some such thing. They are pool toys that are very simple: a long extruded bouyant cylinder perhaps 4in in diameter and maybe 6 feet long. Made from some sort of closed cell foam, but pretty sturdy and inexpensive.
Bob Hunkins
Site Admin
 
Posts: 378
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 7:37 pm
Location: Fleet 25, Houston, Texas

Postby Guest » Sat Jan 13, 2001 1:17 am

Any problems with mold / mildew with dampness between worms? Do you take them all out regularly?

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Sun Jan 21, 2001 9:07 pm

Hello,
Could someone describe the process of cutting inspection ports in the air tanks of a DS? I wish to try the water worm/noodle solution and don't want to risk messing things up.
Thanks

Len Phelan (tralfaz-at-capecod.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jan 22, 2001 10:09 am

Good inspection ports will come with instructions and a templet to follow. Best advice I can offer is to pick a spot that is as flat. The previous owner of my boat installed two ports. One either side of the centerboard trunk at the foward end. The deck there has a slight crown and the ports are tough to operate but do allow for access to the bilge and the CB pivot bolt. When you purchase an inspection port you will notice the flange is rather wide. Use a silicone based caulk and apply lots! What squeezes out from the edge will wipe up easily before it sets.

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jan 22, 2001 10:14 am

Good inspection ports will come with instructions and a templet to follow. Best advice I can offer is to pick a spot that is as flat. The previous owner of my boat installed two ports. One either side of the centerboard trunk at the foward end. The deck there has a slight crown and the ports are tough to operate but do allow for access to the bilge and the CB pivot bolt. When you purchase an inspection port you will notice the flange is rather wide. Use a silicone based caulk and apply lots! What squeezes out from the edge will wipe up easily before it sets.

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Mon Jan 22, 2001 10:20 am

Len,

If I remember correctly there are instructions on the packaging for the inspection ports.
I've installed 5 ports on my DS, and the process is quite simple. Basically you determine
the location for your port, pencil a line around the outside of the inner flange, drill a hole
just inside the line for inserting a saw blade and cut out the circle with a saber saw. You might want to put some tape on the bottom of your saber saw base to prevent gelcoat scratches, and use a fine
toothed blade. Use a rasp to touch up your cut out so the port slips in easily. Position
the port and drill the holes for the fasteners. Put a bead of silicone caulk on the inside of
the face flange and screw/bolt it into place. It would be best if you tightened it just snug,
clean up any squeeze out, and let the silicone set up, then tighten up the fasteners for a
good seal. The hardest part is getting up the courage to cut a big hole in your boat.

I have an '86 Precision-made DS 1, with a molded inner hull liner. I used the 6" Beckson
screw in ports and placed them on the vertical face of my seat flotation chambers. One
just forward of the thwart, and one aft on each side, plus one in my bow chamber. I plan
to add noodles to my boat too. I turtled my boat several years ago, and while I was
underneath pulling the centerboard back out of the trunk, I could hear water leaking into
the air chambers. When the boat was righted (with the help of a benevolent power
boater) she floated almost awash and there were many gallons of water between the
hulls. Hope this helps.

Lee Peterson
Little Petunia
DS13030


Lee Peterson (leep-at-means.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jan 23, 2001 12:43 pm

Mark, don't you have a DS II? is so, the inspection ports that you describe are original, stock from the factory, O'Day installed. I have them on my 1979 DS II and they were hard to open and leaked, so I bought two new ones (Beckson) and replaced them. I did need to slightly enlarge the holes in the cockpit sole, but it was well worth it since the new ports have a coarser thread and also have gaskets to seal better!

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jan 23, 2001 8:09 pm

Hello,
First I'd like to thank you Lee, Mark, and Rod for your quick, informative responses. My DS, purchased this past September (hull #3141, class # 5704) already has two inspection ports, one on either side of forward end of the CB trunk as mentioned by Rod. I hate to bug you folks with more questions but here goes:Is it necessary to install more ports in the vertical face of the seats as Lee described or should I just stuff the noodles in through the floor ports? I would think that one would want the floatation not in the floor but as close to the gunwales as possible, i.e. in the seat tanks.
Thanks very much, I appreciate the wisdom of your experience.
Len


Len Phelan (tralfaz-at-capecod.net)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jan 23, 2001 11:25 pm

Thanks Rod.
Don't really know much about the original equip. of the DS. (Yes I've got the DS2) My inspection ports don't leak that I know of but are really hard to use. I've bought one made for a Laser (much more expensive) and will be installing it (with its ditty bag) on the cabin top. That is not a flat spot either so I'll be interested to see if it works better. I concidered the possible overtightening of the two on the cockpit sole but if theyre OE then I'm better off not to tamper with them until I'm ready to replace them.... right?

MAKurtis (Emak41-at-excite.com)
Guest
 

Postby Guest » Tue Jan 30, 2001 1:42 pm

Back to the flotation improvements. How did the 2 part foam work out? Hulls still intact? How many inspection ports were cut to fill the seat tanks? Other ideas and suggestions?

Barry (BFK-at-sdcity.sannet.gov)
Guest
 

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