Expandable buoyancy foam

Docktor

Anyone know where I can get 2-part polyurethane foam?

I am replacing the cockpit floor in my Shetland 570. Felt a spongy area on standing on the cockpit floor - cut it open to confirm black underside of the floor ply (original Shetland floor) and black/soft transverse rib. I thought the plywood rib was probably sitting on top of a glassed-in transverse member but was shocked to find nothing under it except foam.

It appears that the ply floor was laid down with three ply ribs attached to the underside - each end of which sat on the convex outer part of the hull - and the only glass applied was to the upper side of the ply floor. The foam was then poured into the cavity and it appears that the foam provided the major structural element.

Has anyone else come across this?

fergal.b

You can get it here https://www.grs.ie/ this can be powerful stuff so you have to work out how much weight you need to mix to fill the volume of space you have otherwise it may just lift the floor or ballon the hull, you could leave the floor off and let the foam expand and then cut it to the level of the floor.



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Docktor

Thanks Fergal. I got in contact with them this morning and they have the stuff - although their website says that the foam is not buoyancy-rated and not waterproof, after the telephone conversation it became clear that this is just a "disclaimer".

Have you seen this type of construction before - no structural ribs - essentially a floating (no pun intended) floor on top of foam?

fergal.b

Docktor wrote: »

Thanks Fergal. I got in contact with them this morning and they have the stuff - although their website says that the foam is not buoyancy-rated and not waterproof, after the telephone conversation it became clear that this is just a "disclaimer".

Have you seen this type of construction before - no structural ribs - essentially a floating (no pun intended) floor on top of foam?

I can't see it working too well as soon as you walk on the floor it might compress it a bit leaving a gap making the floor soft again, was it coated in fibreglass cloth.


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