Would "Great Stuff" Foam work for this....?

[OldManMirage]

Ok, here's the situation. I'm slowly working may way around different deck fittings and pulling/cleaning/rebidding them as needed. Came across the Deck Waste fitting as I'm also re-doing the head hoses and such.

There is a void. I have a Cape Dory with balsa cored decks and it looks like there was some rot that someone may have dug out but did NOT fill back with anything. The decks are built thick but I had noticed this spot was a little soft and now I know why.

I can reach in with a stiff wire and find what feels like "good" balsa, i.e., not soft or crumbly. It's not a large area, maybe the size of my hand.

So my question is - would the "Foam in a Can" stuff be ok ? Or would you mix up some thickened epoxy ? I feel like the foam will do a better job of filling the space, but would not be as strong as epoxy of course. But then again, neither was the balsa !

Opinions please ?

[Terra Nova]

Use thickened epoxy to create a hard spot.

[john61ct]

Yah no, great stuff is not heavy duty.

There are pourable urethane foams that come in high density ratings but it's hard to work with, exacting measurement, limited temp range, hard to deal with overflow expansion.

[OldManMirage]

I knew in my heart it wasn't the answer. I was just looking for that big red EASY button !

I went with the thickened epoxy. I may not have filled every spot in there but I got more in than I thought I could.

Hey this is my 100th Post too - do I get a prize ?

[Sailorman Ed]

Look on the WEST website for the lowest density filler you can, I think it is the white microballoons. It is amazing how much you can load these up. Also easy to fair back.
Or find a small piece of divynicel and cut it to fit if you have room.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

Hey this is my 100th Post too - do I get a prize ?

YES!
To claim your prize just provide contact information so I can invoice you, for a small shipping and handling fee, and your new "to you" 10 year old, slightly leaky, 8'6" PVC Zodiac Roll-up inflatable boat will be on its way to you!

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

YES!
To claim your prize just provide contact information so I can invoice you, for a small shipping and handling fee, and your new "to you" 10 year old, slightly leaky, 8'6" PVC Zodiac Roll-up inflatable boat will be on its way to you!

That should go well with my cranky old Johnson 2hp Seahorse !!!!

Thank you!!!

[JC Reefer]

Great stuff would not work but what a great product if there was Expandable filler epoxy in an aerosol can.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by Sailorman Ed

Look on the WEST website for the lowest density filler you can...

No. For creating a hard spot use high density filler. Low density is for fairing.

[john61ct]

That's what I thought! This stuff

​ http://www.uscomposites.com/foam.html

comes in up to 16lb per cu ft, should be much tougher that e.g. divinycell

What say you hive mind? Given caveats above, need practice first, can really make a mess if you pour/inject too much.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

That should go well with my cranky old Johnson 2hp Seahorse !!!!

Thank you!!!

Hadn't heard Seahorse in years. That dates back to the days that 25 HP was top of the line.

[rosatte]

Hey I got a Ted Johnson 4 horse bought it about 45 yrs ago at Sears still works great

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by rosatte

Hey I got a Ted Johnson 4 horse bought it about 45 yrs ago at Sears still works great

Ted Johnson? We may be talking apples and oranges. I though Sears sold Elgins back then not OMC engines. I think in latter years they sold Force a Mercury low end.

[Terra Nova]

Unsubscribed.

[OldManMirage]

FWIW, I got back down to the boat today after stuffing all the thickened epoxy I could into the void. Best I can say is it did ok. I can tell I didn't get the whole void filled because when I knock on it I can hear the differences. BUT, it did firm up the spot quite a bit, to the point where I can only tell because I'm looking for it. And of course it is sealed and the new fitting is well bedded with silicone.

So, I'm going to call it a success.