Sub Floor foaming

[BellBoyBob]

Hi All and Happy New Year!

Can anyone refer me to the link where I can be instructed on how to foam the area under my cockpit floor. I am going to take this on in April when the BellBoy is out of storage. The original 53 year old 1/2" ply finally gave up the ghost. Didn't owe me one darn thing! I am going to replace with 1/2" marine ply, seal with glass and paint with non-skid paint. I will also rearrange the seating a la Chuck Carrey's blue Farallon with front to back benches. Once the floor is out, I may need to replace the cabin bulkhead as well, but we'll see... I will use stained high end wood for the cockpit walls and bench structures. I plan to show the boat at the Skaneateles, NY boat show and the Clayton, NY boat show this summer. Clayton is where the Antique Boat Museum is located. Should be great fun to include a classic glass among all that mahogany!!!
Thanks so much,

Bob

[Skagitguy]

Hi Bob, I don't know what pictures you have of the Farallon's cockpit, so here goes. Btw she is kind of back in your area in Northern CT. Chuck

[Helmar]

Hi All and Happy New Year!

Can anyone refer me to the link where I can be instructed on how to foam the area under my cockpit floor. I am going to take this on in April when the BellBoy is out of storage. The original 53 year old 1/2" ply finally gave up the ghost. Didn't owe me one darn thing! I am going to replace with 1/2" marine ply, seal with glass and paint with non-skid paint. I will also rearrange the seating a la Chuck Carrey's blue Farallon with front to back benches. Once the floor is out, I may need to replace the cabin bulkhead as well, but we'll see... I will use stained high end wood for the cockpit walls and bench structures. I plan to show the boat at the Skaneateles, NY boat show and the Clayton, NY boat show this summer. Clayton is where the Antique Boat Museum is located. Should be great fun to include a classic glass among all that mahogany!!!
Thanks so much,

Bob

I did one of the Bell Boys and also the Farallon was done at Island Boat Shop.
I know that was my project. Marty, Chuck and I came up with those designs.

I think I have a link for you to look at.
I turned my website off and moved some files over to show the Bell Boy project.
In fact, its Jack and Kathie Dando's Bell Boy.
I did all the rough in work and Jack and Kathie are going to finish it.
Soon too.

Found it again. This will give you some ideas...
I hope that Jack will send me photos to finish the project.

http://www.classicboatclub.com/Johan...Boy/index.html

Let me know what you think

[TheBronze]

Woohoo! Foam!

Get your replacement wood ready and fit it to the sole.
Mark your stringer placement lines.
Drill 1 inch holes every couple of feet with the wood OUT of the boat.
Mount your new floor.
Screw into striners, glass the edges.
Once that is all done, jack the boat up as high as you can get it so that the bow is up.
Start at the stern and work your way forward in each stringer bay.
Pour your foam in and be ready to cap the fill holes with little 2 oz measureing cups.
Wait for it to set up and then do it all over again!

I did this on the 404 and it was no trouble at all.
heat the foam parts in your bath tub before taking them out to mix. You will get maximum expansion that way, no matter what the outside temp is.
Use a power paint mixer.

Work fast!

http://www.classicboatclub.com/forum...?t=2497&page=4

[BellBoyBob]

Hello All:

Here is an update on the BB flooring project. I was delayed this summer getting started but I am now finished with day 2, mostly demolition. It was tough getting the rear slashwell wall out, being securely glassed in at the sides. Tomorrow, I plan to pry off the decorative stained strips to be able to visualize the original floor, remove what screws I can and hopefully get one fore - aft half off in one piece to use as a template for the new wood. The original build had to halves fore and aft installed. I like Johns idea for the floor, running left to right sections from the stern forward to the main bulkhead. That way I can guarantee centering my fasting screws right at the center of the stringers. I will decide soon on that. Here is a pic from today.

Best,
Bob

[TheBronze]

Bob,

Looks like you are on your way. Interesting shot. Compared to my 404, your splashwell looks like it sites higher with more room underneath. I only have 7 inches or so at the front if I recall correctly.

[BellBoyBob]

I will look, John. I think you are right - there may be a foot between the bottom of my splashwell and the top of the floor. When I worked on my friend's (BellBoyJohn) 404 sedan from '59, there seemed to be subtle differences between his rear area and mine - mostly from the deck side. I am pretty sure the hulls are identical.
My plan today is to remove the floor carefully with a crowbar. I know what you mean when your say the glass tape adhesions take time to remove. Man, the sides of that original floor are secured in there! I will leverage using a block of wood to avoid gouging the bottom of the hull. I like the idea of replacing the floor with separate fore and aft sections as you did. The taper seems to occur only on the fore section but I will measure carefully.
I think I will be able to leave the rear sections of the floor where they meet the transom and knee triangular braces. They were originally separate pieces. All of that is completely intact. While the floor is out, I plan to box in the bilge and fashion drainage hoses from the bilge area to the rear corners of the floor just in front of the back wall of the cockpit. That way, after foaming, the water will have somewhere to go when tubers /skiers / swimmers come in. I will definitely keep the part A and part B containers warm while I mix and pour. I will keep in close communication with you. I want to get this just right!

Thanks,
Bob

[TheBronze]

Sounds like you are in full demo mode! Try to get your old wood out in one piece if you can. Makes your new templates easier to build.

If your stern wood under the splashwell is in good shape, leave it for sure. Much easier to deal with not having to split the entire hull to get at that wood. Plus you won't have to re-glass the mighty transom braces.

Take pictures and post if you get a chance. I'd love to see your progress.

[BellBoyBob]

Well, its OUT! I knew the starboard side of the floor was so damaged by water and rot that there was nothing to use for a replacement template. BUT, the port side came out in three pieces easily reassembled to make an accurate template. Given this, I will revise my replacement floor plan and go two fore / aft halves a la the original design. The bottom of the hull looks great and the stringers have no evidence of rot under the glass covering. I will fill the original screw holes with a glass paste before final install of the new floor with the foam.

The right front section of the floor, right under the helm wheel was completely disintegrated and quite wet ( I had the boat out last weekend ) I have a strong suspicion that there is water entering from the original (now illegal toilet plumbing) intake scupper valve or the side discharge. The next step is to launch the boat and see with the floor off, where the water is entering.

Coming along well!

Best,

Bob

[BellBoyBob]

sorry for inverted pics! getting used to this new iphone 5!!

[TheBronze]

Oh boy does that look familiar!

Was there any of the original foam left? I had a few chunks of stuff that was totally collapsed. Pretty funny.

Yes, I think you are right with the plumbing. When I did my hull work I just filled them in so I wouldn't have to worry about them. if you wanted to do it, now would be the time to take care of all the holes in those hulls. There should be a water intake for the toilet as well I think, forward of the main bulkhead. I also had a discharge hole for the sink that I filled. More work, but there is only one spot for water to come in other than over the gn'ls.

That is a fairly minor project in the scope of things. I would think that you can have that new floor in and foamed along with hull patching in plenty of time for summer/fall fun. Especially looking at your rate of work.

[BellBoyBob]

Ok, the floor has been permanently screwed in and fiberglass taped around the perimeter and the center seam. Prior to this, I installed drain hoses that will direct any water from incoming skiers / tubers / swimmers straight to the bilge area which has been boxed in to prevent the foam from entering. We are now ready to go with the foaming. I had ONE question: I wonder if I should foam the first section in front while the boat is sitting bow-down in the garage? At 16" from the main bulkhead to the first line of holes, I worry that the foam may not ooze forward right up against the bulkhead (it extends past the floor to the hull bottom) before it sets? Thats where I really want a complete fill / seal. What do you all think?

Thanks,
Bob

[TheBronze]

Hey, that looks familiar!

I suppose it doesn't matter if the nose is down or up when you pour your sections. Get it past the main bulkhead and then jack it up for the rest. Make sure to warm it up good in hot water if the outside temp isn't great. And have a helper. And fun!

[Marvelous]

[quote="TheBronze, post: 25538"]Oh boy does that look familiar!

Was there any of the original foam left? I had a few chunks of stuff that was totally collapsed. Pretty funny.

[ATTACH]14529.vB[/ATTACH]


These little beauties!

[BellBoyBob]

There was no foam under the floor at all. I pulled up the original floor. Where there was foam block was in the gunwale space along the sides of the cockpit, behind and in front of the tanks. Thats it.
As of this writing, I have half the floor foamed. So far so good!