Kevlacat foam filled flooring

[Dirtyfuzz]

Hi gents after a bit of info from current or previous 6.2m owners, a mate is currently rebuilding one and he said that all of the bottom side of foam under the inspection ports was all wet and that I should check mine I then proceeded to tell him that I don't have any foam! So question is should there be any from a safety point of view, we have had the boat from new so there was never any from the factory


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[gino77]

Hi there mate I will be in the process of removing my fuel tanks in my 6.2 in the near future . I hve put inspection holes in front of tanks only to find the hulls are foam filled which i was unaware of

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[Dirtyfuzz]

Interesting! I have 2 inspection holes on each side above tanks, but they are only about 3" deep and can't see anything due to all the glass around them also have two holes at the transom and two at the front beside the seat pods, boat was built to survey so surprised mine has no foam when others seem to have it


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[Lovey80]

I have a 97 5.2m and it has none. Someone will correct me if I am wrong but the foam filled were mostl likely built to survey back then?

[Skusto]

Quick question do you guys have a little moisture on the underside of your hatches when you pull them off?

I figure it's from condensation but just checking.


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[Moray]

I have removed the entire floor on a 6.2KC and the only part that was foam filled is the section around the fuel tanks. The foam was clearly there to ensure no movement of the fuel tanks.

The question of condensation is a tough one. Any moisture could definitely be due to condensation from moist air trapped inside. But dont ever believe that the hulls are perfectly water tights and no water can get in. I am sure you could find lots of cat owners with fully sealed hulls that have found water in them. Even a minuscule crack or slightly unsealed penetration can let in tiny bits of water over a long period of time. Boats are stored outdoors and sometimes on a slope so rain water can pond across the deck. Sure it was not what the manufacturer intended but it is a reality of life. If you never have an issue then there is no issue. But if the water does get in then you are in a world of hurt as its a real pain to get out. My two cents worth is that there is no such thing as a perfectly sealed hull when you consider the likely useful life of a boat i.e. >30 years. At some point water is likely, but not certain, to get in. Good design should cater for this possibility rather than ignore it. So hopefully its just condensation from moist air.

cheers

[Lovey80]

I do have a little moisture when I leave the boat out overnight with the spin outs still in. When I put the boat in the shed I usually pull the spin outs out and leave them that way until I take the boat out next.

[dan12345]

i have cut the floor up on 4 kevlacats (3 x5.2 1 x 6.2) and all of them had foam around the tank as well as glass. 2 of the 5.2s had foam in the forward most section of the hull also. other then that all open. and none of the compartments are water tight.

[Dirtyfuzz]

Cheers lads, I don't see the point in having the compartments filled with foam as the brass spin outs are defo not water tight and the foam would just get waterlogged over time


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[Danf]

Hey Dan12345,
I would like to have a chat to you about the work you did with Kevlacats.
Can you PM me your number.

[dan12345]

pm sent danf

[ozynorts]

Cheers lads, I don't see the point in having the compartments filled with foam as the brass spin outs are defo not water tight and the foam would just get waterlogged over time


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Proper marine flotation foam shouldn't absorb water. If you don't have foam in there and as you say the spin outs aren't water tight then they aren't airtight either so in effect you don't have any flotation at all.


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[TheRealAndy]

The foam is possibly a survey thing. There is some requirement around positive buoyancy when a boat is required to be in survey. I guess it depends on if you purchased new or second hand.