Help! Replacing seat foam??

[arob8924]

I have a 12' Alumacraft boat thats really old and im wondering if the seats have foam inside that has become waterlogged. If its waterlogged I want to remove it and replace it so I can cut back a few lbs. As you can see, the seats are all-aluminum and they aren't panelled (im talking about the back two seats in the photo)... so I dont know how to check or replace the foam. I don't want to have to weld it to seal it back off... so what do I do? I haven't found any posts on here yet where someone has done a seat foam removal quite like this... The only thing I can think to do is cut a hole out on the top, and then rivet on a new sheet of aluminum or attach marine lumber. Thanks for your advice!

 

[krawler]

Most of those seats have a white Styrofoam inside and won't hold any water. It's usually the same stuff that is used under docks.

 

[muskiemike12]

Krawler is right. It is the poured foam that has the waterlogging issues. When I took apart my 1974 StarCraft seats, they were bone dry. This boat has spent it's entire life outside.

 

[arob8924]

Ok so no reason to even check them huh?

 

[muskiemike12]

No reason you can't check, but you're probably going to be ok. That boat might be so old that there will be no foam in there. Just reach under the bench and you should be able to feel it.

 

[earl60446]

Exactly, on most of those seats you can feel the foam bottom by reaching underneath the bench. If it is wet, that's where it will be wet.
Tim

muskiemike12 » Today, 07:51[/url]"]No reason you can't check, but you're probably going to be ok. That boat might be so old that there will be no foam in there. Just reach under the bench and you should be able to feel it.

 

[JMichael]

krawler » Yesterday, 23:01[/url]"]Most of those seats have a white Styrofoam inside and won't hold any water. It's usually the same stuff that is used under docks.

I guess all "white" styrofoam is not equal. I removed this from the floor of my boat. It looks like the same stuff they make cups from. As it was way too bulky to figure out a way of weighing the entire lot, I took a 2 square foot section, weighed it, and then did the math of total sq ft of foam to get an estimate of the weight. Turns out that the foam from the floor of my boat weighed in at an estimated 188 lbs. The replacement "blue" foam board weighed less than 10 lb total.

 

[muskiemike12]

Unless that boat has sat full of water for extended periods of time the seat foam should not look like that. Being under the floor it got waterlogged and most likely contributed to a rotten floor. There must be 20 pounds of mold in that pile!

 

[JMichael]

There wasn't any mold, but there was a whole lot of dirt in with the foam. And It was an aluminum cover over the foam so nothing to rot besides the foam it's self. But I agree that as long as his seats are not "sealed" on the bottom to prevent water from draining out or the boat wasn't sunken for a prolonged period, his seat foam shouldn't be waterlogged like this stuff.

 

[arob8924]

Alright I'll post when I have a chance to get out and look at it. Thanks for the tips