I know, there are a lot of these threads around, and I've probably read them all, both here and on other sites. But this is 2017 and my solution to a water logged CS J12 goes well beyond just drilling drain holes (which don't work).
I drilled two holes in the transom of my J12 last fall, (3 foot long drill bit), after which a very small amount of water drained from them, less than a cup each. So over winter she was kept high and dry, bow up, for 5 months. Today I ran a drill bit into a couple of old seat mounting holes that were never sealed properly, and out came soaking wet foam. Tried a couple other existing holes in different 'log' compartments with the same result.
The boat had been poorly maintained by the previous owner(s) but the outside of the hull is still like new. Lots of holes drilled in the deck with little or no proper sealer. Lots of heavy spider webbing, and water ponding on the unprotected deck when not in use. I knew she carried water, but never had a chance to weigh her. The boat was nearly free, (probably what some readers will say it's worth), but I want the stability of this boat for the smaller inland lakes around here and I'm not afraid of a challenge to fix her right.
So knowing there was considerable water still in the hull, I pulled out a 2-1/2" hole saw and started putting holes about every 7" from side to side. Using a long flat bladed screw driver I started breaking up and pulling out the foam. Every bit of foam was loaded with water, like a sponge, I could squeeze out considerable amounts of water from every piece. The foam reminded me of watermelon, it was that water logged. The most interesting aspect was that the top of the foam was every bit a soaked as the bottom, with little to no water puddled underneath, meaning the foam had sucked up all the moisture like a wick and held it.
From a single foam log compartment I removed a basket ball sized plastic bag worth of wet foam which weighed 6 pounds. I figure I only removed about 3/4 of all the foam/water in there so it is safe to estimate that each compartment holds 8 pounds of water, and I count 18 compartments, which is nearly 150 pounds of water. That's about 1/4 of the rated total capacity of this boat. Or 35 pounds more than the weight of the 25hp Evinrude 2-stroke that's going on it.
Drilling holes and prying loose that much foam is a very slow process, but once 3/4 of the foam is removed the rest should dry out given a few warm sunny days and a breeze. All the foam was still properly adhered to the inside of the fiberglass compartments, so leaving a little in there (after drying) before re-filling with expanding foam won't present a problem. The plan is to glass over the original now- perforated deck and foam filled holes with new glass.
Learned:
1) The foam originally used in the hull WILL absorb and HOLD water INDEFINITELY , regardless of what anybody else says.
2) Drilling drain holes will NOT remove the water held by the foam.
3) Gravity will not pull the water from the foam. Just like with a sponge, you can squeeze a puddle of water out of the foam, then place the foam in puddle and it will soak it right back up.
4) If you want to remove the water from inside the hull of a CS, you'll need to open it up.
I drilled two holes in the transom of my J12 last fall, (3 foot long drill bit), after which a very small amount of water drained from them, less than a cup each. So over winter she was kept high and dry, bow up, for 5 months. Today I ran a drill bit into a couple of old seat mounting holes that were never sealed properly, and out came soaking wet foam. Tried a couple other existing holes in different 'log' compartments with the same result.
The boat had been poorly maintained by the previous owner(s) but the outside of the hull is still like new. Lots of holes drilled in the deck with little or no proper sealer. Lots of heavy spider webbing, and water ponding on the unprotected deck when not in use. I knew she carried water, but never had a chance to weigh her. The boat was nearly free, (probably what some readers will say it's worth), but I want the stability of this boat for the smaller inland lakes around here and I'm not afraid of a challenge to fix her right.
So knowing there was considerable water still in the hull, I pulled out a 2-1/2" hole saw and started putting holes about every 7" from side to side. Using a long flat bladed screw driver I started breaking up and pulling out the foam. Every bit of foam was loaded with water, like a sponge, I could squeeze out considerable amounts of water from every piece. The foam reminded me of watermelon, it was that water logged. The most interesting aspect was that the top of the foam was every bit a soaked as the bottom, with little to no water puddled underneath, meaning the foam had sucked up all the moisture like a wick and held it.
From a single foam log compartment I removed a basket ball sized plastic bag worth of wet foam which weighed 6 pounds. I figure I only removed about 3/4 of all the foam/water in there so it is safe to estimate that each compartment holds 8 pounds of water, and I count 18 compartments, which is nearly 150 pounds of water. That's about 1/4 of the rated total capacity of this boat. Or 35 pounds more than the weight of the 25hp Evinrude 2-stroke that's going on it.
Drilling holes and prying loose that much foam is a very slow process, but once 3/4 of the foam is removed the rest should dry out given a few warm sunny days and a breeze. All the foam was still properly adhered to the inside of the fiberglass compartments, so leaving a little in there (after drying) before re-filling with expanding foam won't present a problem. The plan is to glass over the original now- perforated deck and foam filled holes with new glass.
Learned:
1) The foam originally used in the hull WILL absorb and HOLD water INDEFINITELY , regardless of what anybody else says.
2) Drilling drain holes will NOT remove the water held by the foam.
3) Gravity will not pull the water from the foam. Just like with a sponge, you can squeeze a puddle of water out of the foam, then place the foam in puddle and it will soak it right back up.
4) If you want to remove the water from inside the hull of a CS, you'll need to open it up.