Will Styrofoam take on water ?

[Barrett Bonden]

Will Styrofoam take on water ? I refer to those ubiquitous small "peanuts"
used in packing and shipping ; I want to add some permanent floatation to a
beat up old fiberglass dingy : I've one seat compartment opened now (I've
given up on sealing all the holes, now or future ) and it occurs to me that
filling the interior of the seat with these things would be useful if they
didn't waterlog.

[Bob Crantz]

Some of those peanuts are cellulose and will dissolve in water.

Post by Barrett Bonden
Will Styrofoam take on water ? I refer to those ubiquitous small "peanuts"
used in packing and shipping ; I want to add some permanent floatation to a
beat up old fiberglass dingy : I've one seat compartment opened now (I've
given up on sealing all the holes, now or future ) and it occurs to me that
filling the interior of the seat with these things would be useful if they
didn't waterlog.

[Commodore Joe Redcloud]

Post by Barrett Bonden
Will Styrofoam take on water ? I refer to those ubiquitous small "peanuts"
used in packing and shipping ; I want to add some permanent floatation to a
beat up old fiberglass dingy : I've one seat compartment opened now (I've
given up on sealing all the holes, now or future ) and it occurs to me that
filling the interior of the seat with these things would be useful if they
didn't waterlog.

Some do and some dont. In any case, the peanuts will have spaces between them
that will retain water and provide a breeding ground for possibly unpleasant
lifeforms. You need a solid hunk of closed cell foam. You may be able to find a
two part expanding foam in liquid form that will fill the cavity and result in a
closed cell material. Just be careful not to put in so much that when it
expands, it starts bending things.


Commodore Joe Redcloud

[d***@mindspring.com]

I filled all the sealed compartments on my MiniCups with packing
peanuts and one large compartment had a crack and took on water and
although I drilled small holes to allow it to drain it always had a
small amount inside. Later, I cut it open and found that although the
peanuts had not soaked up any water, they were all wet and stank like
mildew. Scooping out several cubic feet of mildewy wet packing peanuts
thru a small hole was unpleasant. So, if I did it again, I would seal
the peanuts in a heavy duty trash bag first before stuffing it into the
compartment.
The boatbuilding NG will tell you NOT to use expanding foam as it will
deform things and they are probably right.

[Commodore Joe Redcloud]

Post by d***@mindspring.com
I filled all the sealed compartments on my MiniCups with packing
peanuts and one large compartment had a crack and took on water and
although I drilled small holes to allow it to drain it always had a
small amount inside. Later, I cut it open and found that although the
peanuts had not soaked up any water, they were all wet and stank like
mildew. Scooping out several cubic feet of mildewy wet packing peanuts
thru a small hole was unpleasant. So, if I did it again, I would seal
the peanuts in a heavy duty trash bag first before stuffing it into the
compartment.
The boatbuilding NG will tell you NOT to use expanding foam as it will
deform things and they are probably right.

As I pointed out, You need to be careful with the expanding foam for that exact
reason. It's easy enough to do a few tests to see how much it expands before
commiting yourself. This is not rocket science.


Commodore Joe Redcloud

[Joe]

Way to go Commode Rob, have the guy ruin his boat with your bad advice.

You can mix peanuts and expanding foam, as the pressure increases in
the foam the peanuts take the stress and compress. 25% foam peanuts.
Works great for floatation.

Joe

[Commodore Joe Redcloud]

Post by Joe
Way to go Commode Rob, have the guy ruin his boat with your bad advice.
You can mix peanuts and expanding foam, as the pressure increases in
the foam the peanuts take the stress and compress. 25% foam peanuts.
Works great for floatation.
Joe

I didn't suggest that he have an incompetent such as you or your sock puppet
Bart do the job. Competent people use expanding foam all the time on boat
projects with great results. Your idea of mixing in peanuts is hilarious. Good
way to make the expansion ratio completely unpredictable.

You are truly an idiot.


Commodore Joe Redcloud

[Bob Crantz]

Post by Commodore Joe Redcloud
It's easy enough to do a few tests to see how much it expands before
commiting yourself. This is not rocket science.
Commodore Joe Redcloud

It is rocket science. Foam brought down the space shuttle.

Amen!

[Bart Senior]

Hey Barrett. I thought you died in book 20...

Yes it will. Use air bags.

Post by Barrett Bonden
Will Styrofoam take on water ? I refer to those ubiquitous small "peanuts"
used in packing and shipping ; I want to add some permanent floatation to a
beat up old fiberglass dingy : I've one seat compartment opened now (I've
given up on sealing all the holes, now or future ) and it occurs to me that
filling the interior of the seat with these things would be useful if they
didn't waterlog.

[Barrett Bonden]

Post by Bart Senior
Hey Barrett. I thought you died in book 20...

I did; another example of P O's brilliant verisimilitude ; Bonden was
likeable, supremely competent ( I should be as good a sailor) , ever
present , unassuming , clearly much cared for by A & M - one of the best
supporting characters I ever saw in fiction; his death struck me as an
example of OB's insistence on (seems strange , given how much of the work is
outlandish) reality - the nature of nature is (surely especially in war )
people go this way ..

Post by Bart Senior
Yes it will. Use air bags.

Post by Barrett Bonden
Will Styrofoam take on water ? I refer to those ubiquitous small "peanuts"
used in packing and shipping ; I want to add some permanent floatation

to

Post by Bart Senior

Post by Barrett Bonden
a
beat up old fiberglass dingy : I've one seat compartment opened now (I've
given up on sealing all the holes, now or future ) and it occurs to me that
filling the interior of the seat with these things would be useful if they
didn't waterlog.

[Bart Senior]

O'Brian particularly mentions the indestructible
nature of Bonden in his earlier volumes. It was
a shock to see him die suddenly. Worse was the
long delay before O'Brian presents Aubrey thinking
about Bonden's death.

The daily reality of death in the Age of Sail, with it's
regular carnage, disease, and accident gives thought
to the idea that people were more immune to such
horrors. I found that the O'Brian's delay writing about
Bonden's death was all the more real because of the
way he treated it. Thankfully he was with us throughout
this epic.

By the way, I'm on 14 again. Nutmeg is in the process
of sinking that French Frigate.

I'd like to read more about the French ship construction
methods. They were widely acknowledged as building
better vessels. The British were fortunate, they rarely
fought them well, and were often taken and used against
their builders.

Post by Barrett Bonden

Post by Bart Senior
Hey Barrett. I thought you died in book 20...

I did; another example of P O's brilliant verisimilitude ; Bonden was
likeable, supremely competent ( I should be as good a sailor) , ever
present , unassuming , clearly much cared for by A & M - one of the best
supporting characters I ever saw in fiction; his death struck me as an
example of OB's insistence on (seems strange , given how much of the work is
outlandish) reality - the nature of nature is (surely especially in war )
people go this way ..