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Shetland 536

3K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Clinker 
#1 ·
Hi my Shetland 536 has waterlogged foam so I have cut the deck out and started removing the foam and was gonna fill with ball pit balls but I am concerned the hill is to flexing now and was reliant on the foam to add rigidity? Anyone had any experience with this ?
thanks
 
#2 ·
536 was double skinned with foam inbetween - got quite popular in the early 70's when the boat was introduced - for many boats constructed this way the foam added a deal of rigidity to the hull, so I would make a frame to make sure the hull was well supported if you want to cut the inner skin, remove the foam and replace with glassed in stringers.
 
#3 ·
Hi my Shetland 536 has waterlogged foam so I have cut the deck out and started removing the foam and was gonna fill with ball pit balls but I am concerned the hill is to flexing now and was reliant on the foam to add rigidity? Anyone had any experience with this ?
thanks
Have you got any pictures to show what youve done?
Stringers are what will put rigidity back in the hull, and the deck too. Youd be wise to make sure the hull is completely supported before more foam is removed if youve not removed it all, and if yiu have and the hull is now flexing, do it before yiu do any more work. if not you may end up glassing in stringers to the flex and not the intended hull shape.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for your very helpful replies. This is a photo of the foam once we cut out the deck leaving 6 inches all around.
1365135

I have now removed about the rear third of the foam in the photo and when I put some weight on the hull I think I am noticing to much flex so I guess I’m left with two options either fill with foam again or make up some quite detailed ribs going across and some strings front to back
This was gonna be a quick job but worried it may be bigger job than I had thought I was just aware I’m probably carrying 150 kg of water around unnecessarily so wanted to shed the weight but now I’m stumped 🤔 for what to do for the best
 
#6 ·
What is this here?
1365136


Because it looks lile plastic bottles to me?!
The foam in places also looks like bog standard spray foam, and the cross members look like unglassed softwood.
It looks like someone has done this job before and made a complete bodge of it.
If the floor.looks that bad, sad to say your transom will guaranteed be just as bad and need replacing.

You are therefore left with 2 choices. Cut your losses, Scrap the boat and buy another or undertake a big project.
There are quite a few threads on this type of thing on here. Its achieveable but not for the fainthearted.

Dont refill with foam. Make stringers and cross members to stiffen the hull and lay a deck on top with playpit balls underneath.
Amongst others Neill, manicdev and most recently jimmus have got decent threads on this type of project with good advuce and good results.
 
#7 ·
Is this definitely a Shetland 536? - the reason I ask is the cockpit sides appear to have a fibreglass mat texture, but the cockpit liner to a 536 has smooth gel coat to the inside - so either not a 536, or someone's done some serious messing about with it in the past.
 
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