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starflite front foam removal

supergenius74 said:
Ok got some numbers this past week, at 7000 RPM with a 22p chopper and my prop shaft about even with the bottom of the boat, 13.25" of setback and a 2.4 BP EFI 240 hp I hit 68.5 mph on GPS with me (240 lbs) my wife (160 lbs) my dog (12 lbs) an anchor (15 lbs) and a 1/2 tank of gas (100 lbs). Removing the foam not only gained me 1.5 mph but also did bring the bow up abit so the boat rides better with less trim. It also planes off better I think and I still need a little to much trim to the bow to loosen up, it's better but I just think my engine is a bit to light. I don't plan to add any more setback or lift to the engine, the transom is under enough strain now. I also believe 70 will not be a problem with just me in the boat. I do not regret pulling out the foam, it helped performance but I also think it will give me more room up front, I plan on mounting a net that can hold stuff and carpeting the whole area. -shane
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Supergenius, try using a 25" 4 blade Powertech. My Starflite can spin it at 6100-6300 depending on jack plate height, I haven't used a gps yet to get the best height and rpm. Anyway, I started ripping out my foam. So far I've only opened it up and removed about have a foot or so. It's all dry so far, the boat was never left in the water so it may be all dry, anyway I could use the space.
 
It took only a total of about three hrs to gut the foam, maybe a hr to scrap the small stuff that was left over and vacum the pices out. It was about 95% dry but I see where some salt water leaked in from the rub rail. I guess that from only using the boat sparenly and trailering it kept it dry? Anyway I'll put two of the 5 extra feet as cabin space with a nice pillow pice going from where my matts end to a netted storage area. I'll also put some silacone along the inside of the rub rail before putting carpet and headliner in the new section.
 
INXS, i removed my bow foam a while ago myself as well as the bow headliner and the carpet onthe sides. I then found a marine paint and painted the side and roof and carpeted just the bottom (my headliner was saging anyway), and the little side pieces. Turned out nice and any lil weight you can save on the bow of these boats is as good as gold. Ill put some pics up soon Aaron
 
Just a reminder INXS , make sure ya go with a marine paint becouse of the condensation. I painted the ski locker as well. Aaron
 
Oh Yea, I took out the two foam matsand the metal bar from the cuddy. I think it's about 20+ lbs lighter now. I had it outm in a good 2' chop the other day and it rides a fair amount higher. I guess that any weight or weight removal, in the front third of the boat really makes a differance?
 
yes, in my case removing the foam did 3 things, it lightened the boat considerably because my foam was soaked with water, it created more room under the deck, and it helped me fix the leak that was soaking the foam. Any weight removal from the bow of a starflite is a good thing. This boat is heavy in the nose and goes faster when its out of the water. -shane
 
Finally broke 70 on GPS a couple weeks ago, didn't feel any different than 65 but GPS don't lie. To accomplish this I simply drove by myself. Seems this boat is just heavy enough that it makes a difference, In fact my numbers are almost perfect with what the speed calculation programs say I should be doing. What I have calculated is that at 7000 RPM with a 22p I should be hitting 73 with 10% slip, I am closer to 13% @ 70. Also it says that with 240hp and 2050 lbs (1300-boat, 400-motor, 240-me, 60-gas, 50-battery) i will hit 70 and I do. I guess I have the potential to hit 73 but I would need to loose about 100 lbs, not sure how to do that. -shane
 
camaro7081 said:
does any one recomend removing the foam in the transom area ???? i know mine is soaking wet at all times !!!!!!!!
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Remove the foam before it begins to rot everything else. Marine rot is a living organism. Once it gets into the wood it continues to expand. Your wet foam is not only slowing you down but is a time bomb waiting to explode!!
 
One of the main reasons I bought my Checkmate is of it's decent wake jumping agilities.For control,I almost like a little weight up there.When I get a second or two of free spin on the prop,I know I'm getting some air.By jacking the throttle back,I can bring the bow down safley,and quickly,and I believe the extra weight attributes to that.Removing wet,moldy foam is a must,but replacing it (maybe not as much)with new foam is the route I'm going to take.I'm currently running a 3blade,21pitch,stainless,so getting out of the hole is no problem,and 59 on GPS is plenty fast for chasing wakes...To each is own I guess...I'm curious though,for the members who have done this fabrication.Is there a noticable difference in weight transfer?In rougher waters,WOT,I would assume the less weight up front would make the ride a little more sketchy and less controllable.....Thoughts?Opinions?
 
The bow will be more flighty, but you can always keep the trim down and then it'll handle the same as when you had the heavy foam..........
 
Looks like I will dive into this tomorrow.. Even though I can't see the pics posted, I believe I know what I need to do:brickwall:
But just so I know for sure.. there is foam behind the carpet wall 3/4 of the way up the bow? And it is more than likely soaked and should be removed and not replaced? :eyecrazy:
 
21starflite said:
Looks like I will dive into this tomorrow.. Even though I can't see the pics posted, I believe I know what I need to do:brickwall:
But just so I know for sure.. there is foam behind the carpet wall 3/4 of the way up the bow? And it is more than likely soaked and should be removed and not replaced? :eyecrazy:
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21starflite, this is an old thread (6 yrs old), doubt you'll get a response. Start yourself a new thread in the restoration area, you'll get help a lot quicker. :thumb:
 
See if you can find the post I made when I removed it from the front of my Liner. I just cut a hole to size for the hatch that I bought so I didn't have to hack the whole wall out and I removed the foam through the hole. I would use a mirror to see over the wall or maybe do like I did when I bought my boat and stick my cell phone camera up there to snap a pic.
 
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