TOPIC: Aluma Craft Tangier floor

I've opened the floor to my Tangier and found rigid foam filling the bilge. It's waterlogged. I cut out a piece looking for wood stingers underneath. Moved forward and opened a bigger hole. I can see that I'm not the first to dig in here.

Some questions:
1. Was this foam original to the boat? I think the boat is 1964, but may be 61.

2. Is it possible there are no stringers?

3. The foam is wet and extremely heavy. Seems clear to me that I have to haul it out, but it seems structural. I think I'd rather have foam under the rails and the deck. Put in stringers and replace the floor?

Thanks for any advice and feedback.
-David

My guess is that the foam was original. Adding a couple of stringers for rigidity couldn't hurt. I would however replace the foam in that cavity. There probably isn't a good way to drain it or pump it out, which you would have to with a void space. Try using a heavier foam (4# or 8#) for some additional rigidity.

Thanks for the response, Tudor.

I did haul out the remaining foam. It's waterlogged and very heavy. I expected to find some rotted stringers underneath, but there's nothing.

I have a mild hook in the floor that I want to remedy with some stringer support. In researching pourable foam for the floor it seems that I would still have potential problems with water absorption.

I wonder how long those strings can/should run from the transom forward? What type of wood is best?