Brian Nystrom wrote:
Tailgunner wrote:

Anybody use this in a marine environment? How does it hold up? I'm
using it for a leaning post seat covered in vinyl.




Ethafoam is not closed-cell and depending on the density you use,
it can absorb quite a bit of water. The lower the density, the more
this is an issue. The 2# and to some degree the 4# density are not
well suited to a wet environment. The heavier 6# and 9# densities
don't absorb as much. The difference is due to the smaller pores on
the denser foams.



One last question if you don't mind. Can you suggest something for my
application?

I made a seat pan for the leaning post I'm building from a piece of 8"
PVC that I cut lengthwise and flattened to form a 90. I used a heat
blanket and several cinder blocks to achieve this. It worked like a
charm. My plan was to glue the ethafoam to the pvc and then wrap it in
vinyl.

If the question is about gluing, it's very difficult to glue Ethafoam,
since it's polyethylene. In packaging, it's typically fused together
with heat (hot air or hot wire). If it fits the surface well, so that
there will be minimal tension in the glue joint, contact cement or an
adhesive/sealant like Lexel, 4200/5200 or one of the GOOP product should
do the job. If the foam must be bent to conform to the PVC, you'll
probably need some form of mechanical fastening in order to keep it in
place long-term. If you're wrapping it around a post, I would suggest
spiral wrapping it with tape before covering it with the vinyl. This
might actually be a "legitimate" use for duct tape. ;-)

Actually I was wondering what is a better foam to use. It sounds like
this ethafoam might turn into a sponge over time.