under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

[mutron77]

Is foam just an expensive sponge that will rot out your boat?<br />Will foam below the deck cause your boat to flip over if you take on water?<br />Flotation is a good idea, but could the one place it does you the least good be under the deck??

 

[CCrew]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

The proper foam is darned near waterproof. 4lb and up closed cell foam can withstand water for a LONG time.. If you consider that without it, your boat can and will sink like a rock, then I guess you don't need it... at least that is if your boat was manfactured before 1972. Afterward and the regulations say that there has to be enough present to keep your boat at the surface. <br /><br />Personally, If I had a choice of a rescue team looking for me clinging to the side of a swamped boat, versus just my shiny bald head, I'd opt for the foam. You'll be darn glad you spent the $$ if that's the case. <br /><br />As far as it causing rot, a sealed compartment with nothing in it is more prone to condensate than the same compartment properly filled with foam. <br /><br />-Roger

 

[JasonJ]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

It will take a greater force to flip the boat than foam. A large swell from the side or something like that. Otherwise the boat should just swamp and sit low in the water, giving you a large object to cling to or sit in for visibility. The new foams are highly resistant to water, and it has to be continuous exposure. If cared for, kept under cover, and no leaks, there is no reason for a rebuilt boat to last longer than it needs to. If you want to ruin a boat, just leave it out in the rain and snow uncovered, leave the drain plug in, that sort of thing, and the boat will be a mess in a short time.

 

[mutron77]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Don't get me wrong,I'm not against foam.<br />These things were told to me by someone with alot of boat building experience. He said he would lose the foam under the deck for the above mentioned reasons.<br />So, it got me to wondering. Now I am at the point where I have to make a decision. I haven't really looked too far into it except that it seems it is about $80 for a jug of the stuff.<br />How much did you use in the Skanky beast? What did it run you? The compartments I have to fill don't really seem that huge but I don't know how to estimate it.<br />H90

 

[Bondo]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Horse90,<br />Do a Search on foam....<br />You'll see Alot of Great Threads....<br />

Is foam just an expensive sponge that will rot out your boat?

That's My Thinking.........<br />I'm using Soda Pop Bottles......<br />Water Drains around them......<br />Air Cirulation,+ No Rot......<br />Their FREE...!!!...

 

[JasonJ]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Just try to measure them as best you can and get your cubic footage (LxWxH). I used 16 cubic feet of 4 lb foam, more than enough for my rig.

 

[mutron77]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Jason you said in a prior post(hotly debated)<br /><br />"One kit of $44 two part foam from US Composites should do the trick (it fills 16 cubic feet)"<br /><br />That is no cost prohibitive by any means. My boat would probably take 10 max.<br />I have been reading some of the past "foam" posts.<br />Very intersting, Ping pog balls etc.

 

[Ken G]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

US Composites website lists a 16lb kit of 4lb foam for $45.00 (+ shipping) and it only produces 4 cubic feet of foam.<br /><br />If you don't need it to provide any structural support you can get a 16lb kit of 2lb foam which produces 8 cubic feet for the same price.

 

[Franki]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

I have been collecting 1 litre coke bottles for ages now.. got heaps of them.. I'm gonna fillup the outside cavities with them. (outside of each stringer) and hold them in place with a bit of spray foam.. that should save me allot of foam.. and coke bottles won't break down in the dark for about 10,000 years, so should be safe there..<br /><br />my reason for foaming them in is twofold.. <br />1. don't want them rattling around in there.<br />2. if the boat is holed, I don't want them floating out.. <br /><br />The foam should solve both problems.<br /><br />rgds<br /><br />Franki

 

[JasonJ]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

If a person is going the jug route, windshield wiper fluid bottles, cleaned antifreeze bottles, that sort of thing would probably get the job done as well. After finding invoices and stuff, I realized I did use 4 4lb kits to achieve my 16 cubic feet.

 

[Bondo]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Franki, The Draw-back to the foam is, It Won't be able to Drain Easily....<br />I'm thinking Onion Sacks....

 

[CTD]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

I was going to use foam but at my granddaughters birthday party we had helium baloons and I figure I'll fill the bilges with them. The boat will be much lighter (I might even have to tie it to the trailer) won't soak up water, and I will know if I have a leak when I start talking like donald duck. My second choice (seriously) is to use the mylar bags the boxed wine comes in. We'll have to get together sometime and empty a bunch of them out. I have used them for pillows and I tried popping one by jumping on it, unbreakable.

 

[CCrew]

Re: under deck floatation foam.......bye bye

Look at if from the bright side CTD... By the time you get enough of them empty, ya won't care if the boat sinks!!<br /> <br />-Roger