The foam is there for flotation in the event that the boat sinks or gets swamped. It is required by law for this purpose. It will keep the boat from going completely under water.
If you are talking about the spray foamm you buy at the hardware store (ie: Great Stuff), then no, I wouldn't use it. You can get pour in expanding foam that is fuel, oil and water resistant. I personally would not use that either for an aluminum boat. Search the forum as everything from ping pong balls to pop bottles to pool noodles has been discussed many many times over.
I'm finishing up a rebuild right now. The old foam under the seats was water/algea logged and had been infiltrated by chipmunks. I went to Home Depot and bought two sheets of that pink foam panel used to insulate walls, cut them into 10" strips and crammed in as much as I could. That stuff is closed-cell foam and designed to resist water.
The foam is there for flotation in the event that the boat sinks or gets swamped. It is required by law for this purpose. It will keep the boat from going completely under water.
Ayuh,.... But....
Only for OEM manufacturers.....
Your boat is Your boat.... No such laws apply....
__________________ Any Grease is Better,..... Than No Grease at All.......
NO PM's (Private Messages) regarding boat/engine problems. That is what these forums are for.
They will be Deleted
True if you never intend on selling it. Once you sell it as having no flotation YOU can be held liable in the event that the boat sinks. If someone dies because of it..... If something does happen, the chances are small that it would get back to you in a legal case, but is it worth the risk, however small, for the paltry cost of a little foam????
Just use pink or blue board and fill the same areas. Spray foam and aluminum boats can make a mess if you ever have to do a repair on the hull.
__________________ "When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care." Randy Pausch 1960-2008 The Last Lecture
As was mentioned above, many on here have replaced their foam with the pink/blue foam from HD/Lowes. Paul Bell's Celebrity resto has one of the best I've seen http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdud...01816 5355202
So selling a boat with water soaked foam that sinks is the Liability in the previous owner,..??
I don't think so.....
That's Why it states Buyer Beware on our currency....
That is not even a good comparison. If you remove the foam YOU have CHANGED that safety feature of the original design by completely eliminating it. If that change results in an injury (ie: someone drowns because they don't have a boat to hold on to) that can be proven to a jury to have been a result of the removal of the foam then hell yes you are liable. If the foam is waterlogged but still in there after years and years then you haven't changed the safety features of the design. Big difference. So you sell it and tell the buyer there isn't any foam. Fine you may not be liable to him, but when his neighbor's kid drowns the neighbors lawyer is going to sue you and what is your defense going to be? It is negligence pure and simple. Is this scenario likely?? No it isn't. Is it possible?? Hell yes it is.
Negligence - It can be generally defined as conduct that is culpable because it falls short of what a reasonable person would do to protect another individual from foreseeable risks of harm.
A reasonable person is the jury in the trial. If the lawyer can convince them that the foam should have been there then you are done.
To me it is just plain stupid to remove the foam from a manufactured boat. I would rather put the old waterlogged foam back in rather than remove it totally. Putting a replacement in shows at least a reasonable attempt attempt to restore that manufactured safety feature.
Take a car for example. You rebuild it and decide that YOU don't need the airbags and you disable them. You then sell the car and then it gets sold again and again. That last person gets in a crash and and is seriously injured because that airbag was disabled. They trace it back to you as being the person who disabled it. Guess who gets to pay the victims doctor bills.
He explained that the density for a surfboard was much more so than the "piece" sent to him. He also said he ordered the "piece" correctly it just came in wrong.
After I discussed my intentions, he described the "piece" of foam.
I said I would need couple of them.
He questioned me and asked why so much, so I repeated back the size "piece" I thought he had said. 11' x 2" x 2"
He laughed and said it was 11 feet x 2 feet x 2 feet
I said that would be plenty.
As it was a reject for surfboards and his supplier basically didn't want to pay to return it, I got a good deal.
great thinking..May hafta name your boat "Cowabunga" tho..
And to touch on the legal debate of foam/no foam...Liability & Buyer beware..
Simple disclosure to the would be buyer should suffice and then on him/her to add it or do without..I didn't put ALL of the foam back under my deck, my other half now thinks we will sink for sure..Oh well..somethings ya can't explain easily to em..
If there is a surf board company near you..... they use heated wire to cut foam. Real clean cut!! I plan on discarding all the old foam and using pink board in mine. Yes 2" is ALWAYS availlable here in VT
__________________ "When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care." Randy Pausch 1960-2008 The Last Lecture
What regulations are available if I want to build or modify my own boat?
We refer to people who build a boat for their own use as "Backyard Boat Builders". They are expected to comply with the same safety standards and administrative regulations as regular boat manufacturers. Failure to do so could affect their insurance coverage and make them vulnerable in a liability suit.
SAFETY STANDARDS: Backyard Boatbuilders can find the information they need to comply with federal regulations in the Boatbuilder's Handbook.
Additional helpful technical information is available from the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) at www.abycinc.org.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS: Backyard Boat Builders are required to have a hull identification number (HIN) on their boat. A HIN will be issued by the State Boating Law Administrator of the State in which the builder lives.
Ayuh... Ayuh... Ayuh. No I am not a lawyer. I am however a person who deals in an industry that is filled with lawsuits. If you don't want to put foam in your boat fine. I could care less. However I feel that it is TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE to advise others to remove safety features from their boats without at least advising them of the possible ramifications. Is there a problem with that??? On top of that, it is a safety feature that very recently received natioonwide attention when 3 football players capsized off the coast of Florida. One survived and the ONLY REASON HE SURVIVED is because the boat didn't go all the way under. There is no denying it.
Here are the facts.
1. The boat manufacturer is required to install hull flotation
2. An individual rebuilding is not required by law to re-install it.
3. Not re-installing can possibly affect insurance and open you up to liability.
4. It is a safety feature that could possibly save a life.
5. It could possibly rot your boat. (If you are the type of person who doesn't care for your boat. Many older cared for boats aren't rotted because they were cared for properly)
6. I think that removing a safety feature from your boat is stupid. Bond-O does not.
If you don't want to put foam in your boat fine. I could care less. However I feel that it is TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE to advise others to remove safety features from their boats without at least advising them of the possible ramifications.Is there a problem with that???
Nope,... I don't have a Problem with That,...
But that's not at All what you said,+ I quoted in my 1st reply in this thread....
You stated as Fact that by Law the foam Must be Replaced,...
I merely pointed out that, That is Misinformation...
Btw,...You'd better stick to little boats,... Much over 25',+ there Ain't No Foam in 'em....
__________________ Any Grease is Better,..... Than No Grease at All.......
NO PM's (Private Messages) regarding boat/engine problems. That is what these forums are for.
They will be Deleted
But that's not at All what you said,+ I quoted in my 1st reply in this thread....
You stated as Fact that by Law the foam Must be Replaced,...
I merely pointed out that, That is Misinformation...
Btw,...You'd better stick to little boats,... Much over 25',+ there Ain't No Foam in 'em....
The original post asked "What is it for?"
Now re-read what I wrote. I said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 109jb
The foam is there for flotation in the event that the boat sinks or gets swamped. It is required by law for this purpose. It will keep the boat from going completely under water.
There is nothing incorrect with what I stated. The only thing incorrect was your interpretation. Fact is that it is required by law for this purpose from the original manufacturer. My answer explained to the person who asked the original question why he found it under his deck. I never said it was required by law to replace it. I even said that in my post after your first post in the thread. I simply said that you could potentially open yourself up for liability if you sold it. You assumed I was talking about replacing it.
BTW, if you have to have the last word then go ahead. I'm done.
Aluminum Boat Wood Deck styrofoam pieces inbetween
Re: Aluminum Boat Wood Deck styrofoam pieces inbetween
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