Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

  • Pour

    Votes: 6 37.5%
  • Sheet

    Votes: 10 62.5%

  • Total voters
    16
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Racingman24

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jun 23, 2009
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I'm trying to decide which way I should go as far as replacing the foam in my boat here in the coming weeks.

Originally, I was all for the pour foam, as that would cover the most area, giving it the most flotation, while most likely adding structural integrity.

However, recently, I've been reading about a lot of people using the sheet foam, as they say it provides the same amount of buoyancy. And it gives the water that does get in your boat a place to flow out.

Pros for the pour:
Most area covered, structural integrity, maximum flotation, that's the way it came from the factory.

Pros for the sheet
Easy to install, Not messy [ok, not AS messy], gives a place for the water to drain.

So, I'm looking for which all of you did, and WHY. I don't really want opinions as to which is better, as half will swear one is better and the other half will swear that that will kill you. Just what ya did, and why you chose that path.

Just for reference, I've got a 14' Alumacraft, full floor, console steer. Of the 1987 variety. And a coupla pics of the boat, tow rig [yes, they're real :)] And my grandpa and me.
 

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SKIBUM1M

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
604
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Sheet foam is cheaper and available locally.
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

On an aluminum boat I'd especially steer away from pour foam. At least my boat has small drainage passageways through the ribs and pour foam would easily block these. Plus pour foam is just a mess. Not a fan.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
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Messages
70,468
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I don't really want opinions as to which is better,

Ayuh,.... I'm 1 of the Anything, but poured Foam guys,...
But,....
Whatever you decide,... Number 1 Priority is still Drainage....
You should provide a drainage path from every nook,+ crany of the hull, to the pumpable bilge...
No matter how water Tight you think something is,... It Ain't...
If the water don't Drain, it soaks into everything it contacts...

Good Luck with it,...And tell Gramps We all said Hi....
 

Racingman24

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 23, 2009
Messages
126
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Ayuh,.... I'm 1 of the Anything, but poured Foam guys,...
But,....
Whatever you decide,... Number 1 Priority is still Drainage....
You should provide a drainage path from every nook,+ crany of the hull, to the pumpable bilge...
No matter how water Tight you think something is,... It Ain't...
If the water don't Drain, it soaks into everything it contacts...

Good Luck with it,...And tell Gramps We all said Hi....

I'll take opinions...:)

I just don't want to hear, If you go that way, it's bad. Just want to hear the good sides I guess. Opinions aren't always a bad thing if addressed right, just seems that most people these days want to force their opinion on to you. :(
 

lakelover

Rear Admiral
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Messages
4,386
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I'm not there yet, but will definitely use sheets. As mentioned, easily available, less fuss & muss and the original was sheet, so I'll go with that.
 

DerDer

Recruit
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
5
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I am pretty much forced to go with pour-in due to no availability of the sheets. HD can't order it here (San Diego), and Lowes can but at over $60 per sheet.

I have a '73 16' Starcraft SS. I am lining the hull with plastic, dividing it into seperate areas with drainage channels molded in. After I pour the foam, I'll peel off the plastic. So it will basically be a few molded foam blocks underneath the deck. They won't be stuck to the hull so drainage will, hopefully, not be an issue. I am planning on pouring this weekend.

I've been meaning to start a thread. Hopefully I'll have time this week to get some pictures up.
 

erikpn

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Messages
325
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I have not ever seen on here even a single person reccomend pour foam for a small aluminum boat. It's used for structural support in larger glass boats. But it's not needed in a 14' tinny, why deal with the mess and having to cut out channels? The sheet provides adequate flotation, drainage and is easy to remove if you ever have to.
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I'm going pour foam for the rigidity on my fiberglass 15 footer. I'm also going pour foam because I want all voids or air pockets eliminated under my sealed up ply and deck.
I know there are those who worry about drainage but on my small sealed up boat- I'm not worrying about it.
For your application on an aluminum boat I would go with the sheet foam.
 

jspano

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
790
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I am pretty much forced to go with pour-in due to no availability of the sheets. HD can't order it here (San Diego), and Lowes can but at over $60 per sheet[/QUOTE

i would use the white stuff before poured foam.
but instead i will use pool noodles instead. and i know people say they don't last, buts that because they leave them in the sun not the water.
my alum boat would not have all the problems if it did not have the poured foam in it

ps
i would use the poured foam in areas above deck like in voids for extra floation
 

noworries79

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 27, 2008
Messages
171
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I am pretty much forced to go with pour-in due to no availability of the sheets. HD can't order it here (San Diego), and Lowes can but at over $60 per sheet[/QUOTE

i would use the white stuff before poured foam.
but instead i will use pool noodles instead. and i know people say they don't last, buts that because they leave them in the sun not the water.
my alum boat would not have all the problems if it did not have the poured foam in it

ps
i would use the poured foam in areas above deck like in voids for extra floation

I'm noodling too!:D

I haven't installed them yet, but I posted in another thread that a 4" Dia. noodle at a 60" length can support 200 lbs. Sounds like a cheaper, functional way to get the floataion you need, or hopefully will not need.
 

erikpn

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Messages
325
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Noworries, nothing with those dimensions can provide 200 lbs of buoyancy. The force of buoyancy is equal to the weight of the volume of water that is displaced, (but there's also the counteracting force of gravity acting on it's mass which is why not everything floats). A 4" diameter object at 60" has a volume of about 12,400 cubic cm. Water has a density of about 1 gram per cubic cm at standard temp and pressure.

The force of buoyancy that a 4" noodle with a 60" length is about 30 lbs.

If you determined the 200 lbs figure because you weigh about 200 lbs and a single noodle kept you afloat, it is because your own buoyancy, the volume of your body is such that it only takes about another 30 lbs to counteract the force of gravity against your mass. For example, if you attach a peanut shell to 50,000 pounds of neutral buoyancy plastic it'd keep it floating, but please do not count on a peanut shell to support 50,000 lbs of aluminum, gear, and people!

Anyways, the short of it is.. don't count on the pool noodle to float 200 lbs of boat and gear a piece!
 

slasmith1

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
1,028
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I will vote for poured foam. I have never seen any boat manufacturer that uses sheet foam or pool noodles. I have never seen a USCG approved method of boat building that uses sheet foam or pool noodles.

Please jump in and correct me if I'm wrong (include name of manufacturer)
 

scamoot

Cadet
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Messages
26
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

funny i should find this thread today....i just put my foam in today. i used blocks from tractor supply co. they throw them away so they were glad to give them to me. i used my sawzall with a long blade on it to fit them in at the angle of the floor and an added bonus is it will add stability to my new floor i'm about to install. here are some pics
 

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noworries79

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
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Messages
171
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Noworries, nothing with those dimensions can provide 200 lbs of buoyancy. The force of buoyancy is equal to the weight of the volume of water that is displaced, (but there's also the counteracting force of gravity acting on it's mass which is why not everything floats). A 4" diameter object at 60" has a volume of about 12,400 cubic cm. Water has a density of about 1 gram per cubic cm at standard temp and pressure.

The force of buoyancy that a 4" noodle with a 60" length is about 30 lbs.

If you determined the 200 lbs figure because you weigh about 200 lbs and a single noodle kept you afloat, it is because your own buoyancy, the volume of your body is such that it only takes about another 30 lbs to counteract the force of gravity against your mass. For example, if you attach a peanut shell to 50,000 pounds of neutral buoyancy plastic it'd keep it floating, but please do not count on a peanut shell to support 50,000 lbs of aluminum, gear, and people!

Anyways, the short of it is.. don't count on the pool noodle to float 200 lbs of boat and gear a piece!

That's a good point Erik, although I am not looking to support the full weight of my boat. Even if my boat was full up to the gunnels, it is still displacing water like my bodyweight like mentioned above. If my boat weighs 900 lbs. I don't have to float 900 lbs. of boat. Although It wouldn't hurt to place as much floatation as you can fit under the deck. Not-to-mention the extra life vests and air in the fueltanks etc. My main concern is drainage, and my plan B is to use the light blue extruded foam used in residential/commercial construction that usually comes in 2" thick peices.

I see your point too slasmith, but just because it's not like the manufacturer's method doesn't mean it won't work. The maker of my boat had no drainage into the bilge and plenty of non-sealed wood in its construction. It's amazing what you'll find when you cut out the deck.
 

slasmith1

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 2, 2008
Messages
1,028
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I see your point too slasmith, but just because it's not like the manufacturer's method doesn't mean it won't work. The maker of my boat had no drainage into the bilge and plenty of non-sealed wood in its construction. It's amazing what you'll find when you cut out the deck.

The problem no one seems to discuss is the fact that loose foam blocks don't provide a path for water to escape, the do however provide lots of tiny voids for water to be trapped. people don't seem to realize that most of the boats they are complaining of wet foam in are 20-30 years old. Closed cell foam isn't to blame the untreated wood around it is. It would seem to me that the real solution is to seal the wood and use the pour foam.
 

fishrdan

Admiral
Joined
Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I have never seen any boat manufacturer that uses sheet foam or pool noodles. I have never seen a USCG approved method of boat building that uses sheet foam or pool noodles.

Please jump in and correct me if I'm wrong (include name of manufacturer)

StarCraft uses (used?) sheet foam in their boats. No personal experience here, but I've looked at several resto threads where guys were removing old crusty white styrofoam planks from their old boat.

Tracker also uses the generic white sheet (well,,, block) foam. I hacked a big block out of my jon boat seat bulkheads.

You got me on pool noodles though... I don't think I've seen those come out of an old boat hull before.

I'll throw in my vote for sheet foam in a tinny boat. The pink or blue stuff opposed to the white foam that can suck up water. Even though,,, I put the white stuff in my jon boat. I couldn't bear looking at "pink" every time I opened a hatch :rolleyes:
 

erikpn

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 23, 2009
Messages
325
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

I will vote for poured foam. I have never seen any boat manufacturer that uses sheet foam or pool noodles. I have never seen a USCG approved method of boat building that uses sheet foam or pool noodles.

Please jump in and correct me if I'm wrong (include name of manufacturer)

Yes, starcraft does for sure. I pulled the original deck off mine and it is original white styrofoam sheets underneath.
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

Yes, many aluminum boat manufactures used sheet foam. And the foam they used was white styrofoam which absorbed water like crazy. Pool noodles are just a more cost effective way to obtain closed cell foam. My boat will have at least as much flotation put back in it as was there from the factory. If pool noodles bother you, feel free to order closed cell foam with a more "professional" presentation from here http://www.closedcellfoams.com/polyethylene.html for triple the price.
 

boaterinsd

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Messages
276
Re: Pour Foam -VS- Sheet Foam, which did you use...and WHY?

so EZ what did you use for foam in your boat? I am working on a 73 Larson its got the modified V hull. What is in those spray cans? Can it be used for boats?
 
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