flotation ..... $$$

ok guys is it cheaper to go the pool noodle route for under the dech or buy the sheet insulation ( pink/blue ) from lowes ?? for those of you that used sheets what thickness did you buy and how many did it take ? thanks guys, scott

Re: flotation ..... $$$

I've used both pool noodles and cut foam but the pool noodles came from an auction, I had bought a van load of them for a few dollars.
They work well but I think I prefer working with the sheet foam, it let me fill in the spaces tighter and get more flotation in the hull.
The noodles are round and don't fill the gaps as well.

I had 4" and I think 3/4" or 1" thick foam for the last one, I can't say how many sheets because I had job site left overs to work with. The largest piece I had was a few 1/3" sheets. The rest were end cuts and narrow strips. Measure out your floor, then calculate the depth to get an idea what you need. One thing I did do is to glue all the small pieces of foam together so that if its ever removed it'll come out as one piece per hull section. The original foam was poly styrene cut in 2x2" strips with various filler pieces. It was windy the day I took one boat apart and it was all over the yard.

If your buying it new, I'd venture to guess sheets of foam is cheaper and will do a better job filling in the areas you need to fill. Pool noodles are also harder to work with and keep level beneath the deck as you assemble it. I ended up hot gluing the noodles in place to keep them where I needed them to be while I set the deck panels in place.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

Hey CBG is here! Whatcha doing man??? U back on your project eh?

Cost wise I think it's prolly pretty close. My last flotation round I shaped and stacked the foam board vertically in my bow section and that worked great for fitting and filling the space. I also used a bunch of foam board for "foam core bulkhead" construction too, totally bomber.

Noodles are super easy to cut and shape too.

You can check it out starting here:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=545380&p=3804263&viewfull=1#post3804263

Re: flotation ..... $$$

CBG, Good to see you back. I used the 2" and 1" extruded board. The 1" can be cut with a razor knife while the 2" is gonna require a saw and makes a little bit of a mess. And personally I think you will get way more flotation if you use the board....

Re: flotation ..... $$$

go with extruded board for under the floor. noodles can eventually absorb water, plus all the other reasons listed. and i think it's cheaper per lb of flotation. you can cut the 2" foam with a disposable old butcher knife and a piush-button start torch....no mess. cut halfway through and then snap it.

interestingly, neither lowe's nor home despot in town seems to be carrying the extruded foam any more.

Heretical bottom feeder cheap-out suggestion: remember that all the parade of horribles that are predicted with open cell foam under the floor apply to exactly that, under the floor where it will likely be exposed to constant water. if any of your old foam is reusable or you can get open cell cheaper, it will work fine for up under your bow and gunwales where it will only get occasional splash....if that area is filled with water, you're sinking and have far worse problems to worry about than your foam absorbing water over time....also, i suspect open cell floats more weight per cubic foot as it certainly seems less dense than the extruded.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

barato2 said:

go with extruded board for under the floor. noodles can eventually absorb water, plus all the other reasons listed. and i think it's cheaper per lb of flotation. you can cut the 2" foam with a disposable old butcher knife and a piush-button start torch....no mess. cut halfway through and then snap it.

interestingly, neither lowe's nor home despot in town seems to be carrying the extruded foam any more.

Heretical bottom feeder cheap-out suggestion: remember that all the parade of horribles that are predicted with open cell foam under the floor apply to exactly that, under the floor where it will likely be exposed to constant water. if any of your old foam is reusable or you can get open cell cheaper, it will work fine for up under your bow and gunwales where it will only get occasional splash....if that area is filled with water, you're sinking and have far worse problems to worry about than your foam absorbing water over time....also, i suspect open cell floats more weight per cubic foot as it certainly seems less dense than the extruded.

Click to expand...

B, don't forget the mice love to tear up the expanded stuff way more that the extruded. It makes a great nesting material.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

good point. back in the 70s, my parents used to have a beanbag chair filled with something that looks like what comes from under people's floors after the mice get into it.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

thanks guys......

hey jas ,,,,, yea, im slowly getting back in the game LOL. ive been lurking in and out of here and finally got the time to get back at it. deck is already cut and some of it epoxied.... rivets are all sealed up .... need foam for under the deck then the deck can be layed down. i want to turtel it though and finish stripping the hull then paint ..... thats my next move..... how have you been?

hey NB ... thanks for the welcome back ... hopefull ill stay long enought o finish her this time ..... personal issues and work has been crazy. anything new with you ?? new project i should keep an eye on ??

Re: flotation ..... $$$

coolbikeguy said:

thanks guys......

hey jas ,,,,, yea, im slowly getting back in the game LOL. ive been lurking in and out of here and finally got the time to get back at it. deck is already cut and some of it epoxied.... rivets are all sealed up .... need foam for under the deck then the deck can be layed down. i want to turtel it though and finish stripping the hull then paint ..... thats my next move..... how have you been?

hey NB ... thanks for the welcome back ... hopefull ill stay long enought o finish her this time ..... personal issues and work has been crazy. anything new with you ?? new project i should keep an eye on ??

Click to expand...

Still fighting the remnants of last year's crash and burn so I'm just tryin to launch the Liquid Limo.....

Re: flotation ..... $$$

North Beach said:

Still fighting the remnants of last year's crash and burn so I'm just tryin to launch the Liquid Limo.....

Click to expand...

crash and burn ?? uh oh ... i missed something ..... guess ill have to go back and search it out to see what happened

Re: flotation ..... $$$

If you go the pool noodles route, timing is important w/regard to price. I bought a batch at Walmart in mid-summer and they were about $4 apiece. In October found some at my local hardware store for $1 apiece.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

Financial crash and burn..... I was absent for a while myself.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

agreed on the timing re noodles piurchase. i bought all my local Ace Hdwe had last week @ 1.29, and from how happy they were to get rid of em, i should have negotiated with the mgr for a lower price!

Re: flotation ..... $$$

coolbikeguy said:

ok guys is it cheaper to go the pool noodle route for under the dech or buy the sheet insulation ( pink/blue ) from lowes ?? for those of you that used sheets what thickness did you buy and how many did it take ? thanks guys, scott

Click to expand...

Hey CBK! Long time no see, glad to see ya!

When I first read your title I thought you were going to float your boat on dollars themselves! haha! :facepalm:

Chuck

Re: flotation ..... $$$

I feel that the extruded polystyrene foam boards are the superior flotation.

Re: flotation ..... $$$

sorry to hear that NB ......hope all is working out and getting back to a better place........ mine was marital but we are on the road to recovery

Re: flotation ..... $$$

HA...... if that were the case id be in 21 foot v-5 lol