do i need to use foam?

[stevenh2661]

hi, I am replacing the stringers and floor in my 1985 imperial bowrider and my question is do hafta put the foam back in?
I am using 3/4" plywood for the floor so i don't think i need it for strength.
thanks

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: do i need to use foam?

What size boat is it? How fast do you want it to sink if it takes on water? Imo yes, put the foam back in.

 

[StevenT]

Re: do i need to use foam?

I agree always put the foam in.

 

[stevenh2661]

Re: do i need to use foam?

it is 18' and if it fills with water i wont want it anymore anyway.

 

[matt167]

Re: do i need to use foam?

USCG requirement for all boats below 20' to have sustainable floatation, which is usually pour in foam.. So in your case, it's actually required.

 

[StevenT]

Re: do i need to use foam?

I understand not wanting the boat. What about passengers with you, will you still want them anymore?

 

[stevenh2661]

Re: do i need to use foam?

every man for him self.
thanks for the info, I guess i will hafta put it back in after all.

 

[tazrig]

Re: do i need to use foam?

every man for him self.
thanks for the info, I guess i will hafta put it back in after all.

If it makes you feel any better it adds to the overall structural strength as well as helping to quiet things down a bit.

 

[stevenh2661]

Re: do i need to use foam?

boat sat indoor all winter and when i pulled the floor out the foam was still soaking wet,i think the wet foam is what rotted the floor. did not want to create the same problem.

 

[Outsider]

Re: do i need to use foam?

USCG requirement for all boats below 20' to have sustainable floatation, which is usually pour in foam.. So in your case, it's actually required.

Uhhh, I believe that would be a manufacturing standard. Don't have to after it leaves the factory, but might want to for obvious reasons ...

 

[tazrig]

Re: do i need to use foam?

boat sat indoor all winter and when i pulled the floor out the foam was still soaking wet,i think the wet foam is what rotted the floor. did not want to create the same problem.

If the floor is properly sealed and attached to the deck you shouldn't have that problem unless you have a leak somewhere else in the hull. But I understand you not wanting to go through the potential hassle.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Boat didn't always sit indoors prior to you getting it apparently

Do all you can to do a complete & thorough rebuild, then take care of it. Store it covered, bow up, drain plug out and you'll be doing everything you can to keep it from ever getting waterlogged foam again. Should significantly decrease the chances of rotted wood below decks.

Depending on where you boat, when you sink it, you are required to recover it. At no small cost.....

But keeping the people, that have trusted you w/ their well-being, safe is of primary importance. That includes something to hang on to when the siht hits the fan. A boat floating upright & level, although full of water, is much easier to find & gives the former passengers something to hang on to, then separate people bobbing around individually.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: do i need to use foam?

boat sat indoor all winter and when i pulled the floor out the foam was still soaking wet,i think the wet foam is what rotted the floor. did not want to create the same problem.

We should make it a 'rule' here on iBoats that you have to put the foam back in a boat during restoration.

Some folks view the foam in boats as the culprit for boat rot, when it is actually a victim, just like the wood. As stated, water got in there somehow at some point and it was probably tens of years ago. Once it is in a camber of foam, it has not place to go and generally works its way to the bottom of the chamber. Over time (many years) it can work its was into the closed cells of the foam. If the boat experiences freezing temperatures, that can accelerate the process.

If foam was not in the chamber, then there would just be water in there, because it got there somehow . . . the water will still feed the wood by osmosis through the fiberglass.

Like the others have said, it is the flotation that you need for lake boats . . . Deep-V offshore boats tend to need the foam for structural strength as well as flotation.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Your boat has wet foam because it was badly neglected at some point in it's life.

You said you kept it indoors all winter, you did good and treated the boat right... but wet foam will never dry out once it has become saturated.

As the others have said, keep your boat covered and protected from the elements when it's not in use and you'll never have to worry about wet foam again. Leaving a boat out in the rain, snow, and ice uncovered is like leaving your car or truck outside with all the windows down and the doors open all the time in the rain and snow.

 

[coolbri70]

Re: do i need to use foam?

every man for him self.
thanks for the info, I guess i will hafta put it back in after all.

not sure where you are, but here if your passengers would drown, you could be charged with negligent homicide where i live. could lose your boating privileges for 5 years

 

[matt167]

Re: do i need to use foam?

USCG requirement for all boats below 20' to have sustainable floatation, which is usually pour in foam.. So in your case, it's actually required.

Uhhh, I believe that would be a manufacturing standard. Don't have to after it leaves the factory, but might want to for obvious reasons ...

Nope, that's right in the boatbuilding handbook that USCG provides.. Not an easy read as it's the actual sections of the laws/ standards laid out, but it's in there. Many do ignore it tho. Lot of wood boats still built without flotation

 

[SKDave]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Doesn't wood float? Well yeaaa

 

[Grandad]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Steven, I think in most places, if your boat sinks, you're responsible for recovering it and cleaning up any environmental damage from fuel and oil. That could be quite a bill, if your boat sinks in deep water. Why not try to use a foam method that doesn't trap water? Some say there are pour-in foams that won't absorb water, but if as you say, the boat doesn't need it for structural strength, why not use the pink or blue insulation board that everyone seems to agree, doesn't absorb water? It's a little tedious to fit, but in the scheme of things, it's only a little more work when you're rebuilding the floor anyway. - Grandad

 

[matt167]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Doesn't wood float? Well yeaaa

yes Wood floats, but it may or may not be enough to support the boat structure and it's cargo if swamped

 

[jigngrub]

Re: do i need to use foam?

Doesn't wood float? Well yeaaa

People will float real good too with just a pair of swimming trunks or a bikini on, but dress them up in long johns, blue jeans and a flannel shirt, a heavy pair of Carhartts and some heavy winter boots and watch what happens to them when they fall through the ice.