Re: 68 AristoCraft 8-teen off and running
This evening I was researching flotation replacement. I simply do not like the foam...period. Do any of you know anybody that has used Polystyrene (EPS) covered blocks? They are routinely used in floating dock assembly, impervious to water and inclement temperature ranges. I have found them in all shapes and sizes and feel they could be made to fit key locations. They will add some structural support but based upon location under the liner, probably not like the original soggy foam which spread everywhere under the floor in the bilge area. At any rate I have decided to install another drain on the transom as low as possible in the V, when the boat is trailered and stored under the carport for the winter it can remain open for any drainage.
What is the quick answer on flotation as required by law, is it only when manufactured, or does it legally need to be replaced when a boat is restored privately? From a safety standpoint I get the reasoning but is it a legal requirement?
As backyard boat builders, there is no legal requirement for flotation foam.
Personally I'd have trouble selling an asset that's supposed to have flotation, but doesn't, even w/ full disclosure by me at sale. Not really the same, but I consider it like replacing the airbag equipped steering wheel w/ a similar wheel w/out the airbag. That is only my personal opinion and my own weird view on flotation, or more accurately it's removal.
Many manufacturers considered the sealed below deck area (w/ NO drain hole) an air chamber that provided flotation, and promoted it in their sales literature as a notable feature of their hulls, until the USCG reg changed & they had to provide positive flotation (1972-3+/-).
Properly installed, in a boat that is kept bow high, drain plug out, and generally well maintained, pourable foam is, IMO, the best alternative available, by far. It isn't the foam that is the problem, there are several examples of both fiberglass & tin boats w/ fairly old flotation foam, installed, doing what it's supposed to, decades later. They are few & far between, and certainly there are significantly more threads w/ the typical funky, waterlogged foam below decks. Bad ownership, not poor product choice.
Free floating under a dock, I suspect they may be less prone to waterlogging vs sealed below decks. But if you were here, we could take a 20min drive to a local marina that pulls their dock sections annually & frequently replace the EPS blocks that are in fact, now, waterlogged. There are plenty of Starcraft tin boat threads that had EPS (typical styrofoam like used in coolers) flotation foam and it became water logged. Since most of the SC rebuilds are tin & don't depend on the foam for structural support of the boat hull & decking (usually) many choose to use Foamular (XPS) insulation sheets (green, blue & pink, available in several thicknesses, @HD & Lowes) which are a much better choice for use as flotation foam.
EPS dock blocks are also often available coated, w/ a rubberized or truck bedliner type material. Encased in that, the EPS is obviously much less likely to ever become waterlogged, but to fit below decks, I suspect they would have to be cut to fit. That negates the benefit of whatever the block was covered w/.
