Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

[wpg manitoba]

I ended up using the cheap white softer styrafoam they sell at home depot. I am starting to think this was a bad idea since its underneath the plywood floor were all the water will sit. I am thinking how long before this stuff turns into a big water sponge? The guy there said the harder pink styrafoam would be better but it was so expensive and I have no experience. Did I make a bad decision?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Yes, if the foam is now built in to the boat.

Polyurethane foam is best, polystyrene is OK, but the extruded stuff (pink or blue sheet/blocks) is better than the formed beads (aka Styrofoam). In boats, saving money can be very expensive.

Any foam will deteriorate when submerged in water, but the Styrofoam will be the first to go. See what you can do to keep the area underneath dry.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Good floatation foam may seem expensive when you first look at it, but it's really cheap insurance.

How long your beaded white foam will last depends on how well you take care of your boat. If your boat is kept covered and dry when not in use it was last quite a while. If you leave your boat unprotected out in the elements it won't last very long.

 

[dozerII]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

I ended up using the cheap white softer styrafoam they sell at home depot. I am starting to think this was a bad idea since its underneath the plywood floor were all the water will sit. I am thinking how long before this stuff turns into a big water sponge? The guy there said the harder pink styrafoam would be better but it was so expensive and I have no experience. Did I make a bad decision?

I hear ya wpg, they nail us real hard on boat building supplies up here. Being in Wpg you are about the same distance to the US border as I am, I slip across to pick up my supplies, plywood is $20 bucks a sheet less and the 2" thick blue foam is half the price of 1 1/2" up here.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Did I make a bad decision?

Yes .. Yes you did.

Saving $ in the short run is not saving anything in the long run.

I Keep saying the Ol' "cheap is not better" here on the forums .. some say cheap is "just as good as the expensive" ..but some will learn these things in the long run ( or just pass them off on somebody else ).

YD.

 

[Grandad]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Hey wpg, don't beat yourself up too bad about this. Yes, it is a mistake to use white styrofoam below in the bilge area, but that's what the original manufacturer used. Not the best choice of today's materials as time has proven, but as jig says, if you keep the water away from it such that it never gets a chance to soak, it'll still do the same job and float your boat in an emergency. Just keep her dry. - Grandad

 

[belairbrian]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

As Grandad mentioned the foam is there for an emergency. As long as the hull is intact the only thing it does is lessen the amount of water that can accumulate in the bilge. The problem with white bead styrofoam is the beads come loose and wash out with bilge water over time thus allowing more water to accumulate in the bilge thus decreasing buoyancy.

 

[wpg manitoba]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

When I gutted it that's what was mostly in there. What I found strange was there was some pink styrafoam in there which i re-used as it was in exellent condition. I was surprised to see it there as I thought that was a newer material.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

You found the pink in there because someone else has worked on that boat before.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Yup, somebody must have put that pink in there at some point.

Don't sweat putting the white foam in there. Like the guys mentioned, if you can keep the boat dry and drained that stuff will last as long as you walk the earth

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Polyurethane foam is best, polystyrene is OK, but the extruded stuff (pink or blue sheet/blocks) is better than the formed beads (aka Styrofoam).

I believe that the extruded blue also comes under the trade name Styrofoam. I just bought some. Just sayin.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Don't worry about it, it's closed cell foam so it won't absorb water and since it's under the deck you won't be stressing it and causing it to break up. Besides, you only sink your boat once or twice in it's life if you're really unlucky. Obviously more often if you're forgetfull... Da plug bosss, da plug... LOL...
Seriously, you're fine. Leave it alone and go boating! Really, when's the last time you experienced a water logged cooler you got at the quick stop down the street.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Can you use any kind of styrafoam for floatation?

Don't worry about it, it's closed cell foam so it won't absorb water and since it's under the deck you won't be stressing it and causing it to break up. Besides, you only sink your boat once or twice in it's life if you're really unlucky. Obviously more often if you're forgetfull... Da plug bosss, da plug... LOL...
Seriously, you're fine. Leave it alone and go boating! Really, when's the last time you experienced a water logged cooler you got at the quick stop down the street.

I find this post highly irregular .

At this point its up to you with what you want to put back in there .. or not put back in there .

YD.