Foaming an older Aluminium 4.2m runabout a bad Idea ? Corrodes Aluminium ?

[Got a Boat]

Hi Folks<br />I am stil thinking about doing some work on my boat, I also consider foaming to fill in the emty space under floor with closed cell foam. I have to replace the Plywood floor anyway because the screws from the seats dont hold in the rotten plywood anymore.<br />Now, does it make sense foaming out an older Aluminium boat to make it a bit less sinkable ? I wanna seal the whole floor with the hull except the transom where i leave room for the automatic bilgepump.<br />Is this a bad idea because of corosion between the foam and paintet aluminium ?<br />I doo think it does not cause more corosion because the boat was foamed before. Of course its nuch bether the aluminium does get dry after every time boating, but how imortant is it with Aluminium ? <br />Do i have to expect get punctual corosion when I do this ?<br />I am using it in tropic Saltwater.<br />Thank you very much for help !<br />Cheers

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Foaming an older Aluminium 4.2m runabout a bad Idea ? Corrodes Aluminium ?

I don't think foam causes any corrosion issues. As long as you have sacrificial anodes and keep them fresh the corrosion from the salt water should be minimal anyway. As for needing it, I think the peace of mind knowing that if you get caught in a squall and get swamped the boat will stay at the surface rather than sink and leave you bobbing around out there is worth it. A swamped but floating boat is much easier to spot by a search party than a bobbing body with a PFD on it. Just use a good quality 2 part closed cell foam and you will be alright. Make sure there are no leaks and keep her covered when not in use. It is not the use of boats that cause moisture problems, it is the leaving it out in the rain uncovered when not in use that causes all the problems. Good luck.