Safety Question: adding floatation

[fowl intent]

I just checked with the manufacturer of my 26' center console, and discovered (to my dismay) that they do not add floatation to the hull. He explained that the CG only REQUIRES floatation in a vessel of 20' or less. Is there any way to go in and add blown in closed cell foam? I don't want to prevent access to necessary in hull fixtures/wiring, but the idea of having no floatation is kind of alarming. Maybe my money would be better spent on a epirb and a life raft. Any thoughts?

 

[JB]

Re: Safety Question: adding floatation

EEK!! <br /><br />What they told you is true, but to use that as an excuse amazes me. Of course, any other excuse would be just as dumb.<br /><br />I would get rid of that boat as quickly as possible and replace it with something like a Boston Whaler that has not just floatation but excess buoyancy. Many quality boats in that under-30' range are far safer.<br /><br />A swamped boat is usually recoverable, a sunk one is gone, not to mention its occupants.

 

[ob1jeeper]

Re: Safety Question: adding floatation

Don't want to step on JB's toes here, but if you feel this boat serves ALL of your other needs/desires well, I would not be so hasty to beat a path to someone elses door.<br /><br />Many boats that size do not have the foam floation, but can certianly have it added. AND... You are correct to be concerned about wiring access, etc.<br /><br />Adding the foam is NOT rocket science... Just requires patience, and more time to do now that the boat is already constructed, to get it right.<br /><br />Wiring access: This can be assured, by moving the wiring away from those areas, in which you want the foam placed. In those instances where that is not practical, simply install the wiring inside some el-cheapo (schedule 125 works for me) PVC plastic pipe. The PVC pipe is available at most home centers fairly priced, and is most likely to be found in the lawn sprinkler aisle.<br /><br />Ditto for fuel hose routings, etc. Simply find some light-weight plastic tubing of a diameter sufficient to provide an easy and reliable access to the critical items you want to protect.<br /><br />As for the foam, there are several "self-build" boat builder links and materials houses to purchase this stuff from. BUT... Check pricing first, as it can be a tad $$,and messy to work with, and you may just find it cheaper (or significantly easier) to let a professional do it.<br /><br />If you want to have someone else do the foam installation, you can save a bunch of $$,by doing the wiring and hose protective prep work described above, yourself.<br /><br />For buoancy calculations, to be safe, I'd use approx 7 pounds of buoancy added for every gallon (or 128 cubic inches) of space filled with foam.<br /><br />Good Luck, Obiwan