to foam or not to foam

[newbie600rr]

To put flotation foam or not that is my question. I am working on a 16' blue fin and am starting to put things back togher. Planned on useing the pink foam from HD and a question came up. I did some searching and found that I will need like about 5.5 sheets of 2" foam to float my boat. What if I cant get 5.5 sheets under the floor and the other little areas. So my main question is if I can't put enough foam to float it, why put any at all.

Thanks

 

[bananaboater]

Re: to foam or not to foam

IMHO I would put back whatever was there originally with new.

 

[jwirwin78]

Re: to foam or not to foam

uscomposites.com by the liquid foam. fills easy. fits in tight spots. quite a bit easier than sheets. Also, coast guard regs dictate foam requirements for boats under 20' . I'd google it to see if you are required. Size, type, and purpose dictate necessity by CG standards.

 

[badkins50]

Re: to foam or not to foam

IMHO I would put back whatever was there originally with new.

Yeah I would agree with that. If it worked before than there is no reason why it wouldn't work again. Good Luck.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: to foam or not to foam

You only have to put enough foam in to obtain neutral buoyancy.... I would recommend the pink foam. You will be able to get enough in there

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: to foam or not to foam

Not sure how you crunched the numbers, but keep in mind that life jackets that are enclosed in a hatch, wood, gas tanks with air in them and lots of other things on a boat add to it's buoyancy.

I am facing the same issue and I'm going back in with as much foam as I can fit for peace of mind. It also reduces noise, vibrations and can add to supporting the deck a bit too if placed properly.

 

[Coho Ghost]

Re: to foam or not to foam

Is the pink foam compatable with vinyl ester resin? I need to replace the flotation I removed on my project. Mines pretty easy to do; under the splash well on the port and strbd. sides, not quite a cubic foot each.

Regards,
Coho Ghost

 

[ezmobee]

Re: to foam or not to foam

I'd foam it. Pink/Blue sheet foam or pool noodles. I would NOT put the pourable stuff in an aluminum boat. Nothing good seems to come of that.

 

[geeco1]

Re: to foam or not to foam

I was in the same boat (no pun) as you just this past week. I was considering not putting foam back in my BlueFin. I normally only boat on smaller lakes and I am not so concerned about major catastrophic leaks. I would have saved the $100 on foam. HOWEVER.... I did decide to put in the blue foam from Lowes. It will give you some peace-of-mind. But my main reason is for sound deadening. The water slapping against the bottom of an aluminum hull is noisier than a fiberglass hull. The foam will quiet it down somewhat.

I would suggest that you buy the 1/2 inch sheets instead of the 2 inch sheets. I bought the 2 inch sheets and it was a pain to work with. 1/2 inch sheets tend to be slightly more expensive per volume, but are easier to cut, shape, etc.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: to foam or not to foam

I put the foam back in my boat.

 

[JB Platte]

Re: to foam or not to foam

I also have a 16ft blue fin that I redid the foam on. I used pool noodles and pink insulation. Everything worked great of course I won't truly know unless my boat fills with water!

 

[geeco1]

Re: to foam or not to foam

It's kinda like buying insurance... you pay the money in hopes that you never have to use it.