Foam fill the hull ?

[abl1111]

I was bored on this rainy Memorial Day - ' cats and dogs ' all day... So, I hooked up to the Seacraft website and read how the newer boats are foam filled... Got me thinking :

There are a few large areas under the water-line, i.e. under the large well between the helm and pass seats, that could be shot w/foam in my 23' Tsunami. Are there any benefits or drawbacks to this idea ?

[Finster]

That idea is not very popular with the older boats. Although I am toying with the idea of putting foam in the outsides of the stringers and up the sides between the liner and hull. I'm not sure if it's a going to create more problems than it's worth.

[barnacle]

The problem with foam filled boats is when the foam gets wet it stays wet. Thats why its not uncomon to have to reprop boston whalers every 5 years or so. As the foam gets wet it keeps adding weight to the boat.

[abl1111]

I assumed that the foam technology would incorporate closed cell foam. Is this the case, or is the foam used the 'sponge type' foam that will absorb water ?

Assuming that the foam is closed celled, is foaming a good idea ? I see it as;

The Pros: more solid feeling/sounding hull. More floatation/bouyancy.

The Cons: if you have to get to an area for a repair or other reason where you have foamed - it would be a hell of a job. You would have to really think aherad as to any mods you might want to make i.e. running plumbing or electrical

[Dave Hirshberg]

Be Careful if you have never worked with two part foam. It's extremely expensive and will ruin everything it touches. Like 5200 only 10 times worse. Also it expands in ways you might not want.Use too much and it has the power to split hull deck joints and put nasty buldges in floors where it dosen't have adequate room to travel. You may gain flotation if your sinking but bouyancy is different. Adding foam dosent change the mass of the boat as it sits in the water, therefore your bouyancy is the same as before the foam. Trust me, the stuff is a pain in the butt.