acwd
Well-known member
I got 2 sheet 4ft x 8 ft 2 inches thick in the boat. Its a 16 ft vee. Got no more places to put foam in. Is that enough? some is better than none.
Steve
Steve
PSG-1 said:The purpose of foam is not to provide buoyancy, as that comes from displacement. Its main purpose is to fill voids in the boat, so that if it takes on water, these spaces are occupied with foam, which prevents them from filling with water, causing the boat to take on more weight and becoming unstable to the point that it goes turn-turtle.
But again, some foam is better than none, so, anywhere you are able to put it, do so.
PSG-1 said:LOL, of course not. People do not displace water. Now, depending on the body's fat content, a person with more body fat will have more natural buoyancy than a person with no body fat. But still not like a PFD.
Yes, foam is buoyant. But, adding or removing foam will not make a boat sit any higher or lower in the water, again, because the buoyancy of the vessel is because of its displacement.
With something like a floating dock, adding or removing foam will most definitely affect the buoyancy, because the floating dock is an open structure, it's not a hull creating displacement.
kfa4303 said:I think you're good to go. The foam won't keep you afloat as such, but will prevent you from sinking entirely. I believe the rule of thumb is that 1 cu. ft. of foam will float 60lbs. and a pool noodle will float 100 lbs.
jladdsmith said:jigngrub, I think you're off a little bit here and potentially misleading others.
The foam only works if it is displacing water. In your scenario above, this would only be true if the "abundance of foam" were able to displace enough water relative to the weight of the rest of the boat above one's feet. Meaning if the rest of your abundance were above the waterline, then that's just more weight on the foam that's displacing the water below the boater's ankles or whatever.
PSG-1 knows his stuff. I've been following him for about a decade now on this site and others, and plus, this should just be common sense.
Your life preserver scenario makes absolutely no sense.
I've mentioned in the past that my recent discovery of inflatable wine bladders is probably the best solution going, unless in the case that foam is there for structural rigidity and is encapsulated in epoxy. I have poured my share of two part foam in boats. I don't care what anybody says about any of this, I know that foam is compressible. If it is compressed (if you step on it under the floor), your little air bubbles are busted and water will get in and waterlog over time. PERIOD.
I can jump up and down on a wine bladder and it will not pop. It can also be stuffed into areas and epoxied in place without much trouble, and a hell of a lot cheaper and more effective than any non-structural foam product. You can also easily deflate them to gain access to these areas for wiring and accessories and just reinflate them. Plus if you want to remove them, it's just popping a balloon and pulling them out. No stinky mushy waterlogged business. They weigh next to nothing.
***Fill only to about 2/3rds to allow for heat expansion or fill them to 3/4ths on the hottest day.
jladdsmith said:It seems that your main charge here is to say that the OP neglected his boat and that he made the bed he is laying in, while you are the perfect boat owner. If so, bravo! =D>
Bigkat650 said:I'm a big fella, currently tipping the scales around $330lbs.
Bigkat650 said:Keeping a person afloat and keeping a boat from sinking are two totally different scenario's. A person is comprised of something like 70% water, while fat weighs less then water and muscle weighs slightly more. This is why when I try and float in a pool, my legs sink and my torso floats--as my legs have a much lower percentage of fat then my torso does--also, lugs filled with air help.
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