Best way to add floatation to a boat???

[Johnny Mills]

 I have a small 10 ft plastic boat that has had some work done on it. There were two smalls in the bow that allowed water to get into the bottom section of the boat, where the foam which provides floatation sits. It sat like this all winter, and did some damage to the foam. I can’t see inside this part of the boat as I have since patched the holes and the only access point is through a small roughly 1” diameter drainage hole in the front, top of the bow. I’ve taken the boat out a few times since the hull repair, and she floats but the problem is the bow sits a few inches shorter than the rear of the boat. When I have my main motor on, there’s very little room between the water and the front of my boat and I’m afraid of torpedoing and sinking the boat. Is there a way to add anything that would fit in the 1” hole that would make it float? I don’t have the experience to take the entire thing apart and add foam blocks into the inside, so I’m looking for ideas on how to add floatation to the front specifically. Any help would be appreciated

[Tennessee Boy]

I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking.  There are spray in foam products you can use.  There is nothing that you can add to the inside of a boat that will make it float higher in the water unless the boat is leaking.  Foam is often added to boats because it is light weight and takes up space which prevents water from filling that space if the boat has a leak.  It also adds some strength and sound insulation.  Adding foam adds weight which will make the boat set lower in the water.

[WRB]

If the foam in the hull has absorbed water it needs to be stood stern up until the water drains out before sealing the hole. You patch the hole after the water drains.

Wear a PFD!

Tom

[KDW96]

Sounds like the foam blocks(styrofoam?) have gotton water logged. Which will add alot of weight. Need time to dry. Your boat wont completly sink if theres a leak. Adding expanding foam after a good drying time works.

[Fishes in trees]

On the subject of small plastic pond boats.  They get dings & scratches from time to time.  They will get cracks & they will get small leaks over time.  There comes a time in the life of all small pond boats that they are more trouble than they are worth to fix.  Small one boats have a life span and yours might be coming up on the end.  I've had a couple of them and they never did float completely level when loaded, no matter how much I adjusted where I put the batteries, or my seat.  The issue is that there just isn't a lot of room to work with. After many smacks & cracks they floated less level.   Not so bad that they couldn't be fished out of, but they weren't level either.  The older they get, the more they are out in the weather and fished out of, the more brittle the plastic gets and it gets more liable to crack & leak.

You can try repositioning your batteries, maybe getting a little lighter up front trolling motor, but the low waterline issue will always be there.

 

The newer ones are better than the older ones.   New pond boat might be the answer.  You can try any patch you want, at this point you're unlikely to hurt it.

[Bazoo]

On 7/3/2020 at 8:00 PM, WRB said:

If the foam in the hull has absorbed water it needs to be stood stern up until the water drains out before sealing the hole. You patch the hole after the water drains.

Wear a PFD!

Tom

Howdy, would you be willing to expand on this comment further? Are you saying that with a boat that has wet foam, water will eventually drain to the bottom of the foam? 

 

My bass buster has wet foam if I feel in the drain holes. It also has a livewell access hole. If I feel there, the foam is less wet, as I always allow it to rest at an angle with the drain holes towards the bottom. Also from the access hole, the foam that is higher in the hull is dryer. This leads to me to believe that I could stand my boat on end, with the drain holes down, and it would eventually drain out. 

 

I've been researching how to handle this issue, since my boat is a bit heavy. It's not so heavy it cant be moved by men, but heavier than it should be. I am considering various things, including disassembling the halves and removing the saturated foam, as a last (wintertime) resort.

[WRB]

Removing to top and replacing the wet foam is the ideal method. Dry and mold free!

Gravity does work!

Water is 8lbs per gallon.

Tom

 

[Way2slow]

You have two types of flotation foam, Open Cell and Closed Cell.  Open Cell is lighter and has a higher flotation factor, BUT! is can also get waterlogged (fully saturated like a sponge) if constantly exposed to water and once it does, it's extremely difficult the "Un-waterlog it".  I've had one 18' Stratos I took 285 pounds of saturated foam out of.  

Closed cell foam will only get about 10% wet, basically just the outer sides and it can dry if given time and not fully sealed where it can get air. 

Both of these are a two part solution and requires some know how to use.  The biggest danger is they can expand at about a 10:1 ratio.   They are going to expand, so if you put them in an area too small to allow for their expansion, that area is probably going to be made larger than the builders had intended on it being. 

I saw a boat a guy had pulled the floor out to get the wet foam out and after installing his new floor, he added too much floatation foam, and it raised his new floor about three inches.  Very expensive lesson learned. 

I should mention, that Great Stuff spray foam you get in the cans, don't work that well and they will also break stuff if you put too much.

[Bazoo]

I appreciate the verification Tom. I've not heard of that before, but my boat does show that evidence for support. Hmmm, thats something to think about. Thanks.

 

The foam I have looks like a very dense styrene.