To Foam or not to Foam?

[dmnolan]

Probably been asked before. But as I am rebuilding the stringers and deck on my 1976 SRV 240 Weekender. I wonder, why not build some rod lockers or other storage into the below deck area of the boat?

Is flotation foam a requirement on a 24 ft boat??

Thoughts?

 

[dmnolan]

Cant believe there are no opinions on this??

 

[NorCal Boater]

I say build the lockers and maybe foam around them.

 

[dmnolan]

Good call! Best of both worlds.
personally I am most afraid of the loss of sound deadening more than anything without the foam.

 

[Getaway]

Sorry, I didn't see this until today.
I'm not sure there is a "requirement" for foam. Never heard of one anyways.

When I rebuilt my boat, I used the closed cell foam for additional support of the gas tank and that was it. That little bit of foam that the factory used would never float the boat if she decided to sink (I have a 268DA).

Part of my rebuild was to build new box stringers that run from the transom to the 1st bulkhead. Those originally had foam and they were very water logged. I left the foam out and they are now hollow with vents and drains just in case water makes its way in there. In the photo attached, you can see the vents I put in as well as the drain on the far right at the back of the stringer where it attaches to the transom.

 

[dmnolan]

Thanks, I am replacing he stringer from the transom to the Cuddy.
I have removed alot of foam (10 large trash bags full)
I think code is for boats under 21 ft.
I am mostly concerned as I mentioned about the noise dampening the foam provides. But I also like the idea of open space and Limber holes to allow any moisture that finds its way in (and it will always happen) to be able to find its way out!
Thanks for your input! I appreciate it.

 

[Getaway]

No problem! I did a complete transom, bulkhead, and stringer rebuild on my boat back in 2010-2011. I replaced everything from the transom to the head on my 268DA. We even laid 2 layers of biaxial weave down on the superstructure before replacing everything. This thickened the main hull, tied the floor and top half of the boat all together, and added a ton of extra strength to the finished boat. The guy that helped me was a retired Navy boat repair guy who knew a lot about properly rebuilding glass boats. Not a fun project, but I learned a lot and ended up with a good solid boat that has given us many years of trouble free service.

 

[dmnolan]

Thanks. I am excited about my project!
Love the idea of bringing this back to her glory days!
And then of course finding a bigger one to do next!!