floatation advise

R

Robert Becherer

Active member
I'm in the process of building a Kara Hummer and was talking to my son about adding floatation in the bow/stern area and under the floor of the cockpit.He said that he read somewhere that the amount of floatation needed to keep a boat afloat would exceed the area of the boat itself.Does anyone have an idea how much foam I would need?I do not plan on going into very open water,but would like to be able to keep afloat incase.
 
Bob,
the kids sail a small dingy around here and they have air bags for safety flotation. They work great and keep the thing well up out of the water if it swamps.

http://www.intensitysails.com/flbaforop.html
I think if you stuffed 4 in the boat, 2 in each end and inflated you would have plenty. If not fit one in with straps somewhere.

Remember the KARA is a flooded corn boat, not a big water rig. Stay safe out there. I love mine.
 
The area's I plan on using the Kara is in small lakes with backwaters and cattails.Also I will not be alone.My son will probably use his jon boat or another Kara.Only one person in the kara's.Many times when we were out hunting as the sun came up and we had a chance to see what our spread looked like we would say if we only had a small skiff we could just scoot out and change it with out knock the blind down and pushing ourself back out of the cattails again.Or we just could'nt find the right spot to put the boat,but do have the ideal spot for a skiff. Easier to hide also.I have a 30#thrust trolling motor for it.Most of my thoughts and ideas came from Ed Askews articles on the Kara he made.Many thanks to him for the answers to my questions and his version of the Hummer.
 
Last edited:
One cubic ft. of two pound foam will float 60 puonds. Put your foam in the back and the front no more then one third of the length of the hull from the front or the rear of the boat. If you have a motor put additional foam in the rear to support the extra weight of the motor. Don't put any under the floor if you can avoid it. You want the foam to be as high in the boat as posible. Air bags are not accepted by the coast guard. Hope this helps.
 
You are going to love it for that use.

Have a ball.

You may also find some air bags that the Kayakers use but I have never looked.

I put some blue 2 inch foam under the floor to support it and that will keep it from sinking but is not enough to float a load swamped.
 
Thanks guys for the info.I'm at the point now where I have to decide before the deck goes on.The area's in the nose and stern do not seem large enough to put the amount of foam needed to float the boat.But I just don't feel right not putting something there.I will probably put foam under the floor for support,but I do plan on only holding the floor with just a few screws so if it gets wet I can remove the floor and foam and dry it out.Weight inside the boat will be kept to the minimum.Only the essentials,(ya right) such as blind bag,push pole with paddle end,battery for trolling motor,shotgun,half dozen decoys(possible inflatables),blind panels,etc..I also plan on putting a bilge pump in the rear storage area. I did cut round drain holes in all the ribs just for that reason and sealed the interior with fiberglass resin to seal the wood and joints.
 
Tom
Does that foam have to be in one piece or can it be broken up into different sizes to fill any available space.Two or three blocks jambed into spaces would seem to do the job hopefully.
also were would that foam be available from

Bob
those bags look like they would work also.I do have a REI located in Milwaukee,but according to the web site,Its only available online.which is not a big deal either
 
Buoyancy is buoyancy. Several small pieces or one large piece makes no difference at all. Probably the best method is to pour liquid foam in the cavity. Otherwise, polyurethane foam can be found at home centers and craft stores. If you have docks nearby, you might try to find out who maintains them. They will have tons of the stuff.

Foam is a pain to cut and messy. I recommend a hot knife to keep it from crumbling.

Ron
 
I use two part pour foam. 8oz. of part A plus 8oz. of part B for a total of 16oz. properly mixed will give you one cubic foot. I use a paint mixer from Lowes on a drill. The better you mix it the better it will work. I also like for the material to be at least 75 degrees. So do it on a warm day. I cut the top off of milk jugs leaving the handle. Make sure you use gloves. It is very hard to get off your hands and most everthing else. The most I mix at one time is two quarts. You have some where between 15 and 30 seconds to mix and then pour. You want to get it out of the container before it starts to exspand. Tom.
 
I have some pink insulation foam from a previous project.I was going to use that type of foam under the seat and in the bow and stern.Would that type work? I know it does float I just wasn't sure if density makes a difference.I can pobably put peices in the area's along the cockpit and panel it off.I will have to mock it up and see how it works
Thanks Guy
your input helps alot
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top