Foam marsh boat

N

Nick Dolphens

New member
Alright I have to ask, would any self respecting boat builder build a marsh boat out of built up layers of that 4'X8' insulation foam. I don't know why it wouldn't work if it was fiberglassed. I just though I'd ask the group that knows way more about these things than I do.
 
Yep,
it works. Quite a few people have built them. I don't have links to any at the moment, but there are out there. Most that I've seen carve out a cockpit and line that with 1x dimensional lumber to help keep it from getting torn up too bad. You won't win any speed races, and it'll most likely be for calm waters, but the idea does work.

Scott
 
they are very heavy, over 100 lbs. might as well build a hummer or a hybrid like the one on the refuge, and use wood. the hybrids are only like 60 lbs, and can handle anything a foamer can.
 
Could you build the boat out of the insulating foam like has been done before but put in bulkheads at certain spots? Cut the foam where you want to put a bulhead and then "reglue" together. Do this at various spots. Fiberglass the whole structure and then puor in acetone or some other solvent to dissolve the foam. Only problem with doing this would be ensuring the bulkheads stayed adhered to the fiberglass.

Any thoughts?

Mark W
 
My name is Ray and I am a self respecting boat builder and have made a marsh boat out of blue board foam. It was just an experiment and I only did it once. A succesful experiment, but not one I will do again unless I use real marine grade foam. However, that will push the build cost into the thousands of dollars and still be too heavy compared to plywood. You also have to consider the materials cost. Right now where I live foam costs more than any 1/4" plywood due to the barge bulk volume shipping charges. Foam takes up a lot of deck space but does not weight anything so it costs twice as much to ship it compared to plywood.

They do end up heavier than a comparible boat made from plywood but it depends on the amount of epoxy you use and the type of wood you use to provide structure to the boat. The Hybrid plywood boat is a really simple design and the newer version is even better than the old one. http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=602498 It is cheap and can be built in two weekends with hand tools. However, like many small boats it is for shallow protected water only. The only advantage a foam boat has over a plywood boat is that they don't sink no matter how many holes you put in them.

Here is a link to my boat build over on the refuge: http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=425261

I tried to sell the boat the next season, but the guy ended up not wanting it due to other family costs. He dragged it behind an ATV and tore the bottom up pretty good. I have yet to make the repairs, but need to this spring. Unless you seriously overbuild with the FG these things don't hold up to the same level of rough use a plywood boat can handle. And they will weigh significantly more.

That said there are hundreds of these boats out there in use. If you search the refuge boats page you will find some really good build threads. "BPS 3 1/2" is one user that did a good job of documenting his project some years ago. http://www.refugeforums.com/refuge/showthread.php?t=435143

MarkW, that method would work for making a "one off" fiberglass hull. I used to have a link to a site where a guy built a surf kayak similar to a white water kayak. He carved a piece of dock foam into the shape he wanted then FG it with epoxy making about a 1/4 inch thick hull and then melted the foam out with acetone. Since he did this in California he broke about a dozen air quality laws and many waste disposal laws. However, he ended up with a nice surf hull to put knee braces and a seat in and it worked well for him.
 
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