Question about styrofoam layout boats.

B

brian ziegler

Member
Hey all,
For my winter project I'm thinking about building a layout boat out of styrofoam. I like the idea of having something light-weight that i can lug around by myself. There alot of shorelines I'd like to hunt off of and it would be easier to carry the boat to the spot, than to pull it with another boat from a boat landing thats really far away. I've researched how others have done it. (Thanks to the guys that showed their process on this site) I have my own ideas that I'd like to incorporate but i just want to get some feedback from guys that have built/hunted out of them. I don't have any specific concerns since its more of an idea than a full fledged project. Maybe pointers on the build itself, or things i should consider.
Also, if you did build a styro layout, how much does it weigh? Can it take a beating or do i have to baby it?
Thanks in advance,
Brian
 
Brian-

My foamy boat weighs in close to 100 lbs....but it's 12 ft long so no doubt if you make it shorter, then you'll be a lot lighter. I use a trailer to move my foamy boat around, and it's pretty sturdy. Mine has been beat up and I've not had problems....and it's great...deadly...

Dani
 
If you glass it and epoxy you won't have a problem your strength and durability comes from the epoxy and glass. There is a project not too long ago on here just what your asking. Chris
 
I built a kayak of sorts. Took the basic size layout from a Poke. Cut panels from 1" blue board. Glued them together w/ thickened epoxy, then wet laminated them. Used two layer of glass in and out. It has taken a beating.
 
The foam dust is hard to deal with due to the static charge. I am still finding small piles of the stuff five years later.

You need to put a seal coat onto the foam. It soaks up more epoxy than wood. If you don't do a seal coat then the glass will have a poor bond to the foam and will pull off with little effort.

My boat weighs 85 pounds and didn't last two seasons of use before the glass started pulling off the foam. I loaned it to someone and they dragged it behind an ATV tearing up the bottom. I would have to rebuild half the boat to patch it up.

If you have $300 to throw away then a foam boat is not a bad project. You can make a lighter and stronger boat out of plywood.
 
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