Foam Flotation

[ahp]

I am looking for foam flotation for the Ohio Sharpie. Best for me would be flexible, closed cell foam in sheets, 4 inches by two feet by eight feet. It will be exposed to weather. Dark green would be nice but I could paint it with latex paint, the same paint I used on the hull.

[Ben Fuller]

Check with a packaging supplier, industry uses ethafoam. It's somewhat flexible. Kayakers and canoists use minicell foam which is more expensive and more flexible for outfitting. Northwest River Supply may have it. I've seen people paint foam floation with liquid industrial advesive, not sure what kind. It gave a nice canvas like texture that could be painted.

[The Q]

Check with a packaging supplier, industry uses ethafoam. It's somewhat flexible. Kayakers and canoists use minicell foam which is more expensive and more flexible for outfitting. Northwest River Supply may have it. I've seen people paint foam floation with liquid industrial advesive, not sure what kind. It gave a nice canvas like texture that could be painted.

Yep, that's good stuff, I put a block in a bucket of water over a weekend, held down by a brick.. No water absorption..floats very high..

I'm lucky I'm getting 10inch by 8 inch by 3 inch punch outs from the company I work for. The stuff arrives in big sheets with these punch outs in place, they remove them and then insert very expensive electronics (up to £150,000). I'll be sticking it down (up actually under the side decks) or bagging it to push up into the bows and stern..

[Todd Bradshaw]

Just curious, but why does it need to flex?

[johngsandusky]

Perhaps to fit a curve in the hull?

[ahp]

Perhaps to fit a curve in the hull?

Yes. I will be tucking it behind the risers and up under the comings to the underneath side of the side decks. It needs to follow the curvature of the sides.

[Rumars]

XPS, kerfed with a saw or shaped to fit the hull. Much cheaper then the PET foams.