foam for floatation?

Is it possible to use foam to fill the cavity of my pro angler and if so where can I buy it. I have heard of a marine grade foam...is that because there are some foams that soak up water and some that dont? Im thinking worse case scenario it would keep it from sinking as I have already been in a couple of scary situations. My pro angler has always stayed high and dry but with waves crahing in over you it doesnt seem to go out the drain holes as fast as it comes in at times. No problems yet but I have been thinking about this for a while and didnt know if anyone could help me in this area. Thanks g man

Swim noodles!...easy to put in...easy to pull out....

_________________


CaptRon
"Anything's gonna happen,
it's gonna happen out there"

I don't know beans about types of foam, but pool noodles don't absorb water and that may work.

Are you taking on lots of water in your hull..........if not, then your PA shouldn't have any problems staying afloat............plus you can carry a hand pump should you need to bail water.

As far as taking on water in the cockpit that doesn't drain, I go thru a lot of surf waves that really put a lot of water in my cockpit............but with nothing in the mirage drive hole and with the four drains open under my seat, I think the water drains very quickly.

Hope this helps and good luck.

I have at least 8 monster pool noodles in the hull of my PA. It may be hard to find them for sale anywhere this time of year though.

Pool noodles sound good, if available. I once read a story about a man who tried to fill the ends of a canoe with expanding foam. But he didn't read the instructions... Read this, if you need a laugh:
http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/ ... =stairwell

Mary

What year model do you have. I think the newer models have floation added. Some is for the support of the standing area and some is for extra floatation. Look inside and see if you can find the white discs of close cell foam. Should be right under the stand area. Good luck.

2011 and later have enough foam used as vertical stiffners in the hull to maintain flotation.

I punctured my hull on a 2010 model PA in mid lake on a very windy day and had six of the small sized pool noodles in the hull.
Water filled the hull to the floor board level and while it was sluggish and paddled like it had a bad hangover, I was able to make 1-1/2 miles to the ramp with no problem other than reduced speed. The mirage still worked fine and I even eventually dried out. I have a 2011 now and have a LOT of sold foam ( concrete backer rods look like pool noodles with no hole in the middle ) in the hull. I really think it would float a few inches higher then the older one.

I would be quite hesitant to use any injectable foam in the hull for fear of deforming, perhaps not at the time of installation, but it most assuredly change the dynamics of the hull while in storage, on trailer or any time it warmed up. Also most all of the injectable foams DO have a small water retention factor, usually the better will still retain 0.3% by weight. That is not much but it is moisture inside the hull that will hold moisture inside the hull with all the related implications.


Tight lines, Phill

Phil - Just curious: How did you puncture the hull in mid-lake?

Jim,

Not exactly sure but I was in heavy standing timber (a lot of larger east Texas lakes have great standing timber mid lake ) and high winds fishing for crappie when I noticed that the boat was leaning heavily and suspiciously low in the water. The crappie had been turned on and I literally did not realize I was about to sink. When I made it to the bank, it was far too heavy to pull completely out of the water. I had to strip it of all contents and roll it slowly to start it draining. I could not pull it out of the lake far enough to remove the plugs and let them do their job. After draining it and finding the small hole, I decided it would take at least another 30-45 minutes for it to take in that much water, and filled out my limit of 25 crappie out on the way back to the truck.

The hole was in a location where the material was very thin by the drive and the hole was actually quite small.
Hobie looked at the picture and location of the leak and decided to give me the benefit of the doubt. I got a new hull. I know my dealer played a big part of it also, but still between the two, I would say easily, the best customer service I have ever seen. I am a Hobie fan for life and about to purchase my third PA. I really like the new scuppers on the 2012 models.

Tight lines, Phill

Phil - Glad to hear that you got a new hull and that Hobie was so responsive to this dangerous situation. Great company! Your story reminds me of a thread we had awhile ago related to some weakness in the drive well area that was supposed to be reinforced in subsequent builds. May be more likely than a puncture from a submerged tree limb. See viewtopic.php?f=78&t=33193&p=149894&hilit=Leaking+PA#p149894

Thankyou all so much for the help. Im sorry it took me so long to get back on here to thank everyone! I have a 2011 PA so I think im going to play it safe and go with the pool noodles. Especially after reading about the expadable foam story from Mary!!!!!! Sincerely, g man