Foam in bow of 16' - necessary

Z

zuunami

New member
This follows my earlier post in search of an easy way to access the bow eye bolts. We decided to take out the small bulkhead near the bow, which was attached with just top and bottom brackets, and a bit of caulking (and some flow in foam on one side), and behind that were two blocks of foam, probably no more than a total of 2-1/2 square feet of foam This allowed us easy access to the bow eye bolts. But now we're thinking, why put it all back in, since there are bolts for the front handrail, cleats, and the anchor roller up there to keep an eye on?

I've read a bunch of older posts here about the purpose of foam in boats (most were for 22' and 25' below the berth foam), and my takeaway is that foam can 1) provide some buoyancy in the bow in case of an accident (although I don't understand how that small amount of foam would help; 2) provide some obstruction to water flowing in if there were a hit to the bow, 3) provide some measure of noise dampening as you're going through the water, and 4) the bulkhead may provide some structural effect.

It's really nice having that space open - it adds about a foot of extra space - and it's nice to be able to easily check all of your nuts, etc. up there for water leakage etc. I don't see the upside of the buoyancy benefit. I DO see the upside to the noise factor, but I would think that fitting and putting those blocks UNDER the berth platform would do that better?

I have no idea whether the current setup adds any structural integrity, it's just a 1" thick piece of plywood, loosely fitted in.

Anyway, here's a pic showing the foam off to the left, then generally where the bulkhead piece goes in, if anyone has thoughts on this, would appreciate it :)

K01_1752.jpg
 
Robert & Karen, Neither the foam, nor the plywood shown in this photo offers any structural integrity whatsoever to the boat. From my experience, I believe the triangular shaped foam was used to support the deck in its proper position while the "hull to deck" joint was being fiberglassed together at the factory. The irregular shaped plywood appears to be something a previous owner used to vsually block the forepeak area, or possibly retain anchor chain or line. The foam block is too small to offer any flotation value in case of capsize.
 
Barry Rietz":hmthd4b0 said:
The foam block is too small to offer any flotation value in case of capsize.
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Perhaps true but it may be part of the equation the manufacturer used to calculate the total buoyancy needed for the vessel to remain afloat(albeit awash) when swamped. When combined with the foam under the forward deck.

Manufacturers are required to provide this inherent buoyancy on any boat up to 20'. Removing a manufacturers built in safety devise mandated by law could cause legal problems in the event of an accident or sale.

Just offering food for thought on a cold winter day here. I do agree with Barry that without that foam block your boat is unlikely to sink, all other factors being equal. 8)
 
I don't know about the foam being used to keep the hull in place when it was fiberglassed, the two blocks were just kind of loosely fitted in there, one had even dropped down. The "bulkhead" holding the foam in was barely caulked in, and held in place by two L-brackets on the top and bottom with about 1/2" screws. It does appear to be factory. There is no foam underneath the v-berth platform.

Well, guess we have to decide whether to keep it or not, I'm not sure 2-1/2 cf of foam will make a difference in the event of a sinking. it may make a difference with noise. I guess it's other purpose would be to hold in the v-berth cushions, we've taken those out and stored them as a backboard in our guest bedroom. I'm not sleeping overnight on a 16' on the ocean! (with all due respect to those who do!)
 
>There is no foam underneath the v-berth platform.<

The rest of your floatation foam is behind the port and starboard coamings in the cockpit. If your cockpit coaming is tabbed in place, I don't think you can get at it. When I pulled my removable coamings out, I also removed that floatation. I have a heater on one side and a compartment for boat hook, fishing pole, waders on the other.

Because of the size of the 16, it needed to meet some Coast Guard regulations on being able to float if swamped (assuming a certain size outboard, no downrigger weights, etc.) when new. Unlike seatbelts in cars, there doesn't seem to be a restriction on subsequent purchasers removing stock floatation on a boat.

Of course, a brand new CD 16 meets CG regulations even without a working VHF radio with DSC and AIS, with a single dinky fire extinguisher, with a cheapo block foam PFD that's not worn, etc. I chose not to bet on the boat floating in 5 foot seas for my salvation.
 
thanks Mark :) We'll probably take our chances, and see what the noise is like. I notice in your album that the Limpet has/had a 3.5 suzuki kicker. How did that do? I still can't get away from wanting a Torqeedo :) dang, may just do it and see what it's like :)
 
It is a 2.5 hp Suzuki. It has the not uncommon problem of starting and stalling. I've replaced the jet and finally the whole carburetor. It still starts and then stalls after a few seconds. When it ran, it pushed the 16 great for fishing and maybe 4 knots top. It probably has a total of 10 hours on it.

I've been so frustrated that I haven't worked on it for over a year. I got a good deal on if from Cabela's ($600 shipped). If I spent another $600 in parts and service and it might run right. It made me an even bigger fan of electrics. Grrrrr.
 
I had a 5hp Honda on our 16 footers. I really enjoyed puttering around at its max speed, 5mph. But, if I were to do it again I would opt for a 3.5hp Tohatsu, probably $700 less expensive, 20 lbs lighter, and almost as "fast".
 
Mark, I seem to remember a post where you talked about having an electric kicker? - can't find it, have looked at too many posts lately :)
 
Marco Flamingo":s0625l9t said:
It is a 2.5 hp Suzuki. It has the not uncommon problem of starting and stalling. I've replaced the jet and finally the whole carburetor. It still starts and then stalls after a few seconds. When it ran, it pushed the 16 great for fishing and maybe 4 knots top. It probably has a total of 10 hours on it.

I've been so frustrated that I haven't worked on it for over a year. I got a good deal on if from Cabela's ($600 shipped). If I spent another $600 in parts and service and it might run right. It made me an even bigger fan of electrics. Grrrrr.
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Would it really do 3-4 knots?

I have a 2.5 Mercury on my old fishing boat I was intending to sell.

Maybe I should mount it on the back of the my 16' cruiser.
 
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