PK78 foam

[ian]

Is the PK 78 positive or negetive bouancy? <BR>I´m almost finished with my boat and I plan to go out and do some serious sailing in a good breeze. I´m sure I´ll swamp it a few times. <BR>If I need to add foam, how many cubic inches is required to keep the gunnels above the water line?

[Laszlo]

Ian,<BR><BR>Properly mixed S3 is almost exactly neutrally buoyant, glass is negative and wood, of course is positive. Unless you put on way too much glass and metal fittings, the basic boat will float, even full of water.<BR><BR>Laszlo<BR>

[Evan_Gatehouse]

What he says is true, but to self rescue, you need to have the boat floating well above the gunnels. Otherwise the daggerboard trunk will keep letting water in faster that you can bail. I can´t tell you how much foam is required; that´s a reply for Jacques.<BR><BR>Evan Gatehouse

[jacquesmm]

We could calculate it precisely but in the real world it would not be enough. I capsized a few times with those small boats and the trick is to empty the boat with a pail before trying to board it. <BR>To avoid that maneuver, fill the boat with as much foam as possible. In our kit we include 2 gallons = 8 cubic feet. You can´t use it all but some builders have found room for up to 6 cubic feet and that provides flotation for 480 lbs.

[SparkG]

Would you think the 2 sealed end chambers (under the rear seat and under the bow seat) of a V10 are enough to keep it afloat Jacques? - Also, any consideration the boat is made of wood - even though it´s plywood?

[jacquesmm]

Evan said it: the huill material floats.<BR>Yes, the sealed compartments in the V10 are sufficient. Such compartment are accepted as flotation volume by the USCG.

[ian]

I´d like to keep the fore and aft compartments for storage instead of filling them with foam. I´ve installed screw in deck plates in the fore and aft bulkheads. My thought was to use the space under the center seat. Build boxes and fill them with foam then attach them to the center bulkhead beneath the seat. I don´t want to go to the trouble if it´s going to require more foam or if foam is not necessary. Of course the boat won´t sink but I want to be able to bail her out if I capsize in the middle of the bay, which I will if I get out and do some good heeling in a stiff breeze. I´m guesstimating I can put maybe 260 sq. inches of foam under the center seat. Would that raise the gunnels well above waterline??