I'm considering using Versi-foam to fill the hull cavities of my 43 ft. Drifter.

Have researched a bit ... the Versifoam people said no problem - it helps "sink-proof" the houseboat.

Just wondering if anyone has tried it, and has any feedback. Thanks!

JH

Interesting you would ask. I pondered the questions while building a 2 story "boat palace" on a 43' Drifter hull. I decided to leave the space between the hull and the lower story floor empty to allow for ventilation.

It seems to have been the best choice because I had no condensation problems in the hull the two years I lived there. Other than that area, the boat was well insulated and very tight.

Why Versifoam? every time the question of "foaming: comes up, there are those who claim ALL foams will eventually trap water. The ones with the most bouyncy (less dence) 60lbs. per cubic foot, are the first to absorb water. IF this caution is true, then that will be a lot of soggy weight laying down in there.

You must use a very dense grade of foam. Water will get traped in foam merely by condensation.

PlayCraft has been using Foam in its pontoon and HB for 29 years. It is a closed cell foam and the max moisture it will absorb is 3-5 % of ITS OWN WEIGHT. Keep in mind that the foam is put in pontoons and other boats as a saftey means and is meant to be kept dry NOT act as the floatation of a vessel. Therefore you do still need a good hull.

I have been inside the hulls of an awful lot of houseboats over the years and from my experience, every steel-hulled boat that I have seen foamed has had extensive rust on the inside of the hull- aggravated by the foam and the lack of proper ventilation.

The worst problem is that, if you find the rust before it does great damage, it is very difficult and expensive to remove the foam so that the hull can be properly treated. I've seen hulls rusted so bad that, when the foam was removed, it pulled holes in the hull.

To think that filling the hull of a boat like a Drifter (a nice boat, by the way) to keep it from sinking is ridiculous. Do the math. Include the engine and all the topsides equipment. Why not just make the boat out of foam and fiberglass over it?

Foam in the hull will make the hull a little quieter but it makes it pretty difficult to store stuff belowdecks.

THIS IS A GOOD IDEA- NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP WITH
CRAFT NOT SINKING, BUT WHEN I PUT IT IN MY BOAT
IT MADE IT RIDE LIKE A LIMO-