Also seen Swift Craft older models with spongee floors that indicated wood rot or stringer collapse.I have also seen and had Ali boats that the floor structure is corroded and cracked,pin prick holes and metal fatigue.jersey                  

I have to pull the floor out of my 15' Baron this week, thats about what I expect to find!

not good, when rebuilding the floor drill a hole and put an ally tube between each section allowing the water to drain making sure you seal well around the tubes. good luck

Looks to me as though the designer was making bouyancy cells, they are meant to be air/liquid tight. Its drilling holes through the deck that stuffs them up. Why not clean them up, reinforce and just reassemble as designed.

There was some guy that put lengths of oregon through the hull to strengthen it. It was on another site. I have some pics I down loaded if interested.

Yes it was a Baron.

If you want to ensure buoyancy, don't you have to have to fill it with foam?



There is that 2-part liquid mix polyurethane foam, not to sure its ok to use though as it may be am open-cell foam and I guess it has to be a closed-cell one?

"If you want to ensure buoyancy, don't you have to have to fill it with foam?"

No, you just dont want leaks. An air cell is a container of air. Fuel cell a container of fuel etc. Small cells in foam, while stabicraft, inflatables etc have big air cells. All do the same thing.

In the floor up front in the Baron cabin is some "soft" floor, its foam underneath. I looked at one Baron where the foam had broken down and soaked up water like a sponge - no bouyancy.

Also I used foam to fill some gaps around a window in my house in SA, the foam expanded and really distorted the frame. I would seek other advice before pouring foam mixtures into cavities.

I'll beg to differ there.

The national standard for flotation requires foam, certainly in any boats under 6m. The idea being that of the cell is damaged, the water can get in, but it can't displace the foam.

It seems that in at least Victoria and perhaps Tas, they recommend using specific grades of polyurethane foam for filling voids.

I have seen a film of the US coast Guard riddle a Boston whaler with 50 cal rounds,also as I think many others  the BW being cut in half with a chain saw,both these demos showed the buoyancy of closed foam cells,till is right jersey

I do love the pics of the Boston Whaler the dealer cut in half with a dealer, and then still drove around.

Perhaps there is a different reg for vessels larger than 6m, something like the boat must be able to float with the largest  cell flooded.

Multiple sealed compartments or foam. The foam only refers to open hulled small boats, or boats with only one air tight chamber. Or for boats where the bouyancy is to be simply increased. This is by inserting blocks of foam into spaces in the hull.

What you are saying removes from service all inflatables, Scorpian and Stabicraft, and any other boat using water tight compartments.

However foam still contains air cells. If you want to use foam go right ahead. I was just sugesting that you left that area of the boat the way it was designed. You could get bogged down with unessesary work and never get the project finished.