expanding spray foam in the yaks hull?

Has anyone ever experimented with any type of foam? I know a small amount regarding it's insulating purposes in the construction field but have no clue how it would work in a kayak floatation application. Any and all suggestions or shared knowledge would be much appreciated. I have a small hole in my kayak which is currently semi plugged. I'm also curious about how much weight will add on

well i think it would 'work'. But the issue would be....1. Its messy as hell 2. Hard to control (it expands in all directions). 3. It would dramatically reduce the in hull storage space. I suppose some in the bow and stern may work but access may be a bi-atch!

I'd stick to pool noodles....my .02

One of the best threads in NCKA history

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2759.0.html

Thanks for the input, EWB and Bill that link is just what I was looking for. Answered all my questions and then some. Thanks

I haven't read all the pages yet, but I really like using two liter soda bottles.  They float well and are pretty durable.  Andy

Just keep in mind that insulating foam is not the same as marine foam. Marine foam is denser and specifically designed to resists water infiltration while insulating foam may absorb a significant amount of water over time. Waterlogged foam makes for crappy floatation and a heavy yak over time.

tell us more about the hole, leaky yaks are news worthy,

Pool noodles work and you don't have to deal with any mess.

Marine foam does work great sprayed into the handles of your nets and gaffs though.

It's a small hole in the keel (spelling?). Currently I have some chewing gum plugging it. I tried melting some plastic into it which worked for a while but eventually fell off. I know I need to buy a repair kit from the manufacturer. ChuckE schooled me in different types of plastic compositions and why the exact same formula is necessary to permanently adhere. I plan on getting a new yak soon but would like to keep and use my current one safely later. The leak is minor but enough to make me paranoid. I put it to the test last Sunday though. I was out for 5-6 hours and drained about a gallon from the yak afterwards. The day before I was out for about an hour with half a cup of water inside afterwards. I never use any hull space inside for storage or anything like that. I'll post some pics a little later

If you need the same plastic as the hull to patch the hole try cutting a 1 1/2 round circle somewhere on top of the kayak, go to any auto parts store and pick up a expandable rubber freeze plug. Plug the hole on top with the freeze plug and use the plastic from that to repair the hole where the water is coming in. If you go this route use a circle cutter for a perfect round cut.

Good luck
Ben

I tried filling a dive board (about the size of a kayak) once with foam; it turned out to be a big mistake. It initially added a lot of weight and over time it absorbed water and got so heavy I didn’t want to use it. The water got into the foam through normal dive use and it would never dry out. I ended up taking the thing to the dump. I would make a patch out of some heavy plastic (like the material used for a 55 gal plastic barrel) then bolt the patch every 1” or so and use Goop as a sealer between the patch and hull. Also, stick with the flotation ideas mentioned.

j-

One of the best threads in NCKA history

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2759.0.html

Oh man, what-a-classic!!

Z

Foam is good if its bulkheaded and in a watertight area. Otherwise, like someone said ,it will absorb water to the point that you'll be picking that shit out of your boat for days.

Foam is good if its bulkheaded and in a watertight area. Otherwise, like someone said ,it will absorb water to the point that you'll be picking that shit out of your boat for days.

Handi Foam makes a Coast Guard approved two-part spray foam product. I haven't used the SR formulation personally but I've used many of Handi Foam's other 2 part spray foam products, all great. The two part foam products cure quickly and generate a bit of heat but I doubt it's enough heat to soften or deform a hull.

The one part products (Great Stuff) commonly found in hardware stores has an additional problem I should mention. Although it seems to cure well when used in thin layered applications, single thick applications tend to create huge voids internally and takes forever to cure completely. I've cut into this stuff days after application and still found it uncured with fist sized voids that I'm sure would quickly fill with water.