> >just one big open space under the liner from the bow to
> >the stern
>
> Should also be styrofoam blocks taking up all area forward (about 1.5'
> forward of horizontal access hatches to bow) and aft (under quarter
> berths from companionway to stern). Is yours gone? They constitute the
> much ballyhooed positive flotation.
Yes, there is a pile of busted-up, mildewed stryofoam up under the v-berth,
with bits of white stuff wandering all the way back to the port sink and
starboard cabinet. I plan to remove it in the spring when Toys-R-Us has 6
foot "pool noodles" of closed cell foam on sale again for $2 each
(approximately 1 cubic foot each) which will be the replacement foam. About
32 cubic feet ought to do it (displacement = 2048 pounds of seawater). I plan
to attach the noodles as high up as I can along each side of the v-berth so
that the flotation up as high as practical. I'll also put a few noodles high
up on the "ceiling" of the aft berths (up in the narrow space under the
cockpit coaming where the stern rails are bedded).
(The most elegant solution would be to install two-part foam and mold it to
fit all along the corner where the v-berth meets the hull, but that type of
foam costs about $40/cubic foot -- too expensive for me! You could also put a
thin (1/2 inch?) layer all along the inside of the hull for insulation to
reduce condensation.)
I may put some of the flotation noodles around the cockpit rails for padding
too. You can get them with a hole down the middle. I could cut the tubes
open, slip them over the rails, tape them on and then cover them with simple
sunbrella covers (just a long tube of cloth with a velcro closure) to prevent
deterioration from UV.
As I recall from my reading some time ago, the foam flotation should be up
HIGH (***see below). If she gets holed, you want her floating with the deck
up (not hull), with the stern and bow floating high so you can climb in or on.
If the foam is in the bottom of the hull, if she turtles and fills, the foam
flotation will keep her turtled.
(hmm, maybe I'll remove the foam under the cockpit....that would create some
easily accessible storage space... hmmm, gotta think about that.)
***Somebody check my thinking on this, please. I recall reading a long time
ago that positive floatation should be up high, equally distributed to port
and starboard, so that if the boat rolls over sideways and fills, at least
half of the floatation will provide boyancy to right her. Obviously, if she
gets holed, you want the stern/cockpit to float high so that you can climb in
the swamped cockpit and you're forced to hang onto a slippery, over-turned
hull.
Judy Blumhorst, DC
WWP-19 #266 "Red Wing"
SF Bay, CA