02-18-2010, 04:40 PM
You can do whatever you want with the boat. It's yours and you own it. The foam flotation is a coast-guard requirement for the original manufacturer. The foam is there more for buoyancy than strength and removing some of it probably won't effect the flotation of the boat by much when swamped, depending on the loading of the boat.
The flotation foam in boats often becomes waterlogged over many years and a lot of guys take it out, with very few replacing it. Very few boats over 20' have any flotation foam at all and they go straight to the bottom of the pond if they get swamped.
Personally, in such a small boat like yours, which has a very high likelihood of it getting swamped, I think it would be stupid to remove it. I'd sell the boat and buy a bigger boat that gives you the storage you want.
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The flotation foam in boats often becomes waterlogged over many years and a lot of guys take it out, with very few replacing it. Very few boats over 20' have any flotation foam at all and they go straight to the bottom of the pond if they get swamped.
Personally, in such a small boat like yours, which has a very high likelihood of it getting swamped, I think it would be stupid to remove it. I'd sell the boat and buy a bigger boat that gives you the storage you want.
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