replacing styrofoam under boat floor/ marine vinyl

[mnfishingal]

I'm in the process of replacing the floor on a 16' lund boat. I got a sweet deal on marine grade plywood when menards had it on sale last month for $45/sheet for 1/2 and $69 for 3/4 inch, so I'm excited to get going on it. When I pulled the old floor up, it was quite soft and the styrofoam underneath is heavy and seems saturated. Can anyone tell me if there is a certain kin of styrofoam that I need to use as a replacement and where I can get it? I'm also considering marine vinyl instead of carpet but wonder if it gets slippery when wet. Does anyone have any experience with it? Thanks for your help!

[Larson15]

I know that they make several kinds of marine styrofoam. I think that marine Dock styrofoam would be a good idea because it wont soak in as much water and is extremely buoyant. You could lay this in there and get a spray foam glue to lock it in, fill in the cracks, and it will expand where needed. As far as carpet I would stick with marine carpet or use a indoor/outdoor carpet.

[boatfixer]

I cant think of the name brand off the top of my head, but you need to make sure it is "closed cell" foam.

[lindy rig]

As for the carpet or marine vinyl it is just personal preference. I have the vinyl and am very happy with it. You can take a hose and wash it out very quickly. It is textured, so it's not slippery at all. We have a dog and I use the boat mainly for fishing, but occassionally duck hunting. So the utility style and easy clean up are great for that type of use.

Other's prefer the carpet which is nice too. Just depends if used for mainly fishing vs. leisure and also how dirty or clean you want to be!

[marine_man]

Check out this thread for more info on Foam:

Plywood & Foam

marine_man

[mnfishingal]

Thanks guys,for your help!