We wanted to check the flotation foam on our 17 foot double ender Grumman canoe. We swamped it recently and were curious as to whether the foam in the bow and stern compartments was still intact. In this picture you see one of the flotation compartment panel screws that needed to be removed.
The foam compartment has a galvanized panel that is held in place by machine screws and lock nuts around the hull. Our canoe had 5 screws across the top that went into the threaded top of the panel and 12 screws that encircled the hull. We needed a screwdriver and socket to remove the screws, some needed to be tapped with a hammer while turning to break loose. A few others were stripped and needed to be drilled out, 2 others sheared off, so the in-laws hit Ace Hardware and bought some replacement fasteners.
The screw holes are countersunk so the panel was held tightly in place by depressed metal from the hull, you can see the depressions in the picture above. A crowbar came in handy to lift the panel off of the countersunk screw holes and remove it. The screws have been reinstalled in this picture, just showing where to place the crowbar and gently work the panel loose.
The foam came out in two pieces and appears to be in great shape. We had heard stories of how it could dry up and pall out in small pieces, not the case here! The foam had 17 marked on it, probably molded that way so workers knew which canoe it went into. It was neat to see how it was cut in order to fit it into the compartment.
Here is the empty stern compartment, the foam fills the entire space. The Grumman workmanship is incredible, this canoe is still in great shape.
We wondered if the foam had lost its bouyancy, only one way to test that :)
The bow foam was in just as good a shape as the stern. Foam was in excellent condition so we reinstalled it and secured the panels. Next we'll be looking for flotation to augment the factory foam.
