C-Forum

How much is enough bulk closed cell foam to order when outfitting a boat would three 3X12X12 sheets be enough?

Matt

It depends on the boat. A small glass C1 you could pull off. A major conversion of a Kayak, probably not. I usually just purchase a 1/2 bat or so and then have some kicking around. You can NEVER have enough minicell (mind you, my other mantra is you can never have enough boats (or so it seems), and they kind of go hand in hand )

Sir Adam is right, you can never have too much minicell. Usually, you won't have enough. Get a half bun. See John R. Sweet for information. Search this forum for further info on minicell sources.

How much foam do you need? All you ordered plus just shy of the distributor's minimum order Figure the height, width & depth of your saddle, knee, hip, foot & ankle pads. If you're doing a bulkhead, figure that. Plan. Measure. Figure. Repeat. Then order.

Keep in mind that in addition to the thick stuff, you'll probably want some thinner pieces for knee, ankle & foot pads. I like to draw it out to scale & see what sizes to order. I always keep extra foam around to tweak boats. After some time in any boat you'll think of something that you'd like to add, subtract or modify in some way.

If you have figured that you need 3 square feet of 3" thick, go ahead & get 1/4 bun (1'x4'x3"). 1/2 bun (2'x4'x3") will be better. You'll have less waste if you start with one big piece & lay it out efficiently.

http://www.johnrsweet.com/Minicel.html