Just bought a 10ft sears gamefisher jon boat. I usally fish alone or with my 13 year old son. I'm 185lbs he is 95lbs. The plate said 1 person or 245#. Took it out for fist time 2 weeks ago and it worked out OK. It didn't sit as low in the water as I thought. But, that was with just me and my son. I would like to add a trolling motor & 2 seats but that would put me way above weight limit.
So, I go down to West Marine and start talking to sales man. He tells me that I can fill under the bench seats with marine foam & this will greatly increase the weight capacity. I'm not looking to make a casting deck. Just 2 seats, trolling motor & battery.
Has anyone ever tried this? Does it really work? The foam I found says 2 quarts equals 100-120# of boyancy?
So, I go down to West Marine and start talking to sales man. He tells me that I can fill under the bench seats with marine foam & this will greatly increase the weight capacity. I'm not looking to make a casting deck. Just 2 seats, trolling motor & battery.
Has anyone ever tried this? Does it really work? The foam I found says 2 quarts equals 100-120# of boyancy?
Are you trying to do this for a legal weight rating or to make your boat sit higher in the water? Putting foam under the seats may change the legal rating, but it will not change the way your boat sits in the water. Sounds like a good idea for safety and to protect your investment if you plan to load it up, but you will only get buoyancy out of that foam if your boat swamps.
if you look on craigslist there are several 12 - 14 foot boats for sale. these would be much better for what you want to do. i have an 11 foot coleman crawdad. 2 seats and floor for standing. it's usually just me and my son, but i've had two adults in it with no problems. it is rated around 350 lbs. the extra foot in length and a little bit of width will make a big difference with what you can do with them.