OK, It’s swim noodle season at Wally-World.
I’m thinking of adding some cheap floatation to my Pungo 100 (which has no bulkheads…all open boat).
How many, how best to secure them, and do I want solid ones or ones with holes in them, or the star shaped ones, or the ones with little horsey-heads and bridles on them?
Thanks!
Whatever you do
don’t mention sponsons or other such stabilisers or the blood pressure of some contribitors will go sky high.
what are sponsons?
I’ve been paddling for well over a year and thought I was a certifiable gearhead, but I can’t figure out what sponsons are or why they are so vilified. Are they some sort of outrigger? Anyone care to enlighten?
Sponsons
What they are:
http://www.rutabaga.com/product.asp?pid=1001938
Many people flinch when you say “sponson” because of the rantings of their most vocal proponent:
http://www.sponsonguy.com/
They’re a piece of gear that can help in some situations. Nothing more or less.
Let’s get back to the original question.
I am looking for the same thing. I was thinking of cutting them into like 2 foot lengths and strapping 4 or 5 together and jamming into the bow and stern. Not sure how to keep them there though.
Great Stuff
Just use some of the canned instant foam like the product, “Great Stuff”. Usually it is used to fill cracks, etc. in your house, but the stuff is good floatation foam. Get yourself as deep into your Pongo as you can and start squirting the stuff. Remember, it is going to expand so make sure you leave yourself enough foot room. Also it does add weight (it’s not as light as air). Of course, an air bag is better.
No Great Stuff please.
It has myriads of tiny holes, millions of which are interconnected with pass-thrus. While great in walls and even sealed compartments, it should never be used where it itself could be submerged, allowing for water to seep into the foam. This has been tried unsuccesfully by the boat-building community of home-builders and is not suggested.
Round noodles seem to pack in there well.
whoa
Wow, I never knew there was such a major underground war going on in the paddling community. Well, since it is apparently a subject that’s been beaten plenty to death, I hereby cease all discussion of it in this thread.
Noodles work great…
e’d you on what i did to keep em in place in my america. nice part about em is they arn’t desireable…no one wants to steal em!
Bulkhead in America?
Mcyak, Does your America have a bulkhead or do you just jam them into the bow.
Verticle foam blocks
are what I should have called em. Americas have em both fore and aft. Supposedly, they’re floatation blocks (that’s what perception calls em) Like trying to keep the Titanic afloat with life preservers. I glued two plastic bolts (threaded end out)into each foam block and made up a guard to keep the noodles in place.Plastic wing nuts keep the guard in place/allow me to remove the noodles to clean. I pack the noodles on either side of the factory installed blocks put the guard on and…
Gotcha
My Loon is open space. I suppose if I shave them a bit I should be able to wedge them in pretty good.
Put a bulkhead in your Loon
If your inclined… And if you have the hatch.
A block of mini-cell foam from CLC. Cardboard for template. Long-blade razor knife or small saw. Cut over-size, test fit a few times while trimming to size. Caulk when done. Works great in my wife’s Loon 138 and my son’s Antigua.
Have been thinking about that.
Have to buy hatch kit too. Plus other boat is a Loon 111, no hatch. I think I have your design saved.