Anyone know what's behind the forward deck liner?

[mastreb]

There seems to be a pretty large void behind the forward deckliner beside the hatch:

http://flic.kr/p/dhK93Y

Anyone happen to know what's behind it? I'm planning to put an access hole on one side for a thru-deck fitting.

[Ormonddude]

Im Pretty sure foam for positive buoyancy

[kmclemore]

Yes, that area is filled with blocks of foam in order to provide flotation to the bow. I strongly recommend AGAINST removing it.

[Phil M]

I removed mine and use the space for storage. In fact, everywhere I have found foam is now extra storage. My Mac will sink for sure if it gets a hole Putin it.. I'm not Italian, and might go down with my ship. in the meantime, I have more storage.

[Boblee]

Yeah positive flotation behind the anchor locker and wouldn't advise to remove it unless you put it somewhere else, besides the boat sinking? there would possibly be an insurance issue especially if someone died? better to leave it there or work around it.

[Russ]

wouldn't advise to remove it unless you put it somewhere else, besides the boat sinking? there would possibly be an insurance issue

I'm sure piranha layers would eat that up. The one Mac accident where people died was caused by idiot drunk captain sans ballast and 12 people onboard at full throttle and the flotation didn't save him from lawyers.
What do people do who have boats that sink? My Hunter 34 had no expectation of staying afloat if full of water. This unsinkable thing really tugs at people as a sense of safety.

The design of the Mac makes it difficult to fill with water anyway. The handful of capsizings that I've seen would have been fine without flotation. Anyone had a knockdown? Did your cabin fill with water as the boat turtled?

I would never recommend taking flotation out. However, now that I know what's up there, I think I'm going to do like Phil and use it for storage. These boats can't have enough storage. I'll put life jackets in there.

[Divecoz]

LOTS of foam BTDT.. I removed very little.... I added a 110v. gcfi Outlet for my A/C and or a box fan.. Yep lots of foam..Remove some of it all of it.. ITS your choice..

[mastreb]

Someone should just make a life jacket for boats. Bottle the size of a small fire extinguisher with a CO2 cartridges that inflates something the size of a truck inner tube when a chalk pill dissolves. Mount it in an unused corner along the ceiling liner. When it gets wet, it inflates and displaces a few hundred lbs. of water. Not as cheap as foam but takes a whole lot less space.

[Catigale]

Biz OPP? Should be popular with insurance company as recovering a floating hull is a lot cheaper than a sunken one...

[RobertB]

Someone should just make a life jacket for boats. Bottle the size of a small fire extinguisher with a CO2 cartridges that inflates something the size of a truck inner tube when a chalk pill dissolves. Mount it in an unused corner along the ceiling liner. When it gets wet, it inflates and displaces a few hundred lbs. of water. Not as cheap as foam but takes a whole lot less space.

Awesome idea except it will never happen as long as there is a chance it will trap someone in the hull. I wonder how hard it would be to just set up a CO2 bottle connected to some air mattresses with an inflation valve (manual) somewhere handy?

[Russ]

Just tie a long coiled line to a floating fender. If the boat sinks, the fender floats to the surface where a crane can grab it and lift the boat back to the surface. Easy peezy lemon squeezy salvage.

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Of cCourse flotation in your boat is more fun.

[Russ]

Biz OPP? Should be popular with insurance company as recovering a floating hull is a lot cheaper than a sunken one...

Maybe. I wonder what percentage of boats sink totally below the surface.

My friends boat sank next to the Navy pier in Sandy Hook bay. Got a call from the Navy, "I think your boat is on our pier. "
It wasn't submerged totally.



Another that wasn't below the surface. A little glass repair and she'll be good as new.


BTW...this was from a tropical storm and all these boats broke from their moorings, about 30 of them.

[Catigale]

WHy use expensive fiberglass??

I would like a 55 gallon drum of MarineTex please...

[Divecoz]

Ya Might want the electric caulk gun with that drum Wide Nozzle tooo

WHy use expensive fiberglass??

I would like a 55 gallon drum of MarineTex please...

[Boblee]

My Hunter 34 had no expectation of staying afloat if full of water. This unsinkable thing really tugs at people as a sense of safety.

Having no expectation of floating being the operative part that lawyers would/could look at but a mac does have that safety? factor built in , to remove it against manufacturers specs may leave you open? not a laywer so don't know but putting a 90hp motor on could be the same.
As for lack of storage space crikey what do you take with you we travel on water for two weeks and more spells and have never ever used it all.