Holy Crap, the rumors are true!! dfou and i pulled the floatation out of the floor of my 1644 and it reaked of gas and weighed approx 250 lbs. rivets drilled out easily and floor came right out.

Thats why its not rumors. Its the truth.

It's a 2001 I believe. That was some nasty stuff

The older blue/green foam would definitely start holding
water after 3 years.... For under 100 bucks GD has a kit
with the new white foam and rivets - the new foam doesn't
seem to absorb or retain any water.... When I was at GD
they showed me a piece that had been submersed for about
2 years....

My hull was a newer one with no under floor foam at all - but
they installed a full set of the new foam for me when I was
there - cause I like all the floatation I can get and it actually
makes the bottom tuffer too...

On those older hull your floor was .100 and without the
foam it is kinda soft and flexable.... If you replace it with
.125 gauge you can leave it out altogether.... But actually
you are better off replacing with the new foam as it both
braces the inner floor as well as the hull bottom.... Which
is why I had em put in mine...

His foam was tan. May have been white at one time but it was definetly soaking wet

take it out and don't replace it. flotation is overrated.

Thinking Im not gonna put it back in. Warren Coco said it wouldn't float my 35 hp sd unless i added that new box across the back.

I took mine out last year and made a extra storage compartment.

When I changed the foam in the 2000 model I had I was gonna just leave it out but the floor felt spongy because of the thin metal so I put new back in. I havent checkd this 07. Probably wont do it fir a while because of the turf on the floor. I wonder if the back side pods are bad to hold watr too?

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Supposedly not on the side boxes. i haven't put the floor back in to check the sponge issues. I am also concerned with the draining. Mine would not drain water at all

My buddy pit the box in his and said its only good to stand on for Frogging otherwise its a pain. Thanks for the info too. loving gdsd and the round Chinese on the hull though

Yeah on my 48 wide - the only way I would use the extra floatation box
would be to add the rear fishing platform which goes over the extra floatation
box - it gives you a 60" wide elevated smooth deck to stand on and drive
from and to fish from....

I thought it would be awkward but was pleasantly surprised at how easy it
was to drive with the handle raised up and pinned in a different hole....

You get a nice elevated look ahead when running twisting bayous and the
grab bar is also relocated to the elevated platform and with the poleing
platform behind you to brace and lean on ---- it feels pretty natural to
drive from there..... I know a guy who is an avid fisherman who prefers
that setup year round and he don't even have the extra floatation box....

It is. Figured they work so well in Asia that they should incorporate them into the fleet lol. Man i hate predictive Texting.

Ran the boat this morning and picked my speed up from 23 to 27-28. Im stoked. Thinking i.need a New prop. It keeps blowing out, but only when i turn

I seen a new GDSD boat the other day. They did not put the flotation compartments on the sides or the flotation box in the rear. There were seating/flotation boxes in the rear of the boat. Like Westend's rear seating in his Gator Tail boat.

I myself am a fan if the floatation--- I had a disaster on the trinity and the foam floatation helped save my life!!

Tell is the story. Also what hull and size motor?

Settle in it's kinda long


2years ago we hatched this idea to go down the Trinity river just east of Mesquite, called the locals all was ok to go.
Set the date to go, the temp that morning was 12 degrees. Crossed over the barrier into the basin drug the boat to the shallowest entrance in to the river. Motor would not start , built a small fire under the prop end of my go devil longtail to unfreeze the bearings. Motor started down the river we go. Things went real good no one hunts this part if the river so no pressure on any birds. Made it about five miles down stream, reach a massive log jam maybe 35 yards deep. After a small discussion of tryin to slide over it we decide that's it let's go back. My buddy was on the bank I was driving nosed the boat up against the bank with the motor running so he could slide down into the boat. At this time 10 am things were startin to warm a lil, the river bank has steep side walls. I nudged the boat forward and the governor did this little "bump" I call it a pushed the nose of the boat up the river bank sides . I shut the motor off thinking the throttle was froze again, the back seat goes under then the middle seat chasing me up to the front of the boat. The WHOLE boat was under in the river except about a foot and half of the side which I was standing on. My buddy is still holding the rope to thd now sunken boat. I get real still like and suddenly the boat rights itself in the river with me in it full of water. The only thing that saved my life was the foam floatation in the seats and the floor I had added. I did not have my life jacket on and am very certain my waders would have carried me right to the bottom of the river!

Sorry 1542 with 24 lt

Waders will not send you to the bottom. Neopreme does float but yes things happen in a blink of an eye you can never be over prepared

I wonder if the front flotation and sides are enough to keep afloat enough to not lose the boat. I just hate to think that i would be putting something in the hull of my boat that I KNOW will have to be changed, AGAIN. May be petty, but I never had floatation in anything Ive ever owned before, aside from the off shore boats that we use. Anybody sunk one without the box? I do bring the fam with me from time to time and would worry far more about them than me. Thanks for your insight too fella's, and postalpaul for the story you just provided.

We are definitely on the same page there. I just wonder about the neccesity for all of the floatation they provide. Most boats dont need near that much, or at least require that much. Is it a USCG over preparedness kind of deal?

99% of the time flotation isn't gonna save your life. The life jacket is gonna save your life. Flotation in the hull is gonna float the boat upside down. At least it will give you something to hold on to until help arrives. There is no 100% water proof foam. It will all soak up water at some point. Foam under a floor that isn't sealed will need to be removed at a later date. If the floor flotation won't hold the boat up, no reason to have it.

Thanks buddy I appreciate it. Im thinking more and more its no floatation. Sure hate to waste all of that space too.

I got a 2011 GD 16X60. We were on the trinity at the lock and the river was at a point to where the water coming through the lock was like class 5 rapids. We made it up the lock although it was a scary ride and really did not think it through. Fished 4 hrs up river and then went back. The river was still dropping and the lock was getting rougher. Decided to take it back through with just the driver and other two got out on the bank. The boat went completely under water twice as the rollers were 3 feet of better. Although the boat was just inches above water level when it came out, it was still able to make it to the bank. All three dry storage boxes had water in them. Without the flotation it would have went to the bottom. Stupid stunt that will never happen again.

Well thank god We don't have rapids in SELA and we have common sense! Lol I'm just joking. We all do crazy stuff from time to time but I hope to not sink my ride since I don't have any flotation

Please tell me there was at least some liquid encouragement involved in that adventure lol. Man i bet it was fun until all hell broke loose. Did you have the rear box he's installing now?

I am looking to buy my first mm rig and may buy used. Is this flotation issue a safety recall?

No recall I know of just be prepared to change it out every now and then