I searched and couldn't find a definitive answer to my question. Regardless of how you feel about removing the foam, how important is the foam as far as avoiding hooks or breaking welds? Is it that big of an issue?

It's all just low density 2lb foam, non of it is used for any thing structural. Only issue might be the floor. When I was at go devil I think the floors where only .063 and the foam is giving that floor a little support. With out it its going to give a lot more while standing on it and liable to deny a lot easier when dropping things on it.

If your 1860 is set up the same way as mine, i dont see how it would offer any structural support or prevent hooks...

To start, the foam was inside a capsule sitting on top of the ribs about 2inchss above the bottom of boat so it wouldn't offer any protection from hooks.

As far as support, I don't see how it offers any either. The capsule was tack welded all the way around on the bottom, welded fully along the transom going down, and spot welded every 6-8 inched across the top. I took a crowbar and busted the whole pod loose from the ribs in about 15 minutes.

I took a saw zawl and a crowbar and had my whole back half the boat gutted in a few hours of work. Just stretched out over a few days lol its still in pieces just haven't had the time to finish it off.

I was planning on getting a piece of 4x8 aluminum in .120 but i know that's alittle thick. I asked for .100 and he priced me for the .120 because they didn't have .100 . I was looking for an answer on that as well because I don't want the floor to flex since im not putting the foam back in.

I was planning on getting a piece of 4x8 aluminum in .120 but i know that's alittle thick. I asked for .100 and he priced me for the .120 because they didn't have .100 . I was looking for an answer on that as well because I don't want the floor to flex since im not putting the foam back in.[/quote]


I use .125 for all the weld in floors in the boats I build. It's plenty and won't deflect or deny. .100 would work just going to get busted up a little easier and quicker.

I wasn't worried about it being to weak i was thinking it might be alittle over kill lol

.125 floor works well and is not overkill. The difference in weight between a 4x8 sheet of .125 and .100 is very little.

Are you just wanting to pull the pods out completely and have a wide open floor in back? Or just the foam and leave the pods?

I just pulled the floor off a used boat I bought that has horiz stringers. You'd be amazed at all the "treasures" I found under there, not to mention all the crap. That was what I suspected as the floor didn't run all the way to the sides so there was a gap for crap to get underneath. I really didn't want to put a whole new floor in so I decided to fill the gaps between stringers with closed cell construction foam. It dampens the noise on the floor, prevents flexing between the stringers and prevents crap from getting underneath. Hope I don't regret it later. I didn't really think about doing a search regarding foam on here first. Why does everyone hate it so much? Seems like the closed-cell stuff shouldn't absorb water.

The floor is riveted in so it should just pull right up.