Foamy Problems

[DuckDuckGreyDuck]

Good evening Oppo,

I'm working on cleaning up a canoe I got for free from my grandparents and at each end of it has these two foam halves. Mice decided these places would make nice homes and have burrowed into the foam over the years. I would like to try and save these if I can. I think it's polystyrene and looking for ideas. I initially thought to go get some water proof spray foam and put a bunch of it on and then cut to the profile of the foam. I'm open to other ideas as well.

[GrymNick]

Honestly probably not worth it. If you leave them out it won't impact performance. If your worried about buoyancy you can get airbag's for the front and back but might be cost prohibitive.

[Exage03040]

@DuckDuckGreyDuck

I think you could just by a few Styrofoam Blocks for a few bucks, take some measurements of the old ones and have at them with an exacto knife.

You probably could get away with building up with crack foam sealer for the old ones and cut as well, just most of the sealers are a beige colour from what I've used.

[Old Busted Hotness]

Check the insulation aisle at Lowe's or Home Depot. You can get a sheet of closed-cell foam pretty cheap (last time I checked, may not be true now). Cut out squares, glue them into blocks, carve to fit.

[Roadkilled]

@DuckDuckGreyDuck

You want something in there. The foam is in there to keep the boat afloat if you capsize and it fills with water. The foam holds enough air to provide buoyancy even if the boat is completely filled with water.

Styrofoam is commonly used because it is watertight. It can be submerged for long periods without water penetrating it and displacing the air. I would go with @Exage03040's first suggestion to get foam blocks and to cut them to shape.

@Old-Busted-Hotness also has an important note that it needs to be closed-cell foam.