Shopping for marine flotation foam for your barge, boat, or dock? You may be overwhelmed by your options. If there’s one thing we’ve learned while developing our own flotation foam, it’s that there are tons of flotation foam on the market and not all flotation foam is created equal.
The range of marine flotation foam varies greatly depending on the foam’s chemical composition, and when you’re comparing one foam to another, it’s important to look at key factors like buoyancy, density, cost, and others. Below, we’ve put together a guide to the important factors to keep in mind as you’re researching your flotation foam options.
5 Things to Consider When Purchasing Marine Foam
1. Coast Guard Approved
An important step when purchasing any form of marine foam is to make sure that foam is first Coast Guard Approved. Coast Guard approved foams go through a variety of rigorous tests to guarantee foam stays buoyant in water.
Our flotation foam is not only Coast Guard Approved, but it far exceeds the expectations for water penetration! Whereas the Coast Guard tests foam to make sure it doesn’t absorb water after a certain period of time, our closed cell flotation foam is engineered to be submerged in water indefinitely without absorbing any water. That means when left underwater for a long period of time, our marine foam remains dry!
2. Flammability
Flammability is a factor on many customer’s minds and for good reason–when choosing a flotation foam, it pays to pick one that’s as safe as possible for your crew and your vessel. Our flotation foam is self-extinguishing, which means it will smoke and burn, but it will not catch on fire! Just watch our anti-fire video demo to see for yourself!
That means electrical welding would not ignite our flotation foam, making for safe construction and boat repairs.
3. Long-Lasting
Who wants to install flotation foam just to have to replace it years down the line? When you’re selecting a flotation foam to use for your vessel, it pays to choose one that’s long-lasting. Competitor foam may become waterlogged twenty years down the line, but not ours! Our foam is formulated to last indefinitely and not become waterlogged over time. That means you only have to install our flotation foam once and for all!
4. Density
Density is a key component to any type of foam. Density refers to the weight of the foam per cubic foot of material. High density foam means the foam has a higher compressive strength, which is better for structural rigidity and supporting heavy loads. In other words, the higher the density, the stronger your vessel will be. Our flotation foam has a 2.2lb density, making it a lightweight foam solution with excellent buoyancy and a very solid structure. If you have requirements for extreme structural strength, we can formulate our flotation foam to much higher densities.
5. Cost
Cost is no doubt on every business owner’s mind when shopping for marine foam. We take pride in the fact that our flotation foam is cost-effective. We price our flotation foam per cubic foot of your project. Get a quote today and see how it compares to our competitors–we believe you will be quite encouraged by the cost savings.
Not to mention the investment in installing flotation foam now, can reduce the overall cost of repairs down the line!
Select The Flotation Foam That’s Right For Your Project
Be sure to take these important factors into consideration when shopping for flotation foam for your project. It may seem like a lot of research and consideration at first but choosing the right flotation foam now can save you valuable time and money down the road.
Our Coast Guard Approved flotation foam is a cost-effective, fire-resistant closed cell 2.2pcf Bio-Renew floatation foam that can be used for any of a number of marine applications, including barges, docks, and boats.
Still not sure what flotation foam is right for you? Give us a call today or fill out a contact form to discuss your project with our flotation foam experts. We’ll answer your questions and provide a quote for foam, and installation if need be.