storage compartments guestion

[dedawg1149]

on my 93 tracker pro 17 foot the back casting deck is aluminum but it has no storage compartments i am wanting to cut out two compartments. on on each side and build compartments and lids. my guestion is the deck is all foam.the compartments will be 13x30x12 do you think i will need to add foam somewhere else or do you think it would be allright

 

[Popeye]

Not only does the boat have to have enough foam, it has to be distributed correctly. If you removed foam from back and put some in the front you could end up having you boat floating vertically if for some reason it filled with water. The size of the compartments you are talking about will remove nearly 5.5 cubic feet of foam (providing the entire are is foam filled). I had a link to how much foam was required to maintain floatation. I'll see if I can find it. Personally I wouldn't recommend removing that much foam unless htere is a way to replace that much foam near the back of the boat.

 

[Popeye]

Found it! 1 cubic foot of foam will float 60 pounds of dead weight so 5.5 cubic feet of foam removed equated to 330 lbs of flotation lost. That's the weight of a pretty good sized motor.

https://www.jgreer.com/Foam%20Page.htm

And their FAQ section:

https://www.jgreer.com/pour_foam_faq.htm

 

[dedawg1149]

thks i guess i will have to take a chance ihave no storage area and there is not anywhere in the back to add any. the rest of the back is fuel tank ,batteries.i guess when i cut it open i will find out if it is solid foam. iknow that the front only has foam on both sides the middle is open