This input from Elijah via email Hey man, like the website. I am a long time foam boater conisour. I had my first exposure to foamies back in the summer of 1997. I was in a kayaking camp through the local Parks and Rec. department, and one of the guys had a foam boater. I found some foam and made my own the next day while we were sitting around the camp fire. Since that time I don't think I have gone more than a week without having at least one foam boater on hand at all times. I used to make them completely out of foam, carving the boater out of the same material as the boat, and weighting them with short metal screws screwed into the bottom, washers bolted into the bottom-center of the boat, gravel placed in a channel along the bottom and secured inside with ducktape (which also makes for a good fast planing surface), or finish nails glued into a channel along the bottom of the boat. At one point I fastened a small loop in the bow so I could connect my boat to a fishing line (fishing pole) and cast it into the creek or river when the water was too cold to actually go boating or I did not feel like getting wet. I got so bad that I used to know every good foam boating playspot in the entire creek near my house and at what aproximate flows the holes, waves, and waterfalls were at their prime. At one point I think I had more than 5 foam boaters made at once. Foam boaters have a tendancy to get stuck under undercut rocks, in strainers, in sieves, in underwater caves, and to wash down stream before you can get them. While a foam boater is not going to die from lack of oxygen, they do have a tendancy to just get lost. I don't even know how many foam boaters I have gone through in the time I have been kayaking.
With all the foamies I have made, I have found that certain techniques work better than others. Playing with manny different combinations, I have found that a boater with a channel of weight down the middle (bottom) of the hull rolls the best, surfs the best, and does the best tricks. The channel should be no more than half the length of the boat and no more than half the depth of the boat. I have found that finish nails work as the best weights because they are dense and thin, making it easy to get the perfect weight in the bottom. I like to add weight untill the paddler consistantly rolls up when you flip him/her over... then add one more nail for good measure. As far as the hull goes, the slicker the better. I have found that using either paint (acrylic or latex) or varnish works the best. The smoother the hull of the boat, the better it is going to surf and run rappids. Duck tape can also be used if you need something immediately, but you need to take care not to leave any wrinkles or excess tape. Unless you absolutly need the foam boater now, I would wait until you can paint it with something to make it smooth. If you design a good boater with a planning hull, you should be able surf the boat on a glassy wave. Remember one of canoe/kayak design basics: the more rocker it has, the more it will bounce (I have seen a foamie air blunt), but the slower it will be. Also, the longer it is, the faster it will be, but the less it will do moves like loops and cartwheels. If you want to go for the classic foamie, you can always make a long, skinny, round boat too. If you realy want to get into making foamies, I would plan on making several that are very different designs for different conditions. Ultimately you will end up favoring one over the others, but they are all fun. Regardless of what kind of foamie you make, just know that you will make more... it is adictive.
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