starcrafttom":2m7nh5uk said:
We removed the foam of our 22. It did not add to the noise at all. complete none issue.
c-nile. about space again. You have to understand that the older 22 have a lot more storage then the new ones and alot more I think then your Marinaut. The amount of space that we gained by removing the foam allowed us to not only carry more stuff, but allowed us to carry what we had in a better fashion. To the point, everything that was On the berth got moved to Under the berth. This allowed us to keep the gear off the dinette at night and off the berth in the day. That left these areas more open to use all the time. So maybe its not about how much you can carry as it is how you carry it. For me and susan removing the foam was the second most useful thing we did to the boat.
Actually, when I was comparing a Marinaut to a CD 22, I was taking into account the entire boat. I realize that the cabins are very similar. What makes a huge difference on the Marinaut is storage under the splashwell as a consequence of Dave Thompson's idea to utilize saddle tanks. Instead of having to store a small portable toilet under the berth, we freed up that entire space for storage by utilizing an even larger portable toilet (Thetford Curve) and storing it under the splashwell. Our cooler fits on the other side, and we still have space left such that the cockpit remains uncluttered. We could go further on our Marinaut by cutting into the flotation chambers under the berth so long as robust, watertight doors are installed, but for our simple needs, we have adequate space.
In our CD 16 cruiser, we used the space under the berth for storage, too. It was quite practical and I imagine that on the CD 22 as well, shifting weight forward aids in better trimming the boat making both boats easier to go onto plane. On the CD 16 Cruiser, it was almost a necessity to shift the weight away from the stern, because she was so stern heavy.
Was the CD 22 Cruiser designed to float if swamped? Does it need flotation? While I don't know the answer to that, if you look about the way the CD 16 was designed, it had a sealed air flotation chamber in the bow, flotation in the gunnels, and end core balsa in the hull. With a combination of all three things, she was designed to float upright and level.
In Connecticut, our waters are warm during most of the boating season. In the PNW your waters are always cold. It can be downright lethal. So speaking in general, I would not remove any USGA approved flotation on any boat put in place by a manufacturer, or cut into any sealed air flotation chamber without taking the necessary precautions. Removing sound deadening foam or insulation is a whole different story (as you stated for the CD 22) so I do understand, and would probably do the same as you to increase storage space so long as I stayed within the weight limits on the capacity plate.
Rich
