Whether we’re talking cruise ships, sailing boats, yachts, long boats or motor cruisers, closed cell marine foam (also called ‘floatation foam’), such as Plastazote or Evazote, is used in the manufacture of various parts of these vessels, including seating and beds, insulation and buoyancy.
Seating and Beds
Keeping passengers onboard a marine vessel comfortable, including the crew, company staff, or paying passengers, is essential for a variety of reasons, including safety, and an improved overall travelling experience. To ensure a high level of comfort, Marine Foam, including Plastazote and Evazote, are routinely used in boat seating, boat beds and mattresses, due to various attributes, including:
- They’re Lightweight – Keeping the weight onboard a boat to a minimum, is a vital consideration, and one of the main reasons boat builders use ultra-lightweight marine foams for boat seating and boat bedding etc.
- They provide exceptional cushioning – Marine foam, such as Plastazote offers exceptional cushioning properties, whilst also having the ability to return to and retain its shape and stability, even after prolonged and regular use on seats and beds.
- They’re water resistant – A key property to most items, including seats and beds used on marine vessels, is water resistance, a property the marine foams such as Evazote or Plastazote are well known to provide, even in extreme conditions.
Insulation
Although some boat builders use a form of spray foam for insulation, closed cell, polyethylene foam sheets made from foams including Plastazote or Evazote, provide far more benefits as an insulation material, including:
- Heat insulation – A necessity especially around engine compartments.
- Sound insulation – Key to shielding passengers and crew from engine noises.
- Buoyancy – When used as insulation within the boat's shell or hull, it offers excellent buoyancy throughout.
- Mildew and bacteria resistance – This property ensures the insulation lasts for years before any noticeable deterioration.
Buoyancy Aids
Buoyancy aids including life-saving devices and stringers etc., manufactured from high-quality marine foam, such as Plastazote or Evazote, are used throughout the marine and floatation industry, due to the material's outstanding properties, including
- Durability: Marine foam such as Plastazote is known for its hardwearing properties, including impressive impact resistance, a property vital for various buoyancy aids.
- Water resistance: The water resistance of marine foam buoyancy aids is key, and under the umbrella of water resistance is mould and mildew resistance, especially when the marine foam is used in foam stringers for boats.
- Puncture resistance: Unlike inflatable plastic buoyancy aids, a buoyancy aid such as a life-saving device made from marine foam is entirely puncture resistant, even if it were to come under extreme pressure.
All of the above properties, added to the ability of marine foam, aka ‘buoyancy foam’ to be formed using techniques, including CNC routing, moulding, waterjet cutting and die cutting, make it one of the most used buoyancy aid materials in the marine and floatation industry.
