Does the foam really make the boat more quiet?

I know that people put foam underneath their false floors for sound deadening, if you had the false floor without the foam would their be a significant difference?

A lot of folks put foam under false floors for flotation in the event they swamp; and any sound deadening is a nice bonus.

quieter for the fish.....

shawnfish said:

quieter for the fish.....

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Just askin, if I walk on a false floor with an air gap between the false floor and the hull, or walk on a false floor with foam between the false floor and the hull, the one with the air gap will transmit more noise to the water? In both cases the false floor is resting directly on the ribs, so there is a hard connection between the two.

Sound waves will travel through the air much better than through the foam. If you have the cavity completely filled with foam, the foam will be supporting the floor as well so the floor won't flex as much. Less flex = less popping/creaking. Plus, when you drop something the foam will help prevent the sound of it hitting the floor from transmitting through to the bottom of the boat.

Dead air space is a good temp insulator not a sound insulator. Look at a drum with it's dead air space.

Is not a room with insulated walls more quite than a room without insulated walls...? That should give you your answer.

Yes it will Deaden sound and add flotation,,BUT remember you gota allow for drainage from front to rear..in the bottem..cva34

The foam is more there for flotation than sound deadening.

What the actual deck is made of and covered with is what really effects sound. A plywood floor with carpet on it will be super quiet, regardless of if there is foam under it. A bare aluminum floor will always be loud.

Don't get me wrong, putting foam under the floor will help with sound .... but only a little. If you really want to deaden sound, put down carpet or some type of mat.

JMichael said:

Sound waves will travel through the air much better than through the foam. If you have the cavity completely filled with foam, the foam will be supporting the floor as well so the floor won't flex as much. Less flex = less popping/creaking. Plus, when you drop something the foam will help prevent the sound of it hitting the floor from transmitting through to the bottom of the boat.

Dead air space is a good temp insulator not a sound insulator. Look at a drum with it's dead air space.

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Those are good points.

MrSimon said:

The foam is more there for flotation than sound deadening.

What the actual deck is made of and covered with is what really effects sound. A plywood floor with carpet on it will be super quiet, regardless of if there is foam under it. A bare aluminum floor will always be loud.

Don't get me wrong, putting foam under the floor will help with sound .... but only a little. If you really want to deaden sound, put down carpet or some type of mat.

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So would a 3/8" wood deck with rhino liner be more quiet than a sheet metal floor with rhino liner?

Jeffrey said:

MrSimon said:

The foam is more there for flotation than sound deadening.

What the actual deck is made of and covered with is what really effects sound. A plywood floor with carpet on it will be super quiet, regardless of if there is foam under it. A bare aluminum floor will always be loud.

Don't get me wrong, putting foam under the floor will help with sound .... but only a little. If you really want to deaden sound, put down carpet or some type of mat.

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So would a 3/8" wood deck with rhino liner be more quiet than a sheet metal floor with rhino liner?

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Yeah, probably .... but not by a huge margin. Like mentioned above, the key is to properly secure either type of floor so there is no bending or bouncing.

Personally, I'd go for a good solid aluminum floor properly secured and braced ..... then carefully cut some pieces of rubber backed marine carpet (pretty cheap at Lowes and HD) to lay on the floor and decks. No need to glue it in if its cut to fit well. You can pull the carpet out anytime to clean it. To me, this gives the best of both worlds.