Don't see why not.  sounds like a good idea to me.

The point of having the foam flotation is to know with certainty that it will be there if you really need it. I can imagine capsizing in very rough conditions. (In fact those are the only conditions when I can imagine capsizing.)  With the possibility of whitecaps washing into and over the hull, I don't think I'd trust velcro to hold the foam in place. And why would you ever wish to remove the foam anyway? The removable thwart is a great feature for those of us who are tall, but I always like that thwart and that foam firmly in place when I sail.

 . . . . Your boat is looking lovely. Have you gone for a row or sail yet, or are you waiting until you get to Michigan?

I think I will give it a try. If it's not secure enough then I can always go back to epoxy. I would also velcro the foam to the bulkhead as well as the thwart. My concern would be the adhesive attaching the velcro strips to the wood -- not the hook and loop attachment.    

The dory hasn't been in the water yet -- although when it was sitting in the driveway we had a nice rainstorm so I know it holds water -- I take that as a sign that it won't leak!

Dave M.

The seat in my WD12 is held in place by velcro on the bottom, the kind with the peel-off backing. If any water gets in the boat it collects right where the velco is. Still using the original velcro after 8 years, so I don't think you'll have to worry.

Laszlo

I am with Birch on ths one.  I also use velcro to mount my kayak seats and agree that it holds pretty well.  That being said, the seat is removable with one good pull.  If you mount floatation with velcro, I could easily see it getting knocked loose in the conflaguration of an uncontrolled capsize.  If it were me, I would go with a more "murphy proof" mounting.     

Dave,  Your Dory looks great!  Nice to see another sloop rig.  I also have the sloop rig and enjoy the sailing experience and performance. I hope you do as well.

Some floatation lessons I have learned along the way:

1) Fill the space under the rear seat with floatation.  This helps with stern floatation in case you capsize.

2) I added carbon eyes to the inside chine line and use these to velcro additional floatation or gear bags.  The pics below show two bumpers that I use at the dock as needed, but they also provide more floatation to the stern.  If you happen to capsize, climbing over the stern is the best entry point.

3) I added a layer of closed cell foam to the faces of the epoxy coated foam blocks attached to the seats.  The foam adds a bit more floatation and is more resistant to bumps and kicks.

Look forward to hearing more about your first launch!

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hopefully a better attempt at posting pictures...