hull insulation

[ebb]

Has anybody insulated their hull against cold, condensation, and heat?

Or do you know of a flexible product that looks good to you?

I've looked at various rubber foams - none I found seemed right. Local plastics supply has 1/2" thick candy colored floor exercise mats that are closed cell - but they don't know what the stuff is. There's is an inexpensive white polyethylene foam that is really firm so that things leaning against it won't permanently leave a scar - but there's no glue to stick it to the hull. There are some contact cements out there - but they are evil. (IMCO it is important that whatever material be stuck fast to the hull so watervapor will not form there)

Came across a multilayer, reflective aluminum foil-skinned poly bubble insulation in a gardening catalog. 5/16". Sent for a piece. Got on their site and discovered it can be gotten at the local hardware. It also is inexpensive, relatively. Stuff knocking against it could cut it up. But it doesn't smell or have other bad characteristics I can see. It's a nice tidy, pretty tough product. A traditional liner over it would be necessay where it was exposed to view. Maybe some headliner material could be glued to it to hide the aluminium. Or sunbrella in a locker.

So you see you can get far afield on this, that's why I thought I'ld ask!

Anyway, have you come up with something choice?:cool:

[Bill]

Maybe you're thinking too hight tech. :) Our 30 footer had a 1/4" thick wooden lapstrake interior finish that seemed to do well as an insulator.

[Tony G]

Ebb
Sail only in warm climates and keep all of the hatches open for ventilation. Condensation should be minimal!! Being a member of the hoards that elect to continue living in the frozen food section of our country, I too will be insulating the hull. Not being so adventurous, I'm going to simply apply a 1/4"foil backed poly and cover it with standard issue 2" strips of some choice wood. You do bring up a good point about having a good continuous seal between the hull and insulation to prevent vapors from condensing. Everything I've read so far(if memory serves me correctly) just asks for a tight friction fit between two points. That would leave a gap for mold and mildew.
Is your distaste for contact cement a point in general or is there something specific that should keep us from using it? When will we get more pictures? Some of us must live vicariously through others.:D

[Mike Goodwin]

E-mail my buddy , Gary Kissal, at ;

gkissal@soundown.com

That is the business he is with .They are in Marblehead , Mass.

[ebb]

Spiling in lapstrakes would be hitech for me. There'ld be these long triangular spaces behind the wood that could collect moisture, I would think, unless they were filled with something.

You're saying, then, that the 1/4" wood was glued right to the hull?
And it might have been cedar or fir or mahogany?

What is more usual is that you glue in vertucal ribs of, say, oak - 1/2 by 3/4 would be the tightest dimension I can imagine. Then you fill the between spaces with insulation. Then you carvel in the liner using screws and donut washers. Hi-tone And Hi-tech!

What is this boat here, a grand piano???

Was thinking more like: Cut, Paste, and Run. ...............or sail:eek:

[ebb]

Will do that.........Thanks Mike!

[ebb]

G'morning Tony,
Check out that foil/poly stuff I mentioned: Reflectix. In 5/16" it's seven layers with foil on the outsides. Seven layers makes this stuff quite firm, even if it has bubble material inside. Firm and flexible In an email exchange, they suggested using a variant that has white poly on one side - that side would be glued to the hull.

There is a spray adhesive advertised in the gardening catalog called
Camie 363. It's a type of contact cement, I guess. It is meant to be sprayed on in spots (on the glass & frame of yer greenhouse.) The bubble/foil is pressed on after it sets. With a magnifying glass you can see on the can in the picture that it's 'highly flamable'

These cements are very toxic, so I just try to avoid them, especially in closed spaces. I tried to garner info on what Reflectix would recommend but they wouldn't commit. I'll ask again, You don't want this stuff to let go from the hull in heat or cold.

But I would argue that you have to make sure whatever insulation you use, especially if you cover it, that it is totally glued to the hull. No spaces. And if I end up doing it with the ribs, I will make sure that there are no spaces behind the liner. Which means that the ribs and the insulation have to be the same thickness.

(I was going to add: It's not only condensation and mold in those spaces you worry about. It would make a great hotel for bugs like cockroaches.)

[ebb]

Just bopped into the soundown wedsite.
They have a nonperforated hull liner in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 inch thickness. Looks promising............