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13-11-2016, 08:29
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Leavenworth, KS
Boat: 2011 Lagoon 450F
Posts: 1,147
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Insulating
2 quick questions about insulating a boat.
1. Will insulating help it keep cooler in the warm climates.
2. if you use blow in insulation... how to you insure you will have decent access to your wires, plumbing, etc?
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13-11-2016, 08:43
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#2
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Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Winnipeg
Boat: None at this time
Posts: 8,462
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Re: Insulating
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13-11-2016, 08:58
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 797
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Re: Insulating
Blown in insulation is generally cellulose and has no business inside a boat.
It absorbs moisture, releases moisture, makes a mess and you'll never be able to get access. IOW, don't use it. The chemicals needed to make it stick, resist mold also means lousy air quality inside a boat.
If you're worried about heat in a warm climate, you don't want to insulate the hull. Ventilate well, avoid turning the cabin into a greenhouse by reducing solar gain.
__________________
We are sailors, constantly moving forward while looking back. We travel alone, together and as one - to satisfy our curiosity, and ward off our fear of what should happen if we don't.
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13-11-2016, 09:14
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Boat: Teak Yawl, 37'
Posts: 3,016
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Re: Insulating
Insulation of the hull has benefits in both warm and chilly climes. If the hull is a composite sandwich then additional insulation will have minimal benefit as it is already insulated. A wood planked boat is sufficiently insulated by the reduced heat transfer of the wood.
Non-composite fiberglass hulls have a low R value and therefor transfer heat efficiently making the interior too hot or cool and damp depending on climate.
If you are running AC in tropical climates insulation will help to maintain a cooler interior and require less energy to keep it cool.
In cold water, insulation will significantly reduce the amount of condensation on the interior hull surfaces.
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13-11-2016, 10:02
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington State
Boat: Colvin, Saugeen Witch (Aluminum), 34'
Posts: 2,305
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Re: Insulating
Quote:
Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen
Blown in insulation is generally cellulose and has no business inside a boat.
It absorbs moisture, releases moisture, makes a mess and you'll never be able to get access. IOW, don't use it. The chemicals needed to make it stick, resist mold also means lousy air quality inside a boat.
If you're worried about heat in a warm climate, you don't want to insulate the hull. Ventilate well, avoid turning the cabin into a greenhouse by reducing solar gain.
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Destiny, I agree that "cellulose" insulation has no place on a boat. However, in the marine world, people often refer to foam insulation that is shot from a gun as "blown in insulation".
Blown in FOAM insulation is fantastic except for one little problem - fire.
Steve
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13-11-2016, 10:22
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 797
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Re: Insulating
Interesting - ive only heard of foam as sprayed on and not blown in...
Agree that closed cell foam is good stuff - but I'll opt for panel cut to shape over sprayed on. Gassed material flames more readily, creates a permanent vapor barrier between hull and air (not good inside imo) and gets in the way of conduits andinspection .
__________________
We are sailors, constantly moving forward while looking back. We travel alone, together and as one - to satisfy our curiosity, and ward off our fear of what should happen if we don't.
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13-11-2016, 11:30
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Bumping around the Caribbean
Boat: Valiant 40
Posts: 4,625
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Re: Insulating
My boat, which spend much of it's life in Nova Scotia, has what appears to be ensolite foam sheets glued to the interior hull from the cabin sole up to the gunwale. It appears to have been installed at the factory.
Evans boat which I was on a couple of years ago when it was for sale at the boat show, was foamed, even the underside of the deck. I would bet he researched the hell out of it before choosing a method.
And yes, insulation will keep a boat cooler when it's hot outside. It slows thermal transfer both ways.
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13-11-2016, 11:50
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Washington State
Boat: Colvin, Saugeen Witch (Aluminum), 34'
Posts: 2,305
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Re: Insulating
Quote:
Originally Posted by SV DestinyAscen
Interesting - ive only heard of foam as sprayed on and not blown in...
Agree that closed cell foam is good stuff - but I'll opt for panel cut to shape over sprayed on. Gassed material flames more readily, creates a permanent vapor barrier between hull and air (not good inside imo) and gets in the way of conduits andinspection .
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I'm as guilty as anyone for saying "blown" instead of "sprayed". I'll try and change my ways........
Steve
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13-11-2016, 12:17
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Boat: 1976 Sabre 28-2
Posts: 7,505
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Re: Insulating
Unless you are going to run air conditioning 24/7, insulation is really not necessary IF you keep the sun off the boat combined with good ventilation to get the air moving below. Also staying out of marinas where you get no airflow is a must. In the tropics you'll typically have a breeze that makes life bearable out of the sun. Even though it's warm and humid, conditions are a lot more livable than a summer in the midwest or south.
__________________
Peter O.
'Ae'a, Pearson 35
'Ms American Pie', Sabre 28 Mark II
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13-11-2016, 12:20
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Boat: Teak Yawl, 37'
Posts: 3,016
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Re: Insulating
Quote:
Originally Posted by roverhi
Unless you are going to run air conditioning 24/7, insulation is really not necessary IF you keep the sun off the boat combined with good ventilation to get the air moving below. Also staying out of marinas where you get no airflow is a must. In the tropics you'll typically have a breeze that makes life bearable out of the sun. Even though it's warm and humid, conditions are a lot more livable than a summer in the midwest or south.
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Have you been below deck in the tropics? I'll take the Midwest any day.
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13-11-2016, 13:33
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Carlsbad, CA
Boat: 1976 Sabre 28-2
Posts: 7,505
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Re: Insulating
Quote:
Originally Posted by LakeSuperior
Have you been below deck in the tropics? I'll take the Midwest any day.
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Yes, a year in FP and 40 years in Hawaii. Grew up in Michigan and nothing is as miserable as 85+ temps and humidity to match and no breeze in the midwest. It's practically 85 degrees here everyday and it's livable in the shade. Put up an awning even in the marina and it's comfortable.
__________________
Peter O.
'Ae'a, Pearson 35
'Ms American Pie', Sabre 28 Mark II
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13-11-2016, 15:01
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: aboard, in Tasmania, Australia
Boat: Sayer 46' Solent rig sloop
Posts: 29,959
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Re: Insulating
Hi, scarlet,
You've got a 22 ft. daysailer. OK. Go the awning route, I think it will make it cool enough for you, the shade is a wonderful thing. There's almost always some breeze on the water.
If you overnight on the boat, you might want to have a battery powered fan to blow air over you while you sleep.
I do not think you would really benefit from insulating the boat. It would slow down the heat or cold transfer, but it doesn't stop it. I don't think it will eliiminate condensation in winter, either. Cut down on it, yes, but it's a lot of closed cell foam, and it really has to be kept under control when it's in the expanding part of its cycle, can make a fearsome mess.
Ann
__________________
Who scorns the calm has forgotten the storm.
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14-11-2016, 06:11
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Boat: Teak Yawl, 37'
Posts: 3,016
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Re: Insulating
Quote:
Originally Posted by roverhi
It's practically 85 degrees here everyday and it's livable in the shade. Put up an awning even in the marina and it's comfortable.
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Agree totally. My point is that below deck in the tropics is miserable.
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