Van de Stadnt tasman 48 refit

[Nixx]

Hi Everyone

This is my first post, Im a 30 year old from Brisbane Australia. Recently instead of buying a house ive "invested" in my first yacht, a 48ft van de standt tasman professionally built out of aluminium in mooloolaba by Greg Brown in 1996-7.

Over the next year or 2 id like to refit the boat for serious blue water cruising, as it stands (or as my eye sees it ) i will need to complete the following jobs.

* pull mast and redo all rigging and running rigging ( will need to redo the rig for insurance purposes as age cant be verified )

* New mainsail - semi battend main from rolly tasker is on its way.

* Electrics and Nav instruments and auto pilot - decided on B&G throughout

* Electrical systems overhaul the wiring on the boat is sketchie at best, being an aluminium boat i dont want any issues with stray currents etc.

*Refresh the house battery bank with a lithium bank and add solar and wind generation systems. the boat currently has a Kohler 4.5 kva marine generator

* Stand alone Scuba systems, im sure people have people rigged scuba banks on yachts ? whats the best way to do so ?

* interior refit, i plan on doing this in stages, depending how the project evolves. As it stands i want to refit the 3 cabins, V berth and port and starboard aft cabins to the level of fitout i want the rest of the boat to be. Then depending on the cost to do it in Aus decide weather to sail to NZ or Indonesia, Thailand, or Myanmar/Burma Via the east coast of Aus possiby via New Cal some pacific islands and Raja umpat ( depending which way i go)

So im pulling out the existing aft cabins in the next few weeks, the boat has no insulation and the temperature an sound insulation properties of aluminium are far from ideal.

i want to insulate the boat ceiling and topsides with spray foam, as far as i can figure my best bet is "touch and seal' spray foam ( the foam is 2 part polyurethane closed cell, which is fire retardent water proof and diesel petrol and oil resistant)

if anyone has any experience with this product and how effective it is for this purpose let me know. my primary concern is the foam making a more suitable for environment for hidden corrosion and how "waterproof" the product actually is? How well suited is it for ceiling insulation ? im sure the foam would hide the source of leaks aswell.

included a littlepic of my girl below

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Q...R3dSA3jPqOw-pM

Thanks for your input and knowledge

[coopec43]

They look a nice looking yacht.

[LittleWing77]

Ann and Jim?

What about interior toxic off-gassing from insulation foam... I've never heard of using insulation foam on a boat. The moist environment generally would mean that it will eventually peel off, wouldn't it?

LittleWing77

[Matt Johnson]

I watched that boat's sale ad for awhile. Seemed like a great deal. Good choice!

Just like paint, the aluminum should be prepped for spraying the foam insulation. We primed the interior first, but you can just degrease, sand and then immediately spray in the foam. The foam spraying takes only a minute or two... that part is really fast.

We used a similar DIY spray in insulation to what you are suggesting in our boat. Works well. Buy a bunch of spare spray nozzles since you'll be stopping and starting spraying a lot.... they harden up seconds after you stop pulling the trigger and can't be reused.

Keep the hatches open when spraying, but there really wasn't a lot of fumes.

For the interior ceiling support (hull liner), we used furring strips ran vertically from the tops of the longitudinal t-frames, but your's may be different and require some work before spraying. If so, make sure you do that before you spray.

Good luck. It's a fun learning process.

Matt

[Rucksta]

Re SCUBA

I ran a bank of 3 x 20lt tanks rated for 5000psi cascading off a Bauer 4.5 cu ft compressor running from a power take off from the gearbox.

Compressor was housed in a separate machinery space behind the engine bay with a dedicated snorkel and dorade on the coach roof.

Ensure you have easy access to the compressor, filters and drains.
They are a high maintenance item even without an attached engine.

Battery charging, refrigeration and dive compressor combined placed a useful load on engine.

If you go the main engine driven route be aware dive compressors are rpm sensitive.

Mine would pump useful amounts of air @2250 rpm but topping off the high pressure needed 2800 rpm.
Make sure your pulley system can support the target rpm at an achievable engine speed.

Also note the power requirement may exceed what the available spare capacity for front of engine belt drives.

Once connected to a bank consider the compressor non portable.

Conventional wisdom is to arrange the bank vertically due to condensation and corrosion issues.
Mine were horizontal and the 20lt size made removal draining & inspection practical.

The cost of valves, gauges, bank tanks with associated plumbing equaled the cost of the compressor.

6-8 refills were practical without running the compressor.

Breath normally

[JPA Cate]

With aluminum construction (and expect to find "Brownyisms", he did some odd things on his boats), where you are most concerned about degradations are at the welds under water. So, once you get all that furniture out check everything under the cabin soles. Clean carefully. Remove all the dust. It is the dust and dirt that collect where you can't see it that traps salt air and holds the salt and moisture next to the hull. Be sure to retain access to that area, and open up and vacuum on a regular schedule.

Beyond that, me, I'd live with the metal noises of the alloy boat. You'll learn how fast she's going from the sound of the water passing alongside the hull--without access to viewing the knotmeter; you'll hear every drop of rain that falls on her; and every little slap of a wave. It's part of having a boat that is a little like a drum. I would consider putting the same kind of lead type sound deadening people use for engine boxes for the compressor, too, if it is a stand alone, and in its own compartment.

Ann

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Ann and Jim?

What about interior toxic off-gassing from insulation foam... I've never heard of using insulation foam on a boat. The moist environment generally would mean that it will eventually peel off, wouldn't it?

LittleWing77

Hi Maura (and OP),

While I believe that all metal hulled yachts need some form of insulation, I know bugger all about it's application. The spray-in type is often used, and I was present when a chap did a DIY job on his steel yacht. I was amazed at how difficult it was to get a uniform layer laid down, and how bloody messy the job was. Fast to blow in, kinda slow to trim and clean up. I don't know how it performed in practice, but it was a lot more work than the owner had imagined beforehand.

And when it is done, you loose all access to whatever is behind it, and I'd not like that myself. My inclination would be to use closed cell foam panels cut and fitted and held in place either mechanically or with spots of adhesive. This would allow access later on and would provide thermal barriers equally effective to the sprayed foam for given thicknesses (at least approximately, for there are lots of different R-values available).

As for outgassing, I believe that any product approved for home insulation would be ok on a boat... but again, I have no expertise here.

For the OP... I'm a big fan of the VdeS designs, although the layout of the Tasman seems a bit odd to me. We came near buying a Samoa before ending up with our Sayer design, but eventually decided it was a bit too much boat for us. They all seem to sail very well indeed, and are hell for stout. After your ambitious refit your Tasman will be a great home and sailing companion. Good luck with the project... we look forward to crossing wakes some day when we can go north once more.

Jim