Will Insulating the Cabin Roof Help Keep Me Cool ?

[Tropic Cat]

We've been real happy with our Shade Tree Awning the last 5 years. A little pricey but it wears very well. It keeps the boat relatively cool despite the chuck wagon look of it. Erects with three fiberglass tent style poles and secures to lifelines or cockpit.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

Put in some Reflectix. It's aluminized mylar bubble stuff.
You can probably put it in using spray adhesive.

Reflectix Inc. | Products

I second this. Just get some and throw it up there for a day or two...you be the judge. Even somebody with 1/2" should know this...

[ViribusUnitis]

I thought the winters in "old Jersy" were cold.

I think more more intersted in how such insulation would keep heat IN the boat, instead of out...

Same idea, but slightly diffrent methoid, no?

I know they do insulation in houses up north WAY diffrent than houses down south.

[Skipper Dan]

Originally Posted by ViribusUnitis

Same idea, but slightly diffrent methoid, no?

I know they do insulation in houses up north WAY diffrent than houses down south.

Not much, You have radiant heat loss and Thermal I think it is (Air flow). with air flow fiberglass slows down the infiltration. (It does this from the air that is trapped in the insulation.) Radiant is a different problem aluminum is what stops this it reflects it back to where it came. Keep in mind that cold air does not move it is warm air that moves. So cold air does not go into the house it is warm air that exits. Same with a cold house, as the air warms up outside, the warm air moves to the cold air. Sun beating on house reflect it away. Hot sticky air outside, use fiberglass to slow down the heat from entering. By the way that is why the canopies work, they are limiting the radiant heat from getting in.

Dan

[David_Old_Jersey]

Just a quick update on my keeping cool efforts..........

Went to France a couple of weekends back and visited a Hypermarket (for us Islanders something like Walmart counts as exciting ) and saw some large Car Windscreen sun shades (with silvery stuff on one side) on special offer Plus they were concertina foldable.



So I picked up 4

Only tried them out on the cabin roof once so far (and not with any finnesse) - but very noticable both on deck (cool to the touch within an hour) and underneath (headlinings still down) the deck was the same, whereas an hour before whilst not hot was still noticeably warm - and I guess kinda acting like a radiator into the Cabin

FWIW when I had a kip for a couple of hours (progress on the refurb remains steady ) I did wake up a bit chilly - whilst not of course scientific gives me encouragement to progress with the idea further.


Of course here is not the Carribbean - but we have our moments - and where my boat is presently moored can be something of a suntrap / oven!

I forgot to take some photos

[HDC]

The most effective insulation for a 1/2" space is multi-layer, aluminized mylar. It can be bought in 100-layer (about 1/2") rolls. It was a few years ago; so, I don't recall where I bought it or what it cost. It's high tech stuff developed for the space program.

[Pete7]

David, you bought 4

Should have bought 4 hundred, put a new sticky label on the rapping and sold them on at double the price to yachties in St Helier, would have made a killing

Pete

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Pete7

David, you bought 4

Should have bought 4 hundred, put a new sticky label on the rapping and sold them on at double the price to yachties in St Helier, would have made a killing

Pete

To be honest, I am already thinking down that road Obviously a product more aimed at the Marina Bound and Weekend sailor - but no bad thing as they tend to be the more solvent!

But we'll see how it goes with more rigourous testing (is having a kip onboard in the afternoon on a sunny day called rigourous testing? )

[Pete7]

We will be in Guernsey in a fortnight, please have you area sales rep call on us, we will want something cool if this heat continues

Pete

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by HDC

The most effective insulation for a 1/2" space is multi-layer, aluminized mylar...
... It's high tech stuff developed for the space program.

Primarily effective against radiated heat energy (not for conduction &/or convection), for use in the vacuum of space.
Much less effective on earth.

[osirissail]

"Went to France a couple of weekends back and visited a Hypermarket (for us Islanders something like Walmart counts as exciting ) and saw some large Car Windscreen sun shades (with silvery stuff on one side) on special offer Plus they were concertina foldable."

Those auto sunshades are available all over the USA and also in Puerto Rico and USVI. The best application for them is to cut and sew them up as covers for your diesel and dinghy gas storage cans. They keep the heat off the containers and extend the life of the fuels by keeping them cool.
- - I suppose you could sew them together to make an awning but that would be rather unwieldy and they are not structural so would probably come apart in the first rain or blow.

[barnakiel]

Discounted karimat (trekking sleeping mat) stuff at local supermarket is 5 USD per 25 ft sq. Makes excellent insulation. Half an inch thickness only but can be stacked up.

barnie