Insulating the deckhead to reduce condensation

Kelpie

Kelpie

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In preparation for spending some nights aboard the boat this winter, I think I'll need to do some insulating.
I've read somewhere about using relatively thin (<10mm) foam of the type used for camping mats, glued onto the deckhead. Sounds easy and cheap, but does it work? Are some types of foam better than others?
The best deal on camping mats I've found was for silver foil backed ones- don't know if this is a good or a bad thing.
 
I have used 4" celotex in ceiling voids and under floor to great effect ,also camping mat foam in lockers etc ,the other benefit is in noise reduction. I would also reccomend a dry mat under mattress, but dont forget about ventillation
 
We have a steel boat. When when we built it, we had it professionally insulated by spraying the whole of the inside of hull, down to the cabin sole, with polyurethane foam before we built in the cabin furniture.

She's 28 years old now, and the steel's as good as new. (Except on the outside of course.)

It might be an option to consider.
 
If yours is a fibreglass boat, then the deck may well be double skinned. Mine is, and last winter Herr Gregor at Neuhof drilled several holes and injected expanding foam in. It has transformed the cabin.
 
self adhesive cork tiles, just ensure the area is clean and dry first, done 10 years ago and as good as new.

Good luck and fair winds.

PS stick felt tiles work too.

Good luck and fair winds. :)
 
camping mats are made of the right stuff but if you are doing a reasonable area you can buy the same stuff in a larger sheets and cheaper. We insulated my last boat with this closed cell foam. Two laters of 6mm glued on with High Temperature Evostick works very well. if you dont use HT glue it may fall off on a hot summers day! You need to fit it behind removable ply panels or glue foam backed vinyl over the top of it
 
We relined our GRP cabin with Barley Velour liner from Toomer & Hayter (http://www.toomerandhayter.co.uk/products/detail/?id=63) which worked a treat. No visible condensation at all, despite two people sleeping in a confined space. It seems to keep the temperature above dewpoint throughout the night. I don't think that any will form on the GRP itself even though it will be cooler, as the liner is glued directly onto it so there is not much space for condensation to form.

Rob.
 
tjanna said:
Closed cell foam, self adhesive can be purchased from www.hawkehouse.co.uk (no connection)
Click to expand...

+1

It's easy to cut, sticky as blazes, and reduces light transmission as well. Done the saloon, forepeak & Port aft cabin. All much improved. Closed cell foam can't hold water like the old fashioned standard "under-vinyl" foam. I covered the closed cell foam with van- lining material - "Veltrim", creating a quiet & cosy environment.
 
BlueChip said:
Something like this might do - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/high-dens...708?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ac9c8858c
Lots of suppliers and pretty reasonably priced. I'd be happier if I knew it was fireproof
Click to expand...

I asked the question on eBay and got the following response:

"the foam is f/r auto it would burn if flame held against it and does give of some gases when burned thanks"

I assume f/r means fire retardant.

I'm not sure I'd want to use it as insulation on board, but maybe I'm being over cautious.
 
Following an article in PBO re insulating the coach roof and cabins of a yacht for an over-wintering liveaboard couple I have a couple of questions/observations. The article talked about the Grp having 3mm marine ply strips stuck to it with sikaflex to enable foam backed vinyl panels to be attached. The insulation used was celotex and bubble wrap and a vapour proof membrane was attached over the insulation, beneath the ply panels.
In a house, any break in the insulation becomes a 'cold-bridge'. So, what are peoples' experience? If you stick the various insulation materials directly to the coachroof and stick foambacked vinyl to it, does the lack of a vapour proof membrane cause condensation problems? If firring strips are used to enable the ply headlining panels to be screwed to them, the area of the firring strip will not have insulation between it and the ply panel. Does this act as a cold bridge? Thanks for any info 'peeps' .
 
Update...
as a temporary solution, I attached a couple of layers of bubblewrap over the window and along the underside of the deck. WOrks well, no more condensation dripping on my face! Now it's all on SWMBO's side :)

It seems very hard to get anything to stick to the grp though. Even after a good clean, any sort of tape is off again after a day or two. I remember in the past I tried attaching velcro tabs for the curtains- keying with 80grit, wiping with acetone, and sticking on with araldite was the only way to go and even that failed after a few weeks.

I'd like to eventually upgrade form bubblewrap to camping mats, although I'm wondering about how to stick it one. CT1? Hot glue gun?
 
Insulating the deck head is great but I find that the windows and frames drip away merrily and of course they are directly above my head in the forecabin:-(
 
Pagoda,
Hawke House sell closed cell foam with adhesive on one side only or precut sheets with adhesive on both sides. Did you by any chance use the foam with adhesive on both sides? I'm thinking of using this with the "Veltrim" for our bow cabin and would appreciate any feedback from someone who has done it this way.
 
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