Insulation in a wooden Boat

[BlueLancer]

What would be recommended to insulate the inside of a wooden boat. It would need to be easily removed to allow inspection of the hull. ICI used to do an insulation board, plywood with a foam core, carn't remember what its called or if it was water proof. Canal boats have some foam sprayed on but that would not do, I assume plastic bathtubs have the same, /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif oops I mean grp boats.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Thin wooden battens screwed to ribs, space behind filled with loft insulation?

 

[MapisM]

Nothing, of course!

I have nothing but paint inside the planks and frames of my wooden boat, and in spite of that its insulation is way better than any GRP boat I've owned and seen so far.
In fact, "better insulation" would probably be the first in my personal ranking list of wooden boats advantages - and over any other material, not just GRP, btw.

 

[chart5011]

I would hesitate to put any insulation in a wooden hull. Allowing air to circulate will help keep the rot at bay. Battens screwed to ribs works well as it will keep bedding etc away from any drips but still allow air circulation.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Steve,

Placing anything between the hull timber and and some sort of covering could be a great form of insulation, but would not do much at all for ventilation of the hull timber.

I have (some years ago now) screwed treated sheets of thin ply, leaving a space for air to circulate behind it.

The ply was then covered with cork floor tiles, these were later sealed. as cork will not sweat and has a warm look and feel it worked well.

She was last seen heading north to Indonesia for a spell.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[Gordonmc]

I am watching this thread with interest.
Although I don't want to insulate the hull I am keen to explore insulating the saloon and forecabin roof. Over the winter most of the benefit of a solid fuel stove was lost in the early hours thanks to canvas covered ply deckheads. The roof is also a source of condensation when the boat is unheated, despite as much open ventilation as I can leave without making an open house invitation to cormorants, mink and other critters.
I like the idea of thinsulate which is hydroscopic and has good thermal efficiency for thickness, but it would need sheeting to cover. Foamex, perhaps, cut between the deck beams.
As indicated, I am open to ideas.

 

[Sequoiah1]

Our aft cabin is definitly insulated and the most noticeable difference is the lack of condensation. The hull sides above bunk tops to beamshelf has some type of thin fibreboard finished in white (not painted), and the same for the deck head. There are air gaps top and bottom. I would Imagine John Lilley might have some experience of this. I guess the answer is if you have a leaky wooden boat dont use it but if your decks like ours are nice and tight it has to be worthwhile if spending prolonged periods on board.

 

[covenanter]

Silver bubblewrap insulation as used on new houses, comes on a roll and is equivelant to 200mm of quilt insulation. Just tape it on with ductape. They might even make a breathable one.

 

[Kukri]

My boat is just about perfect from this point of view. She has rather over an inch of teak in all directions and the saloon is panelled, with an air gap below the beam shelf.

I've lived aboard over an English winter (with a coal stove on the go) and she is nice and cool in the summer.

I think that insulating a ply deck would be a good plan; plenty of boats have a double panel deckhead for this reason.

It's worth looking at the old textbooks - Worth and Hiscock in particular.

 

[Krusty]

Hi, Gordonmc,
You have a PM.