Sound Proofing boat engine compartment.

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oldgit

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My previous boat had an engine compartment lined with some sort of sound deadening foam,my new one has sweet fanny adams.Anybody suggest an inexpensive ie.cheap source of those panels/sheets that do the job.A quick search of the interweb has produced prices that would double the value of the boat if fitted.
Thanks in advance.
 
oldgit said:
My previous boat had an engine compartment lined with some sort of sound deadening foam,my new one has sweet fanny adams.Anybody suggest an inexpensive ie.cheap source of those panels/sheets that do the job.A quick search of the interweb has produced prices that would double the value of the boat if fitted.
Thanks in advance.
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Yup, these panels are not cheap but they do the job. They also have a fire retardant surface so perform a number of functions. I think for £100+ per installation it's worth it.

The cheap eggbox style "sound proofer" made out of foam is almost useless. You need something with a heavy dense layer suspended between two foam layers to absorb all the accoustics. And it's got to be made solid enough to stay in plasce - what's good about a cheap solution that delaminates and fouls the moving parts of the engine underway?

Xmas is coming up - treat your girl and be happy too!

PWG
 
oldgit said:
My previous boat had an engine compartment lined with some sort of sound deadening foam,my new one has sweet fanny adams.Anybody suggest an inexpensive ie.cheap source of those panels/sheets that do the job.A quick search of the interweb has produced prices that would double the value of the boat if fitted.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

my sig isn't working at the mo but I own www.marinesoundproofing.co.uk take a look at what you need then pm me for the best possible deal :)

ps eggbox isn't useless, but a a dense barrier layer (lead in our case) blocks low frequencies particularly well. The egg box absorbs airborne sounds very well but is a less effective low frequency blocker. Even so I have had superb results on diesel engines using just eggbox. And it is economical.
 
oldgit said:
My previous boat had an engine compartment lined with some sort of sound deadening foam,my new one has sweet fanny adams.Anybody suggest an inexpensive ie.cheap source of those panels/sheets that do the job.A quick search of the interweb has produced prices that would double the value of the boat if fitted.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I've been researching products to quieten down my car for some time. Check out this blokes web page;
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

The first thing this bloke learned was there is a ship load of money to be made out of sound deadening so came out with his own products. Good article though and indicates how things have changed in the science of sound proofing. Same applies to boats.
 
fishermantwo said:
I've been researching products to quieten down my car for some time. Check out this blokes web page;
http://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

The first thing this bloke learned was there is a ship load of money to be made out of sound deadening so came out with his own products. Good article though and indicates how things have changed in the science of sound proofing. Same applies to boats.
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an interesting site I hadn't seen. Good advice about soundproofing (metal) cars but not boats. For example the only foam he sells is closed cell. This is NOT an acoustic foam. This isn't a criticism, in his stated application this foam is fine - he uses it as a mechanical support for his barrier material - but it won't absorb sound like we like to do in a marine engine bay.
 
dingdongs said:
is this worth a try;http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUIET-KOTE-SP...354?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c1554119a might be able to find it nearer to you to save postage but assume most car accessory shops or halfords may have a similar product.guys in the states spray a similar product on their small bowriders with good results.unfortunately nothings free anymore with a boat.
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20 quid for a tin including postage. 18oz of damping in a tin which is just over 500 grams.

Our Vibrasorb has 2.5kg of damping per square metre. It comes with acoustic foam bonded to it to absorb airborne sounds into the bargain, this spray tin obviously doesn't have that.

1 sheet of Vibrasorb is 2mx1.2 metres. So that's the same amount of damping as about 12 tins of this stuff.

This very large sheet of Vibrasorb is just £70 including vat and you can buy half sheets.

Not everything on ebay is a bargain.
 
Elessar said:
my sig isn't working at the mo but I own www.marinesoundproofing.co.uk take a look at what you need then pm me for the best possible deal :)
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I saw elessar's products on his lonely stall at Southampton Boat Show. It looked jolly good stuff, and when I next need sound deadening stuff I'll certainly be giving him a call.

Not even a happy customer!
 
Lead, reflective foil, a foam material and a flameproof surface are needed to effectively damp the wide range of frequencies produced by a marine engine. A cheap substitute is, I'm afraid, a total oxymoron.

Halyard Marine do the "best", IMHO, soundproofing. But it's not cheap.
 
charles_reed said:
Lead, reflective foil, a foam material and a flameproof surface are needed to effectively damp the wide range of frequencies produced by a marine engine. A cheap substitute is, I'm afraid, a total oxymoron.
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I agree

charles_reed said:
Halyard Marine do the "best", IMHO, soundproofing. But it's not cheap.
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odd - Halyard don't AFAIK do a lead barrier. We do though.......
 
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Hi
I fitted cheap foam in engine bay in 2006 and it didn't do much to be honest. Ripped it all out last year and fitted foam sheets.
These sheets are Self adhesive close foam with a plastic barrier between the layers and a reinforced foil face. The results are very good, 10 times better than the cheap stuff!

Don't make ghe mistakelike I did, I taped the joints with 'duck tape' since then have fitted with the proper heat reflecting siver tape as the duck tape peeled off with the heat of the engine.

If you want to reduce the noise best go for the pukka stuff and do it just the once unlike myself
 
robertj said:
Hi
I fitted cheap foam in engine bay in 2006 and it didn't do much to be honest. Ripped it all out last year and fitted foam sheets.
These sheets are Self adhesive close foam with a plastic barrier between the layers and a reinforced foil face. The results are very good, 10 times better than the cheap stuff!

Don't make ghe mistakelike I did, I taped the joints with 'duck tape' since then have fitted with the proper heat reflecting siver tape as the duck tape peeled off with the heat of the engine.

If you want to reduce the noise best go for the pukka stuff and do it just the once unlike myself
Click to expand...

Your cheap foam was probably closed cell foam. If in doubt about the provenance of any soundproofing you acquire, see if it soaks up water.
Acoustic foam will always soak up water.

It's why you need a foil face near the engine because it soaks up diesel and oil too, so could become a very good candle even though the foam itself should be fire rated.

It's not necessarily good acoustic foam if it does absorb liquid, but making sure it does will eliminate the most useless thing you can fit ie closed cell foam.

You can buy new boats and new generators with impressive looking "soundproofing" that is NOT acoustic foam. Best ripped out and used for packing the next thing you sell on ebay. Using your duct tape:)
 
Thanks to everyone who posted.Am trying to estimate just how much stuff I need,there is a vast cavity surrounding the engines, will need to think about exactly which bits need to be lined,presume flat panel will transmit most noise and curved bits least.
It may well come down to lining the biggest flat areas and leaving the awkward corners.
 
I used 2mm lead sheet with Vetus sound insulation foam on top.It works very well.I went for lead because I was trying to weigh the boat a bit at the rear after having ditched the old Bukh 20 in favour of a Beta.
 
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