Effective hull insulation.

[msl]

Another recent thread mentions ETAP's double walled, foam filled hulls - I understand why and so forth. I'm not interested in the subject of unsinkable boats.

My question is this; what better, more effective way is there to mitigate condensation and provide insulation against cold? Especially on modern production boats built with "drop in" interiors.

Thanks.

[TQA]

I know of steel boats with a sprayed on foam layer on the interior. I looked at one in the 80s and it seemed OK.

[mitiempo]

If you have access to the inside hull you can glue Ethafoam to the surface. It's a closed cell foam and I used 1/2", but it comes in other thicknesses. A good spray glue like 3M super77 works well.

[tager]

Cork works for some. I am trashy, so I insulated my v-berth with tiger-stripe carpeting. GRRRRR BABY!

[Architeuthis]

To ask the same question: What about liner boats? Spray foam seems like a quick way to create many problems maybe even condensation problems. Anyone tried filling the space between the liner and the hull with spray foam?

[mitiempo]

I haven't. I think that you have to be careful with spray foam though. In a confined space it may expand too fast and could bulge the liner. If the liner doesn't contact the hull there should be no condensation. If a part of the liner does touch the hull there might be condensation, but without a gap you can't do much about it. I only get condense where the warm air inside touches the cold hull. In a locker the air space acts as insulation and stops the warm inner air from touching the hull so no problem usually. In extreme cold it could condense but the water temp is pretty constant and it doesn't seem to be a problem.