insulation - glue or velcro!?

[stantale]

Hi All,

we're adding new celotex insulation to our hull, and after removing mounds of carpet and 3M glue, I'm not so sure I like that approach given the absolute party it was to remove.

I've read people just stick the insulation between the ceiling/wall and the interior formica, or velcro it on to make it stay in place, and then I hear it said that it has to be an absolutely airtight mating or it will end up mildewing and collecting water in there.

I favor velcroing the celotex which makes it easy to remove once a year to clean/spray with mildew remover, and we could paint the hull with anti-mildew primer.

However, I definitely don't want water pooling and dripping all over the place in the interior.

How big an issue will this be (heading very north across the atlantic and then back around to carribean so all kinds of weather in store for me.)

thanks,

-s

[mitiempo]

I would use an adhesive caulk that is compatible with foam and plastics. You want it to be sealed to the hull. Celotex is not flexible as far as I know so you might want to pick another type of insulation.
Here is a link that might help.
The Frugal Mariner: Insulating your boat

[stantale]

Right, apologies - not celotex... I meant to write reflectix. They all sound the same, like toothpaste ;-)

So you say you would use adhesive caulk because it must be sealed - I guess my question is what is the drawback exactly?

And better yet, has anyone tried it unsealed who can report whether it was good/bad?

[Edit:] I should clarify: putting reflectix between formica cover and hull will most certainly make a reasonably firm join on each side - i.e. there should be extremely little air in there. in an case not more than would be in the cutout for every fitting that is in there anyways.

[speciald]

3M spray adhesive

[svHyLyte]

Reflectix is a very good radiant heat insulator but not very good with conductive or covective heat loss/gain. The foregoing said, we have used the material fairly extensively and been pretty happy with our applications. You will find that 3M double stick mounting tape is very effective yet reasonably easily removed when necessary. One does not need much "stickum" to hold the material in position.

FWIW...

[mitiempo]

Reflectix is not very good as an insulator by itself. It is best combined with other insulation material - like soft closed cell foam - to be effective. As in the link I posted. I am doing the same thing as you at this time.