Asbestos

[tager]

My boat is a '68 Haida 26 built by Mayhew and Strutt, and has ugly glue-on headliner insulation throughout the cabin. Is there any chance that this stuff contains asbestos? I don't know much about it, but I figure there may be an asbestos expert here. I live aboard, so if there is asbestos in it that would be very bad for me!

[FishFinder]

I've dealt with asbestos in homes, you can cut a couple small samples of the headliner and send it to a lab to have it tested. I think it cost $30, they will tell you if asbestos is present, just google asbestos testing.

Asbestos is most dangerous when it is disturbed as the dust gets in the air where you can breath it. You can remove it yourself if you are careful. When I've done this I seal off as much of the area as possible with a fan venting outside, use a full tyvek suit, asbestos-rated face mask, and cleaned up with a shop-vac fitted with the best filter they sell. Threw out all filters and suit afterwards. The main thing is you don't want the dust to settle in the house (boat in this case) and circulate through it after the job is done.

[tager]

So asbestos was used in headliners as a flame retardant, right?

I cut out a chunk, grabbed it with needle nose pliers, and lit it up outside. It definitely was not a flame-retardant material! WHOOSH! Also, looking closely at the material before and after, it just looked like foam with an ugly vinyl coating on it. It burned up to nothing, so I am assuming there were no fireproof fibers in it.

It also didn't make my skin itch when I rubbed it on my inner wrist.

Along with the fact that the manufacturers of the boat probably didn't have any reason to make the cabin interior fireproof, and these findings, I am going to conclude that this stuff doesn't have any asbestos it it.
It also had almost nothing in the way of tensile strength.

[FishFinder]

I have no idea if it was used in headliners or not it wouldn't surprise me, would be a great place to put flame resistant materials. My opinion is the only way to be sure is to have it tested but I'm not an expert.

[SPC]

Three points.

First, it probably isn't. Is it like a remarkably dense pad? If so, it might be.

Second,if it is asbestos, it is safe if left alone. Disturbing it would be the most dangerous action.

Third, if it is asbestos, you might not want to know as the laws in your area might make removal required and remarkably expensive.

My stepfather, nearing 80, was recently telling me about replacing the asbestos in the engine room of the ship that he was on in the Navy in WWII. They did it by hand with no masks. Just an anecdote.

[tager]

Cool well I think I will just leave it alone. Also not dense at all.

[SPC]

Sorry that my reply overlapped. If you could burn it, it wasn't asbestos. That stuff was great as an insulator or flame retardant.

[Architeuthis]

There is at least one sailor who is not posting at this site due to asbestos, he did not get to retire, did not get to sail to Hawaii, and had all dreams and a life cut very short.

If you are not sure, have it tested, or seal it in (using proper methods of course).

[tager]

I am sure. It is not dense, has terrible tensile strength, lights right up, and burns down to nothing. It is just regular vinyl foam. This makes even more sense when you consider that the manufacturers had little reason to install more expensive foam where unnecessary.