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Insulating & re- panelling


CLAN1

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I've searched the forum history, lots of irrelevant info going off the subject from well meaning folk.

We have a 1991stern cruiser, polystyrene insulation, liveaboard. 

Get condensation dripping on us at times, should we replace it? With what?. Noticed it doesn't fit tight ie some gaps & bare metals struts, what would folk recommend to cover the bare metal, ive read need to spray foam the gaps & use tape! 

Also we have T&G, not sure wether to take it all off & fit ply panels or go over the top with the panels? Any suggestions welcome. Cheers

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The problem is not the polystyrene, its the gaps. Any insulation should have complete 100% coverage with no gaps across the ceiling, cabin sides, and hull side down to floor level, including under the gunwales and front and back bulkheads. Any steel ribs reinforcing the shell should also be covered.  The lining should be fixed to timber battens which in turn are fixed to the shell, with the insulation tightly fitted up to the battens. 

If the existing insulation is poor I would be inclined to remove the existing lining and insulation and replace. You may be able to reuse the cabin lining with care. Just adding a new layer inside the existing leaves unknown problems behind, reduces the interior space, and leaves awkward details around doors, windows, mushroom vents etc.

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2 minutes ago, CLAN1 said:

Great, thanks for your help & advice, poly looks ok just the big gaps & bare metal, will screw thin wood to those then cover, think i understand that. Thank you again?

The aim is to have an airtight seal (of insulation) between the lining and the steel of the boat. If warm damp air can’t reach the steel then you can’t get condensation. 

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As an insulator polystyrene is good if well fitted but there have been reports of a chemical reaction with some types of wiring insulation that comes in contact with it, worth bearing in mind.

Sprayed-on foam has the merit of near perfect elimination of air spaces.  However getting an even layer preumably requires skill or native cunning which then begs the question of how do the makers of calorifiers get that nice even layer of insulation on their tanks?

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15 hours ago, Man 'o Kent said:

As an insulator polystyrene is good if well fitted but there have been reports of a chemical reaction with some types of wiring insulation that comes in contact with it, worth bearing in mind.

Polystyrene 'eats' PVC.

PVC gets brittle, falls off, conductors short out, hopefully fuse blows.

 

 

 

 

PVC Cable.jpg

PVC Cable2.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Polystyrene 'eats' PVC.

PVC gets brittle, falls off, conductors short out, hopefully fuse blows.

 

 

 

 

PVC Cable.jpg

PVC Cable2.jpg

Thanks for that alan good point, checked, all the cables 12v & 240 are in trunking

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