Narrowboat insulation

[bluewarrior567]

Hi, we are building a narrowboat and need to know which is the best insulation to use? Has anyone ever used spray foam insulation themselves and is it easy to do? and where do you buy the equipment and foam from? We live in York so would need somewhere close by if poss.

[WotEver]

Has anyone ever used spray foam insulation themselves and is it easy to do? and where do you buy the equipment and foam from? We live in York so would need somewhere close by if poss.

A quick Google will throw up plenty of DIY Foam kits. Here's one as an example: http://www.spray-insulation.co.uk/ They all deliver.

 

I'm concerned to see that at least one company have withdrawn their DIY kits "due to changes in fire safety under the latest Building Regulations" and them not meeting the new Class 1 fire regulations. However I'm no expert in this area so perhaps it's more of a technicality as opposed to a real danger.

 

Tony

[bottle]

Get the professionals in, it will cost more but it is very nasty stuff to apply and they will also have all the safety equipment required.

[GSer]

I've just used kingspan PU sheetrs in 2" and 1" to insulate my boat. It's taken some time (and it's still not finished ) the fiddly bits are quite time consuming!

 

The reason I chose to not use sprayfoam was that if I stuck to PU sheets I could take my time and make sure there were battens etc all in the right places (ie extra battens where there was to be high level cupboards etc.)

 

Spray foam -

 

Pro's - quick & easy and all covering.

Cons - could be messy & pretty much 'all covering' and unreliable with thickness.

 

PU sheet material -

 

Pro's - easy self application, a very consistant thickness that can be applied at a pace to suit your schedule (i could have completed mine in two weeks I think, It took just a day to do the cabin top)

Cons - dusty when cutting and can be a bit fiddly on the smaller areas, (PU foam 'void filler' gets to some of those spots) slower to apply

 

If you choose celotex or kingspan please use goggles and a face mask when cutting or handling freshly cut sheets, it's quite dusty and it gets everywhere. I found it best to cut the sheet with a panel saw or serrated kitchen knife then brush the cut edges with a bristled hoover attachment this kept control over the dust quite well, I also utilised my band saw to cut the sheets that gives a great cut. when using the panel saw I made a straight edge with three screws through, these screws were pushed into the sheet and held the straight edge steady when cutting. All joints were sealed with Marine flex and alluminium tape.

 

Good luck

 

Paul

[paulcatchpole]

We used Celotex/Kingspan boards for both our boats.

 

To cut them, after discovering sawing caused a massive amount of dust/bits, we just score the foil with a knife, snap the board along the cut, and run a knife down the 'angle' to cut through the foil on the other side - no mess created.

 

Then gripfill to stick them in place and silicone to fill joins. We've, likewise, a tin of PU foam spray to do any small voids.

 

 

PC

[GSer]

We used Celotex/Kingspan boards for both our boats.

 

To cut them, after discovering sawing caused a massive amount of dust/bits, we just score the foil with a knife, snap the board along the cut, and run a knife down the 'angle' to cut through the foil on the other side - no mess created.

 

Then gripfill to stick them in place and silicone to fill joins. We've, likewise, a tin of PU foam spray to do any small voids.

 

 

PC

 

 

I used 'score and snap' on some of the thinner 1" sheets and to trim the lengths at times, with varying success, however on the thicker sheets we started to get a 'wavy' bottom edge when snapped. So we stuck to the dusty sawing for most of the job.

[blackrose]

I agree with the others - if it's a DIY job use Kingspan or Cellotex boards and stick them onto the steel with Marineflex. Trying to sprayfoam a boat yourself is quite difficult.

Edited July 27, 2010 by blackrose

[Radio-Ga-Ga]

Get the professionals in, it will cost more but it is very nasty stuff to apply and they will also have all the safety equipment required.

Seconded, people often don't realize how important good insulation is at the build stage, and regret cutting corners later, try to be there when it's done and get then to do the bits they missed under the gunnels before they pack the gear away.

[Grace and Favour]

And keep an eye on ebay - you can often buy many sheets of Kingspan (that has superficial damage) at greatly reduced prices

[bluewarrior567]

And keep an eye on ebay - you can often buy many sheets of Kingspan (that has superficial damage) at greatly reduced prices

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REPLIED. S OME REALLY USEFUL INFORMATION