fitting a boat for living

[station tug]

hi, iv been away from the cut for many many years and it appears things have moved on alot..i plan to live on my boat full time.at the moment it is a steel shell with the engine sat on the bearers....whats the best way to insulate it?? and how much is it likely to cost for each option?..as for heat i was planning to use a reflex derv heater with radiators and an eco fan i have built an internal tank into the cabin..my days of converted joeys with wooden cabins have long sinse gone and i want to be warm these days..

[ditchcrawler]

hi, iv been away from the cut for many many years and it appears things have moved on alot..i plan to live on my boat full time.at the moment it is a steel shell with the engine sat on the bearers....whats the best way to insulate it?? and how much is it likely to cost for each option?..as for heat i was planning to use a reflex derv heater with radiators and an eco fan i have built an internal tank into the cabin..my days of converted joeys with wooden cabins have long sinse gone and i want to be warm these days..

OK I'll put the target up first.

 

Spray Foam insulation, cost I don't have a clue.

Diesel heater with a large independant diesel/heating oil tank and a solid fuel stove mounted half way down the day time living accommodation with back boiler and gravity fed radiators.

 

Shoot me down

[andywatson]

OK I'll put the target up first.

 

Spray Foam insulation, cost I don't have a clue.

Diesel heater with a large independant diesel/heating oil tank and a solid fuel stove mounted half way down the day time living accommodation with back boiler and gravity fed radiators.

 

Shoot me down

I'm broadly in agreement:

 

1 Sprayfoam is standard for insulation.

 

2 Heating/hot water.

I've gone for a Kabola E-3 for hw and background ch.

The E-3 is diesel fired and supplied from it's own tank.

This was chosen for it's simplicity, reliability and zero power consumption on gravity circulation. It is not programmable instant start though.

 

3 Solid fuel stove in saloon.

This will provide a focal point and independent back up heating system on another fuel source.

[Artimis]

Sprayfoam is going to be more expensive but if your goal is trouble free, warm living aboard then its a must.

 

If you can afford two stoves then go for it because belt and braces are best as illustrated by the current weather circumstances

[starman]

Just had 20 feet of cabin space and 13ft of under tug deck sprayfoamed for £650. The job's been done well but, to be honest, I'd still be tempted by Celoxtex/Kingspan boards in the future. I think you get a more even thickness and less mess (no cutting back). And it's cheaper. Having used it for houses I think it's pretty easy to cut and fix. But this one has been argued through many times here so you can do a search for opinions.

Edited December 22, 2010 by starman

[Ark Right]

Just had 20 feet of cabin space and 13ft of under tug deck sprayfoamed for £650. The job's been done well but, to be honest, I'd still be tempted by Celoxtex/Kingspan boards in the future. I think you get a more even thickness and less mess (no cutting back). And it's cheaper. Having used it for houses I think it's pretty easy to cut and fix. But this one has been argued through many times here so you can do a search for opinions.

 

The spray foam guys work on "average thickness" and this usually ensures you have the e value of insulation paid for. Big plus over all other insulations is it is bonded to the shell so no sneaky condensation getting in between. In my view.

[ditchcrawler]

The spray foam guys work on "average thickness" and this usually ensures you have the e value of insulation paid for. Big plus over all other insulations is it is bonded to the shell so no sneaky condensation getting in between. In my view.

Drive a pin through a small square of plywood and use it as a depth gauge before the spray company leaves site. That what I did after they had to come from Wales to Suffolk to redo my boat, first time it was like a coat of paint in places.

[station tug]

Drive a pin through a small square of plywood and use it as a depth gauge before the spray company leaves site. That what I did after they had to come from Wales to Suffolk to redo my boat, first time it was like a coat of paint in places.

 

i do like the idea of spray foam and the knee's in my boat are made from 3"x4"x10mm so plenty of room to get a nice thick covering..i was thinking that if i spot weld some 2" rod around the hull and cabin i'd be sure to get a thick covering of foam..because of the size of angle iv used would it be worth using 2" poly under the floor for extra insulation??? my original plan was to have a trad back cabin but as i have four large dogs im going to make the back cabin into a dog area so i dont have the hair n smell in my living area..so a coal/wood stove isnt an option at the moment..

[charles123]

Clearly the choice of heating depends on the way the boat is to be used. For me I have chosen gas ALDE for the following reasons;

 

The boat will be in a marina in the winter with 240v and the Alde will take the 240v to heat the water for the central heating rads

I can run the heating on a timer so it comes on and goes off when I want

 

When not hooked up, low power draw, silent, maint free (they claim), small & reliable. No more expensive to buy than the other options. I will not have a coal stove on the boat because I dont like the mess in tending and cleaning it and storing the bags, nor do I like the idea of a fire on the boat, there is always the risk of something nasty happening

 

If I did not chose Alde then the next choice would be the oil dripper as has been suggested, and last by a mile is Mikuni, Eberspacher etc

 

I estimate gas will cost about 25% more than diesel which on face value is a lot but in the overall cost of running a boat is acceptable

 

I should also add that I will have a heat exchanger to heat the radiators when the engine is running

 

Charles

Edited December 23, 2010 by charles123