Happiness is a warm and silent boat…

So now we are working on all sorts of insulation. The bilge, sail locker and transom area are painted in 6 layers of a sound damping  polymer paint. This paint converts vibrations to heat, so it reduces the big “boing” when a wave hits the hull to more of a “thud”.  The picture below is from the transom, where you see the lower bearing of the starboard rudder.

We have also started to put the thermal insulation in. A lot of yachts designed for colder weather use spray foam as insulation, which works well, at least for a few years, and is easy to apply. The disadvantage is that all foams absorb a small amount of water, which causes them to become less good insulators (and heavier)  as time goes by. It’s also very messy to make repairs or modifications on the hull when it has been sprayed.

So we are using a very high performance industrial insulation mat instead, and attaching it to the hull using spot welded nails. The result is better insulation, easy removal for inspection or repairs, and a material which has zero water absorption. It’s also fungus and mildew resistant.