Engine box insulation

[marchem]

2000 C310. The insulation in the engine box was apparently falling off and removed by the PO. I'm thinking of installing something to quiet things down a bit. Is anyone who has done that on the C310 (or any other boat, I guess) willing to share tips and tricks?

 

[Tally Ho]

I took a very cheap route, and won't know if it works until we use the boat next year. My original foam insulation was deteriorating, and leave black crap all over the engine. It also made the engine compartment very dark. So, I left the original insulation in place, but "encapsulated" it with Reflexite. You can buy a roll for under $20 at any home improvement store. I cut the pieces to fit over the existing insulation and stapled the edges. It quoted the engine some, but more importantly for me, encapsulated the dust from the old insulation.

I used some foil tape to seal any seams.

Might not be a long-term repair, but for less than $20, and a few hours of time, I think it was worth a try. If it fails, I will but some of the marine store sound-proofing panels and replace the old stuff.

Short video attached....sorry about the quality...shot it on my iPhone after finishing the job.

Greg

 

[marchem]

Greg, that looks very nice. Pretty dramatic drop in noise.

 

[pateco]

Mine is completely missing on the front hatch, and creating black foam dust on the rest of it whenever you even look at it wrong. it is quite noisy, so I am looking for something inexpensive but durable and effective to replace all of it with. Any suggestions?

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=623716974429130

 

[Deleted member 117556]

Greg,
Your engine looks like a Yanmar 2GM20F, is it? Where do you get Reflexite?
bob

 

[njlarry]

Greg that was very impressive.
How did you insulate the cockpit floor and locker area? Would the reflexite work nearly as good without your old underlying foa

 

[Tally Ho]

Greg,
Your engine looks like a Yanmar 2GM20F, is it? Where do you get Reflexite?
bob

Yes, she is the 2GM20F.

I found the Reflexite at our local Menards home improvement store. I am sure Lowes or Home Depot would carry it as well. Look in the insulation section of the store.

Greg

 

[Tally Ho]

Greg that was very impressive.
How did you insulate the cockpit floor and locker area? Would the reflexite work nearly as good without your old underlying foa

I doubt the Reflexite by itself would do too much. It is quite thin. I used it just because I wanted to encapsulate the old, deteriorating black foam. The Refexite was thin enough to just cover the existing insulation.

On my O'Day 322, the engine compartment is just a square wood box, with 2 access panels and a large lift open lid in the rear berth. I just lined the 4 sides, and cut openings for the 2 access panels. I covered the access panels with the same Refexite material. The lid of the engine compartment is hinged and was insulated with the same black foam. I stretched the Reflexite over that and stapled it down as well.

For me, the biggest improvements were reducing the black dust that was coming off the old foam, and the improved brightness in the engine compartment.

Greg

 

[Tally Ho]

Mine is completely missing on the front hatch, and creating black foam dust on the rest of it whenever you even look at it wrong. it is quite noisy, so I am looking for something inexpensive but durable and effective to replace all of it with. Any suggestions? ]

I just found the correct name of the material I used...REFLECTIX, not Reflexite. Sorry about that.

Before I found the Reflectix and decided to leave the old insulation in place, I was going to try a foil covered foam insulation board. Something like this...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_15358-46086-451156_1z11pq2__?productId=3365576&pl=1
I am not sure about its sound deadening properties. Since it is a rigd foam board, I suspect it would NOT quiet the noise much.

Here is a link to the Reflectix I used...from Lowes...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_13353-56291-ST16025_1z0uk7m__?productId=1014123&pl=1

As a side benefit, I cut a piece of this to fit the opening of my top load refrigerator on the boat, and put in in under the top when leaving the boat for any length of time. It lowered the temp in the fridge, and cut down on the compressor cycling. There is not much weather stripping on my old drop-in lid, so the insulation made a big difference on hot days.

Greg

 

[KZW]

Do you just lay the insulation on the top of the access lid, or do you attach it inside with Velcro?

 

[Tally Ho]

if you mean in the top-loading refrigerator, I just laid it on top. I cut it so it fits pretty tight under the lip of the opening. I have to move it out of the way to grab a beer, but it is flexible enough to bend it.

Greg