A New and Quiet Boating Season

A quiet boating season
It's time to inspect your boat for the upcoming boating season! The weather is getting better and people are looking forward to getting on the water. But boat maintenance is a never ending project. A lot of our customers tell us that they want to improve or renew their boat's insulation this year in order to obtain more cruising comfort. We would love to advise you concerning this topic!

Replace old sound insulation for new and better
This spring, many of our customers equip their machine room or engine housing with new insulation or absorption material. Often they are motivated by the fact that the old material had it's time. In the past, convoluted foam was often used in the engine room, because people thought this was the best solution. However, the opposite is true: never use burled foam in a boat, yacht, or sloop! The reason for this is that these products don't have a protective top layer, allowing oil, moisture and dirt to penetrate the acoustic foam. This shortens the lifespan of the product, plus it makes the product look dirty and messy.

In yacht- and shipbuilding, we recommend using sound insulation with a protective top layer that suits your situation. The most common top layers are the PU and FC top layer. The PU top layer can be applied at temperatures up to 80, maximum 90°C. Sound insulation with a Fibreglass Cloth (FC) top layer can resist temperatures up to 150°C (this may vary per product).

Soundproofing and insulating engine noise
Noise produced by the engine should not only be insulated, but also be absorbed. In this way, the chance that noise will leak from the machine room or housing through seams and crevices becomes smaller. Wrap the engine as much as possible with an absorption material that has the right heat resistance and is as thick as possible. The thicker the applied absorption material, the better the end result will be. Which absorption material you should use depends on situation. You should choose a product with the right properties for the space or room in question, such as heat-resistance, type of top layer, and colour.

Sound insulation and absorbers

• Merfocell PU
  Sound insulation with an oil-, dirt-, and moisture-proof top layer. Resistant against temperatures up to +80 °C.
• Acousticcell PU
  Acoustic foam provided with an oil-, dirt-, and moisture-proof top layer. Resistant against temperatures up to +80 °C.
• Merfocell FC
  Acoustic foam provided with a fibreglass top layer. Resistant against temperatures up to +110 °C.
• Flamex FC
  Sound insulation with a fibreglass top layer. Resistant against temperatures up to +150 °C. Only applicable on flat substrates.
• Merfocom
  Luxurious combined panel with an Isomat soundproofing core. Fibreglass top layer resistant against temperatures up to +110 °C.
  
  

Soundproofing engine noise should be done by applying a combination of soundproofing and sound insulation products. But you best start by applying heavy soundproofing sheets, such as Isomat, a mass loaded vinyl. Low frequency engine noise is optimally blocked when you make a hatch, wall, or engine housing, or cover, as heavy as possible. There are two types of mass loaded vinyl, or sound barrier products, Isomat TS and Isomat KE Fiber. Glue Isomat to the surface you want to soundproof with a contact adhesive. The heavier you make the parts that divides the engine from the rest of the boat, the better the results. The same applies to the floor of the deck. On top of these products can you mount a sound insulation product so absorb engine noise.

Soundproofing products for boats

• Isomat TS
  Mass loaded vinyl (for CE marked yachts).
• Isomat KE
  Mass loaded vinyl.
• Merfocom
  Luxurious combination panel for soundproofing and sound insulation.

Insulating the propeller, bow thruster or propulsion
The propeller, and especially the bow thruster, can cause more noise nuisance throughout the whole vessel than you might think. Vibration from the engine and the propellers easily travel through the ship hull. By applying the sandwich anti-drumming method this problem can be strongly reduced. This method of insulation (anti-drumming) is applied in order to reduce, amongst others, cavitation and noise from the bow thruster. By applying at least one squared meter around the propeller (shaft), bow thruster, or the engine(s) with sandwich anti-drumming material, you can diminish the sound problem enormously.

Insulation and anti-drumming products

• Vibradamp A90P
  Two component paste for the anti-drumming of steel or synthetics. Used in combination with Zincor steel plates.
• Isomat TS
  Mass loaded vinyl and synthetic soundproofing sheet with a high density for insulating wooden or polyester walls, engine covers and ship hull.

Outboard engine insulation
As for the soundproofing of an outboard engine and transom, we have a separate tips page. This guide will explain how to soundproof and insulate the outboard engine noise and which products to use.

Questions? 
Do you have any questions about soundproofing a boat or pleausure craft? Have a look at our page boats and yachts for more solutions. For information please feel free to contact us, we are happy to help you.