Engine room Insulation, 07 34pc


T

TurboJoe

Member
I pulled the engines and generator to have good access to clean and fix some maintenance items. During this process I tried to clean the sound insulation but failed, so decided it's time to change it out.

Maybe because it's still fresh I think it was a bad choice but this is not an easy job! The bulkhead that covers the gas tank has to be removed in order to get the insulation off it, and access the sides of the generator cubby also. Removing this is a hell of a chore. After everything comes off of it, it is still almost impossible to get out of the boat. The step/platform needs to be removed, and there is an aluminum u-channel stiffener accross the top of the deck that needs to come out.

The good news is once that part is out, the easy part is done. Removing the foam insulation is very challenging. It's glued very well and mechanically removing it is near impossible. I later found that the petroleum based goof off solvent does work well, and I'd recommend that route, but you'll need a lot of it. The surface will probably never support a good bond to new insulation again. If I had more time I would probably use the panels as templates and make new ones completely. Then you have to put it all back together. Looks great when finished though!

All that is to say I don't think I would try to re-do what the factory did. I think I would just go right over the top of it with a different product mechanically secured. I didn't get to the starboard bulkhead, ran out of time and motivation this season.
 
I wrote up how I redid the sound ins in our 41PC. It was in the last year. I used 2” 2 pound per square foot of Soundown insulation. Ours is diesel so the frequency is different from gas engines. I used some mechanical fasteners that glue to the boat with thickened epoxy. The insulation itself had PSA on it but the mechanical fasteners would have been enough. They are perforated insulation pins and also get the caps for them.
 
Comodave said:
I wrote up how I redid the sound ins in our 41PC. It was in the last year. I used 2” 2 pound per square foot of Soundown insulation. Ours is diesel so the frequency is different from gas engines. I used some mechanical fasteners that glue to the boat with thickened epoxy. The insulation itself had PSA on it but the mechanical fasteners would have been enough. They are perforated insulation pins and also get the caps for them.
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I saw your post, and think you had a different product in the 41 than my 34pc. There was no way at all I could use the old insulation as a template for the new, it crumbled into pieces coming off because it was glued so well. The only one that was easy was behind the generator, that was a much thicker / different panel. That one I was able to take out in one piece. Everything else was a nightmare.
 
I used a putty knife to scrape the old insulation loose and it came off pretty much intact. It was maybe 1/2” with a coating on the inside.
 
TurboJoe said:
I saw your post, and think you had a different product in the 41 than my 34pc. There was no way at all I could use the old insulation as a template for the new, it crumbled into pieces coming off because it was glued so well. The only one that was easy was behind the generator, that was a much thicker / different panel. That one I was able to take out in one piece. Everything else was a nightmare.
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What prompted you to change this Joe? Wanted something more effective? Mine still looks new, and isn't falling or anything. I've always wondered if treating the underside of the floor would make a worthwhile improvement, but never considered changing what's already there.
 
For me it was purely cosmetic. The foam was very degraded, it went through a very damp winter and got lots of mildew on it. When I tried to clean it it just fell apart. There was no backing on it like Comodave's - I wish, it was just soft foam glued right to resin coated plywood. . When I say it was hard to remove I really mean it. About the only way I think it should be done is to soak it with chemical solvent like goo gone. It must be either a different material from Comodave's 41 PC, or different glue.
 
Last year in my 41pc I also got the 2" SoundDown - luckily they happen to be about 45 minutes away from me in Salem, MA so I was able to drive up there and pick it up, it is super heavy but works pretty well. Uninstalling the old stuff is certainly a chore - we used a heat gun, paint scraper and eventually a vibrator tool to get all of the old gunk out - this worked fairly well. As far as installing the new material, the SoundDown 2" 2lbs, we used their installation pins and glued them up to the hatch with super hi-temp marine grade 2-part epoxy, this worked well it just takes them a fully day to set all the way before you can install the material. Then once in we just pushed the SoundDown into place and it seems to be staying just fine, haven't noticed any issues. All in all it's a multi-day job and it helps to have at least one buddy there with ya. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions
 
I went the belt and suspenders approach and used the insulation with PSA adhesive on it. Then I drilled holes in the insulation, running the drill in reverse so it didn’t grab the foam. I put the pins through the insulation and put a healthy dab of thickened epoxy on the pinheads. Then stuck the insulation on so the PSA would grab onto the hatch. It takes about 24 hours for the PSA to set and by that time the epoxy had gone off. So during that time I used some ratchet rods and plywood to hold the insulation in place. The next day it was very firmly attached.
 
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