Insulating the interior

[amytom]

My carpet liner has started falling in both cabins and I was looking for a way to replace it to match the new cushions. A freind showed me his Prout that he was upgradeing the interior on. He is using 1/2" closed cell foam with vinyl glued to it for his entire interior. He told me that the extra insulation really helps with the heat.

Has anyone else tried this or have thoughts on this for a PDQ?


Tom

[MagicDragon]

Is the purpose to insulate against temperature extremes or sound? You may want to consider simply re-attaching the carpet liner, rather than replacing it entirely. Another question - why has the liner come down? Most vintage car repair places can provide the proper adhesive to reglue the liner. It would seem to me that using the proper adhesive is crucial, as well as determining whether to use open cell or closed cell foam.

This makes a big difference in cost, application methods, and performance. Here's a website with info about the Difference between Open-cell and Closed-cell Polyurethane Foams: http://www.sprayfoam.com/spps/ahpg.cfm?spgid=6
When using closed cell foam, if a leak develops, the closed cell foam may not allow the water to weep through the foam because it also acts as a vapor barrier. This can lead to rotting before the leak is discovered. Open cell foam is not a vapor barrier, so it allows the water leak to weep through the foam to the space below.

Lots of issues to consider to prevent even more maintenance down the road?

[amytom]

This boat was once salvaged from hurricane damage. The original carpet liner was damaged but re-installed. The glue used to re-install is now failing. I have also switched the interior cushions from the original blue to a burgundy mix, (see picture). The original carpet must go.

New cushion on bottom, original cushion on right and with covers the PO made on left.

IMG00464.jpg (19.88 KiB) Viewed 6312 times

My freind had used the 1/2" closed cell foam (cut from Wal-Mart sleeping bag mats to reduce costs) and made panels that he then covered in vinyl. Where he had compound curves he glued the panels in place but everywhere else he used strips of velcro to hold it in place so it can be removed for access to backing plates etc... The insulation factor would be a much appreciated side effect.

Any thoughts?

[MagicDragon]

Sounds like you've thought it through pretty well. I like your idea of mounting with velcro for easy access / inspection. Orlando has lots of places to find good bargains on vinyl - 54" wide would work best with fewer seams. You may also be able to find the foam with a surface tight enough to preclude adding the vinyl cover. Here's a source you may want to check out. http://www.mcfoam.com/list.html