[C320-list] Engine noise

[amshd2 at aol.com]

I used the 1" stuff from West Marine on my Perkins M-30 it worked  great.  I also ordered gasket material for teh edges of the cover from a company called soundown see old email below.  This made a big differance as well.  I also odered some of there Mat materilal to lay on top of the Eng boards in the rear cabin again reduced even more nosie.  Havbe not had any cooling problems.
 
Tony 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Source of Sound Insulation Material - Soundown - see their website at Soundown.com
 
I had the benefit of being able to visit their HQ and for some small fee I could raid their scrap bin and came away with enough for two boats.  I think I dropped $25.  I chose the 1/4" lead foil instead of the vinyl that you can buy through West Marine.   Lead will work better.  Total thickness was 1" in most places and 2" where space permitted.  A cut-out had to be made at the front pulley.  The cut-out area and all the seams are covered with metalized foil tape.  I had to buy that from West Marine.  The 3M adhesive I purchased at West also but I know you can buy it at hardware stores too.
 
If you can locate a commercial soundproofing installer near you they will have a scrap bin.  It's well worth the effort in savings.  You can't get the lead backed insulation from West Marine to start with and I believe it takes at least two of their 1" kits to do a reasonable job of the engine box and that's costly. 
 
Getting even quieter - Dogging down won't work if you wind up forcing the gel coated hard fiberglass of the engine shell against the gel coated hard fiberglass of the refer box.  This could even lead to secondary vibrations and noises of a different pitch, stress cracking, and breakage of the closure hardware.
 
Instead go look at Soundown's catalogue.  They sell self-adhesive D section neoprene gasketing.  Using one or two rows of this gasketing along the edge of the engine shell (front and rear shell) will provide an airtight and noise reducing seal.  The material is very soft so as to not put excessive strain on the closure hardware when sealing the engine compartment closed.  This is important because those black mechanical closures are not easy to find and they are basically plastic and rubber.  They do break!  
 
I don't have a db meter but it seems that my 1" lead foil and foam insulation in the engine boxes got me half way there and the gasketing got me the rest of the way to where you can carry on a conversation at the galley sink with the engine running 2500 rpm and not have to raise your voice.  The gasketing did make a very noticeable difference.
 
And for your refrigerator top seals - you can purchase a thicker walled and larger diameter D section neoprene gasket from Soundown and it's a perfect seal for the ice box top.
 
Good luck to everyone in our quest for silent running.  
 
 
Gary Doodlesack
C320 No 410
Lady Diane
Falmouth, MA
 
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: BAdams3491 at aol.com
To: C320-List at catalina320.com
Sent: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 16:20:53 EST
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Engine noise


Can't help you with the archives, but the insulation offered by West Marine  
works fine.  I used the 1/2" because I was afraid the 1" would be too  thick.  
Others have used the 1" with no problems...if I had to due it again  I too 
would use the larger.  No problems with over heating or  breathing.
 
Bert
At Ease
#442
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