[C320-list] Engine compartment sound proofing

[Jeff Hare]

Hi Bill,

Around 2003 I installed sound proofing in our engine compartment and it made
a big difference.  Mostly it cuts down the harshness and does drop the
volume significantly.  But it won't be "quiet".

I used the 1" West Marine which is a moderately dense foam with a lead-like
layer in the middle to help hit multiple frequencies.

I was able to do it in an hour or so.  Even today the adhesive is showing no
signs of letting go.  You peel the backing off and give it a certain amount
of time before you stick it on, but recall it was quite easy to dry fit and
cut with a razor knife.  I purchased the "kit" which came with some silver
seam tape and some metal plates with pin supports that they say to use for
overhead spans, but they're  not strictly necessary on our engine covers
because there is so little area to support.  I think I used one on the front
cover and none on the aft cover.  Both are fine today.

Incidentally, if you use 1" on the Front (galley side) engine cover, the
lower pulley may just touch the insulation.  The trick here is to go ahead
and install the cover and run the engine.  It's just the very bottom of that
pulley that might rub just a tiny bit.  When you stop the engine you'll see
if and where it rubs and can either leave it or carve out a tiny bit.  It
really won't hurt anything.  You won't be able to use anything thicker than
1" on the front.  

Also, if you purchase a roll of the 1/2" version, you can use it to stick on
the fridge side to keep the engine from melting your Ice Cream.  :)

If I were to do it again, I'd still go this route.  I considered the Tiles,
but it was a lot more piecing together and more seams.  With the rolls of
stuff, you can cut and install the overhead piece first, then butt the sides
up tight to it and it helps hold the edges in place.  I cut mine so that
each cover just used one single piece (including the top), so that's an
option too.   The first thing you'll notice is how much heavier the covers
got.  The second thing is that the harshness is down considerably.

Avoid the sound deadening paint scam.  It's a joke and doesn't work.

Two pictures of the Job using the West Marine kit.

http://tinyurl.com/EngineInsulation1
http://tinyurl.com/EngineInsulation2

Good luck!

-Jeff Hare


-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf
Of Bill Hutt
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2014 5:53 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Engine compartment sound proofing

Ok, new thread.
I'm looking at a product from Sailorssolutions.com called SPM. It's 1" thick
self adhesive tiles. Has anyone tried this with good results?

Bill Hutt


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