What to look out for when insulating your yacht
At Alkyonis, specializing in marine insulation in all types of boats, understanding the importance of insulation, its benefits and the serious problems caused by its lack, we have gathered the most important information about insulation in yachts, such as:
• What are the basic types
• What requirements do yacht insulations have?
• How to deal with them
Yacht Insulation: Basic Items
There are many places and areas that need insulation on a yacht. There are spaces that must be insulated for fire protection by law. While some others need to be insulated for heat or sound and sometimes for both. The most common types of insulation on yachts are:
• Thermal insulation
• Acoustic insulation
• Fire safety
• Insulation of main & electric engines exhausts
• Pipe systems insulation
• HV/AC insulation
Thermal Insulation
Thermal insulation is the process of reducing heat transfer between objects that are in contact or that are in a certain radiation range. In yachts, thermal insulation essentially provides the appropriate temperature of the vessel’s interior, which is not affected by external factors. The more successful the insulation, the better the temperature inside the yacht.
Acoustic Insulation
Noise is one of the most important issues for any yacht owner. As tedious and annoying as it can be, it’s also dangerous. In yachts, one of the most effective ways of soundproofing, apart from the basic one, is damping. Sound travels inside a ship through the vibrations of the structural elements. Therefore, an attempt is made to stop the sound vibration by adding weight and preventing the vibration from increasing and being transmitted.
At Alkyonis we can enhance sound insulation with Mascoat Sound Control-dB, used to reduce vibration and noise, offering fully effective sound damping.
Learn more about sound insulation, and specifically, the most important sound insulation on a boat: engine room sound insulation.
Fire Safety
All “technical spaces” of a vessel are usually insulated with fire safety insulation. For example, the engine room, the control room, the elevator, the kitchen even the escape exits. Fire protection on yachts is installed based on international certificates that define each stage of the installation: from the placement of nails, to the density of the insulation and its thickness. Fire protection gives the necessary evacuation time, in case of fire, until the vessel’s metal sheet starts to melt and requires specialized personnel who can undertake their installation.
Pipe Systems Insulation
Yachts must be insulated to provide the ideal “comfort”. Some must be insulated for condensation, such as chilled pipes that carry hot or cold gases and condense immediately. Still others, such as the sewer pipe network, must be soundproofed. This is a complicated process because these pipes must be insulated along their entire length and not just at specific points, together with all their components, which is why the insulation of pipe systems on yachts is one of the most demanding.
Find out more about the types of insulation and the materials used from our marine insulation mini guide.
What are the challenges of yacht insulation?
When it comes to yacht insulation, there are a few specific things to keep in mind to make sure you get the best possible result. Most common are the following:
Aesthetics & design
Aesthetics and design may not be a priority on a commercial or passenger ship. On yachts, however, are top priority, and their insulation will be based on their structural design. Insulation is a “dirty” job in itself and anyone can see it if it happens to take a look under the finishes. In yacht insulations, however, everything must be done perfectly. Everything has to be placed very carefully; from the support pins, to the blankets and vapor barriers, so that when these areas are covered the yacht will look exactly as it was originally designed.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of the insulation in yachts is of particular importance because when something is not properly insulated and needs repair or even replacement, it means that the yacht will be out of service for a prolonged time period. Yachts may offer all the luxuries, but they don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to such tasks.
Condensation
Condensation, along with noise, are the two biggest enemies of yachts. Condensation is the change of a physical state of matter from gas to liquid. In short, if you see drips on the walls or ceiling of your yacht, that’s condensation. And it is extremely dangerous because it causes corrosion in constructions, cables and favors the growth of microbes and fungi. Proper insulation prevents or even stops condensation from occurring. One of the most effective materials in yacht insulation, used as a supplement to rockwool insulation and solely in the interior, is Mascoat Marine-DTM, an extremely effective material that has been proven to prevent this phenomenon far many years.
More limited space
Another challenge of insulation on yachts is the very limited space. The whole design is structured in such a way that the dimensions are limited and therefore a big challenge for the insulation to be equally efficient. Consider that bulkheads should be insulate for fire protection, then thermal & sound protection and still have a size limitation due to finishing.
How you can meet these challenges?
Yacht insulations require precision, know-how and quality, not only in materials, but also in installation. In order for these challenges to be overcome, you should definitely turn to established professionals who are well aware of yachts’ demands.
Alkyonis, specializing in marine insulation and having many years of experience in demanding super and mega yachts projects, has the know-how and means to offer the highest quality insulation in the Greek yachting market.
Offering complete solutions, tailor-made to the unique requirements of each vessel, we stand out not only in the design and installation of insulation, but also because we have the representation of materials designed especially for these yachts’ requirements.
Mascoat Marine-DTM and Mascoat Sound Control-dB are coating materials and insulation boosters that contribute to a more effective thermal insulation and sound insulation, offering the ideal yacht comfort insulation. See all their benefits for yacht and ship insulation.
Contact an Alkyonis specialist today to ensure safety and comfort for your yacht trips.
