insulation - nto be or not to be

[mdshore]

wow , no wonder it takes alot of btu's to cool or heat these boats ! Im refitting and there are are 4 6" round holes through bulkheads that lead from the galley to the ER duct . clear flow to outside via refrig box.. there are many others .Im curious if anyone has insulated , I have not seen any threads on it.

 

[SeaEric]

On my older 41 TC, the ER ventilation is accomplished through the area behind the saloon walls. There are vents in the sides of the hull to that space, and then screened vent openings in the flooring into the engineroom. My boat has vents in the hull outside the aft stateroom that I assume ventilates the area behind the walls in that area.

Having previously owned a few boats with black mold problems that I could not access all areas to properly remedy, I'm very pleased with my Hatt's ventilation. In the areas that I can access inside the hull, she is still as clean as a pin after 47 years.

Unless you plan to run climate control systems 24/7/365, I would not recommend that you seal her up tightly.

 

[mdshore]

well its one thing to ventilate behind walls , but it should be separate from ER breathing . my 43 has a dedicated 6" vent tube that goes directly to aft from the the louvered collector box and a cowl vent on each side of the stern .plenty air movement that you can control with dc fans or dampers . If you heat or cool a space with large openings to the outside you are creating an induction air force . im isolating living vs engine room venting for sure . I fully insulated my other boat and can adequately cool a 35 ft box with 12500 btu ac at 95 and heat with one electric 1800 watt radiant portable
down to 30 . reinventing the wheel /better mousetrap ..