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Aug 28, '12 12:22 AM
by Peter for everyone

Work is progressing well on #1085.

I'm now looking at the two-piece fiberglass engine enclosure. Did the original box come with any sound deadening insulation?

I was thinking of lining the inside of the box with foam padding/lead sheet/foil cover type sound deadening, but am concerned the extra weight will make taking off the box for engine access a really heavy chore.

My other thought was to line it with 1" (25mm) Styrofoam. But the flammability of this stuff has me concerned. Maybe I should just leave it as it is. Any info or thoughts would be much appreciated.

Peter

#1085 'Bennath'

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4 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

quindocqua wrote on Aug 28

prjacobs said

Work is progressing well on #1085.

I'm now looking at the two-piece fiberglass engine enclosure. Did the original box come with any sound deadening insulation?

I was thinking of lining the inside of the box with foam padding/lead sheet/foil cover type sound deadening, but am concerned the extra weight will make taking off the box for engine access a really heavy chore.

My other thought was to line it with 1" (25mm) Styrofoam. But the flammability of this stuff has me concerned. Maybe I should just leave it as it is. Any info or thoughts would be much appreciated.

Peter

#1085 'Bennath'

Hi Peter,

I opened your inquiry and this is my thoughts. When I bought my used Ballad in 1987 the two piece engine box was lined with a foil-covered marine sound-deading product of unknown manufacture. After a season of sailing the engine heat had compromised the foil-covering and the engine air intake was consuming the material. I have since accepted any noise as normal and will not apply that type of product ever again. Maybe other Balladsailers have better advice.

Norris

Hull #1369

jocotton wrote on Aug 28

Most chandlers concerned with engines sell a noise deadening foam. I covered the whole inside of the engine cover with a ca. 30 mm thick, non-flammable foam with a thin layer of lead near the box side and aluminium foil on the engine side. Yes it does make the cover heavier, but that is a small price to pay for the much-reduced noise.
Be careful to cover all the nooks and crannies. Noise will find a way out through any gaps.
My 'newer' MD 2020 engine is slightly longer than the original MD 7, and depressions had to be made in the foam in the front wall for the water pump and crankshaft pullies. If you run the engine and then gradually install the front half of the cover, the pullies will mark where you must remove foam if there is a lack of space.
John Cotton, 'Josin'

prjacobs wrote on Aug 28, edited on Aug 28

Thanks John,
I thought I'd throw a feeler out to the Forum and see what comes back. I'm familiar with the materal you mention (I used it in the Vega with good results) but was hoping to get something a bit lighter. It's quite a wiggle getting the covers past the Yanmar fuel filter on the starboard side of the engine, but it is possible. Unless something else shows that's probably the material I'll use.
Hey, has anyone tried the spray-on stuff called "Silent Running" ?
http://silentcoating.com/
Thanks!
Peter
#1085 'Benath'

patentnick wrote on Sep 6

Hi Peter:

The original two-piece cover was lined with sound-deadening material. However, I found that with the back cover in place access to the rear of the engine was impossible and it was a pain to remove it when I wanted to do some work (my engine has an aft-facing water pump and fuel filter). I decided to fit four heavy duty latches to the front cover so the stairs don't wobble and got rid of the back cover altogether. Sure there's a bit more noise but the engine breathes a lot better and, to my surprise, I don't get any nasty diesel smells in the saloon either. I've thought of lining the undersde of the cockpit floor and the inboard cockpit locker sides with sound-deadening material but, like Norris, I've learned to live with the noise.

Nicholas

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