Mast beam problems

Interior - insulation and lining

Many Corribees and Coromandels were lined internally with vinyl, often foam-backed, which was stuck to the grp cabin and hull surfaces with contact adhesive. As many owners have found this has a limited life and there are a variety of solutions. The cheapest and simplest is merely a coat of paint over the (cleaned up) grp. A bit more expensive is lining with ordinary domestic carpet, using insulation if temperature and condensation is a concern. Probably the most expensive option is to buy and fit specialist marine headlining materials.

Safety:

It is worth taking some common sense precautions, and these are based on my own experience. Clear as much out of the boat as you can - you need room to work. Some decent dust masks and a vacuum cleaner will be needed. If you are using any sort of solvents or volatile adhesives you will need ventilation and a vapour mask. Disposable overalls (the white ones with a hood) are very useful, along with disposable vinyl gloves.

Cleaning:

Foam-backed vinyl is the worst material to remove. After pulling off all the vinyl, the quickest way of cleaning the foam and adhesive is to use a rotary wire brush on a drill or angle grinder. An angle grinder is an aggressive tool and will have to be used with care. The wire brush will pick up particles of glass fibre, so you really must use a mask and overalls.

Solvents could be used to dissolve the glue, but I would personally avoid this method in such a confined space, especially if you have electrical power tools in use.

Insulation:

Even in the average UK summer condensation can be a problem in a small boat. The most suitable insulation material is a closed cell foam (the sort of foam used for sleeping mats obtainable in camping shops) as it doesn't absorb water.

Lining:

There are specialist suppliers of lining materials (eg Hawke House Ltd). Many small boat owners opt for the cheapest carpet obtainable from a local carpet shop - you need to slect the thinnest available and ensure it is 100% synthetic. A specialist marine interior lining material will be about twice as expensive as a cheap polypropylene 'domestic' carpet.

Roger Taylor has kindly supplied the following details of the insulation and lining of Mingming:

"The photos tell most of the story. Apart from being a good insulator, Plastazote, a nitrogen-blown foam, has excellent flotation qualities, so adds to Mingming's seaworthiness. All the gluing was done with water-based impact adhesive. Solvent-based is highly inflammable so not appropriate. Water-based takes much longer to cure, and I spent hours through the cold winter months drying surfaces with a hair dryer before they
could be offered up. I'm fascinated to see (or hear) what effect the insulation has on the usually hard-edged acoustics of the fibreglass hull. With luck Mingming will in future have the subdued acoustics of a timber hull."

insulation

www.corribee.org - insulation and lining