scot wrote:
Steve has been a huge influence on the entire design of my current project....I hope he's right because I'm going to a lot of trouble and extra work!
Hi Scott,
I don't remember making any recommendations for you on that little boat with the Detriot stuff in it, so buyer beware.
To answer Steve Z's question,
The printed recommendations are extremely conservative and apply to the vinyl / foam composite products that are commonly used on fiberglass boats. We do have noncombustible and ever fire barrier products available for use on metal boats, USCG inpsected vessels and ships.
The reality of installing the vinyl / foam products with minimal clearance is that it is done all the time. Typically the only component of a gas or diesel engine that creates a temprature to be concerned about is exhaust manifolds, risers and turbos. Valve covers and coolant tanks like I see in your picture do not typically present a problem as long as there is no direct contact. As your smallest clearance is over the coolant tank ( 1" ) that is also probably the coolest engine part on the top of the Cummins. You can also cut away the foam on the back side of the material without compromising the noise barrier by 1/2 of it's overall thickness. That is to say that for the area with 1" clearance you can make 1" material 1/2".
small print: this is not a recommendation that overrides printed company recommendations, it is just a report of how Soundown products are sometime used in the field.
The acoustic foam we use is self extinguishing, meaning it will burn when exposed to open flame and extinguish iteslf when the flame is removed.
Unfortunately, with only an inch to play with there is not much you can do, but we do have a 1" thick product with a 2lb per sq ft barrier and a 1/2" thick product with a 1lb barrier, and as mentioned some very fancy stuff too.
Thanks for letting me play in your sandbox,
Steve Moyer
Soundown Ft Lauderdale
954 761-9188
smoyer@soundown.com