Avalanche
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2013
- Messages
- 31
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- M/V Infinity
- Vessel Make
- Universal Litton 36
Greetings all! I'm in Valdez, Alaska. Bought a 36' Tri-cabin trawler in 2013 (basically a CHB) that had extensive reffiting done to it. All new paint outside top and bottom, pretty good shape over all.
But the main cabin roof had a couple soft spots and by the time I investigated it was too late. What I hoped to spot fix ended up being taking the roof off inside the flybridge like a sardine can, taking two layers of 3/4" ply out by the handful, and rebuilding the whole thing. Several leaks from above, but it also didn't seem to help that the previous owner installed 1" white beadboard foam on the ceiling inside, and covered it with white fiberglass paneling, the kind you might see in a shower room or something. So I think that foam and paneling helped hold moisture in, both from above and below. When I pulled the foam out, it was "glued" in place by a thin layer of fungus. gross..
So on to my question.. My new ceiling is two layers of fresh plywood laminated together with thickened epoxy (ACX, I couldn't get marine once I was into it, but exterior rated has the same glue as marine and the CDX I pulled out was original so..) with several layers of 10 oz e-glass above with Universal Composites two part epoxy (not poly/vinylester). In the cabin the A face of the ACX ply faces down, and that is it. I'd like to have a brighter surface and maybe insulation, but don't want to trap more moisture in there. (Side note, the laminated layers of ply could trap moisture in between them too if it can get in there) Should I paint it, insulate and panel it, panel it with something breathable, just leave it alone, or other??
Any advice, particularly for cooler climates, appreciated!
But the main cabin roof had a couple soft spots and by the time I investigated it was too late. What I hoped to spot fix ended up being taking the roof off inside the flybridge like a sardine can, taking two layers of 3/4" ply out by the handful, and rebuilding the whole thing. Several leaks from above, but it also didn't seem to help that the previous owner installed 1" white beadboard foam on the ceiling inside, and covered it with white fiberglass paneling, the kind you might see in a shower room or something. So I think that foam and paneling helped hold moisture in, both from above and below. When I pulled the foam out, it was "glued" in place by a thin layer of fungus. gross..
So on to my question.. My new ceiling is two layers of fresh plywood laminated together with thickened epoxy (ACX, I couldn't get marine once I was into it, but exterior rated has the same glue as marine and the CDX I pulled out was original so..) with several layers of 10 oz e-glass above with Universal Composites two part epoxy (not poly/vinylester). In the cabin the A face of the ACX ply faces down, and that is it. I'd like to have a brighter surface and maybe insulation, but don't want to trap more moisture in there. (Side note, the laminated layers of ply could trap moisture in between them too if it can get in there) Should I paint it, insulate and panel it, panel it with something breathable, just leave it alone, or other??
Any advice, particularly for cooler climates, appreciated!