Steve, First let me say I have appreciated the wealth of information in your books and website. Thanks!
In considering an aluminum hull for use primarily in the tropics and temperate zones, I was intrigued by your reference that on Beowulf you chose to use no insulation. You reference careful attention to the head and hull liners. Was there any attempt to provide insulation via the head and hull liners or did you just eliminate the insulation that would have otherwise been used and use standard liner materials? Also, you reference the reveals between the liner panels to promote ventilation between the liner and deck. Did you use a specific % of open space design spec, or just go more with looks? Given your experience in the tropics, would you go this route again, or use insulation? Anything else to consider if choosing to use no insulation?
Thanks for sharing your insights. David
The head/hull liners were from Ultaleather, a material which does not itself breathe. We left 3/4" gaps between the head liner panels and gape top and bottom of the hull liners. There seemed to be enough airflow that we never had mold or mildew issues and there was still some heat barrier from trapped air – at least we never felt inside heat in the tropics. That said, we also had good awnings which were used at sea as well as at anchor. – Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
