Mounting engine room components on the sound proofing

With the sound proofing installed what to do with all the engine room wiring, plumbing, filters, etc that must be attached to the walls...?

chaos of wiring on the engine compartment wall.  Fuel filter is mounted on right

The sound proofing panels are 1" thick.  My solution began by creating 1" thick starboard spacers with a 1/4" hole drilled in the center.

drilling 1/4" holes in 1" thick starboard

Using a band saw to cut out the spacers

Most of the spacers created were 1" squares.  I did create larger spacers specifically for the fuel filter.
Using 1/4" thick starboard, I created  mounting boards for various engine compartment components

starboard side mounting board for electrical wiring & light

 With the mounting boards and spacers in hand I returned to the engine compartment.  Using a razor knife I cut out 1" squares in the sound proofing and inserted the spacers.  The spacers were then taped over to protect the foam and hold the spacer in place.  I then drilled the panels and walls to line up with the holes in the spaces and secured the entire assembly with #10 machine screws.  Using #10 screws in 1/4" spacer holes gave me some wiggle room on lining it all up.

starboard side mounting board in place.  Clockwise from top - wiring bus for misc, engine room light, negative post, and primary positive house bank  fuse.

The image above is the same area as pictured at the top of this post. A similar yet less crowded panel is located on the port side wall.  The fuel filter and engine room blower are mounted directly on 1" spacers.

Next up is to re-install the housing, straps, and wiring for the four house bank batteries.

Sound Proofing - part 2

The installation of the sound proofing on the aft, port, starboard, and ceiling of the engine compartment is compete.  The work took more time than anticipated, but that is par for the course in the boat world.  I am pleased with the aesthetics of the sound proofing.  Between the white of the new bilge paint and the reflective silver color of the sound proofing panels, the engine room appears quite bright and smartly institutional.

port side of engine compartment sound proofing installation complete.

The final paragraph of sound proofing part - 1 attempted to briefly describe the mechanical fasteners used to affix the sound proofing.  I fear my words fell short, and since a picture is worth one thousand words here is a couple of images to describe the process.

installing sound proofing mounting pins on the engine room access panel

  The mounting pins are available in self adhesive or screw on (pictured above).  Trusting the mechanical fasteners over the adhesive, the majority of the pins I used were the screw in type.  The self adhesive model proved essential in some of the hard to reach crannies of the engine room.

the foam panel pressed onto the mounting pins.

Once the pins are in place the pre-cut foam panels are pressed onto the pins.  The point of the pins easily pass trough the panel and extent out the face.   The pins are then cut flush to slightly proud of the surface of the panel.  Caps that grab the pins are pressed on to hold the panel in place.

The port side engine access completed

The installation instructions mandated one pin for every square foot of panel and tape around the perimenter.  I used well beyond that number of pins in the hatches and on the ceiling.  The hatches required additional pins due to the inability to secure the perimeter of the panel with tape.  Gravity dictated additional pins in the ceiling.  I used far less than one pin per square foot on the port, aft, and starboard walls because many of the engine components attached to the walls and the tape around the perimeter of the panels serve to secure the sound proofing.

Sound Proofing the Engine Compartment

C'est la Vie's previous sound proofing consisted of a low density, 1/2" thick paneling.  The paneling was likely installed she was re-powered in the mid nineties.  I've never felt that the paneling was effective at reducing the sound and it was definitely showing it's age by showering the compartment with paper like flakes whenever touched.  Prior to painting the area I removed the old paneling with a hammer and scraper.

removing what remained of the old sound proofing panels

The boat yard assisted me in picking out and ordering new sound proofing material.  The new material is 1" thick and consists, from the face inward, mylar (or similar) outer coating, 5/8" open cell foam, 1/8" lead, and 1/4" open cell foam.  It ships in 24" X 54" sheets.  Along with the foam, I ordered the mounting hardware.

I used cardboard to create templates of the various engine compartment walls.  This allowed me to minimize waste material and create accurate panels without damaging the sound proofing material.  This process began with recording measurements in my journal and then transferring the dimensions to the cardboard laid out on a work table outside the boat.

from sketches in my journal I created the cardboard templates

Once the cardboard was cut into the basic shape, the panels were test fit in the boat.

Starboard side test fit.  The white blocks  with bolts are 1" thick mounts for the fuel filter.  These blocks will allow the fuel filter to be mounted without damaging the sound proofing

The fitting took multiple trips between the boat and the work table.  Each test fit, I made notes and sketches on the templates as to the necessary modifications.  Once pleased with the fit, the next step was to transfer the dimensions of the template onto the new sound proofing.

From cardboard to foam.

I began with the largest pieces first and then used the smaller templates to  figure out how best to minimize waste material. The installation directions recommended that for longevity of the material the edges be taped over prior to installation.

To protect the foam from damage, I taped over the exposed edges.

Some brands of sound proofing offer double sided panels (mylar face on both sides).  These panels cost more, but it is worth consideration.  The backside should never be exposed to water, but you never know what is going to happen "out there."

The time spent on templates ensured a proper fit of the material on the first time. The panels are held in place  by mounting pins that affix to the walls.  Once screwed to the walls via a wide back plate the pins pierce the foam.  A cover plate / washer is then pressed on the pin and secures the panel.  The edges are taped into place.

Next step - create and install mounting panels for the engine room electronics and lighting.