How to insulate a wheelhouse or ships bridge

Insulation for the wheelhouse and bridge
If engine noise is audible in the wheelhouse, or bridge on larger vessels, it is most likely that the floor is not decoupled from the frame, or the hull, lack of mass in the materials where the floor is made of and a poorly insulated engine room. To prevent engine noise entering the wheelhouse we advise to insulate the floor of the wheelhouse and to take a closer look on how the engine is isolated by inspecting the insulation of the engine room. The solution to insulate the wheelhouse floor is quite straightforward and easy to carry out, as we will describe.

How to insulate the wheelhouse
There are two methods for insulating the wheelhouse or bridge floor. The first solution is the most simple and works just fine in most crafts. The second method is recommended for new to build ships or when you experience lots of vibrations in- and from the wheelhouse floor.

Wheelhouse insulation, method one
The first method is to insulate the wheelhouse floor, or bridge floor, with Isomat TS or Isomat KE, preferably a 14 kg/m² variant. We recommend Isomat TS in luxurious yachts and commercial shipping vessels, and Isomat KE in other vessels, this is because of the composition of the products. Isomat is also referred to as a Mass Loaded Vinyl, it’s a high density insulation product, but relatively thin, about 6 mm. Isomat is easy to cut in shape and applied with our Contact Adhesive. Insulate the whole floor with Isomat, fill and seal seams to avoid noise leakage.

By adding weight to a light structure, in this case the cabin or wheelhouse floor, the insulation will noticeably increase. In most cases a doubling of mass will translate in about 8 decibels of reduction. When your wheelhouse has a simple plywood floor you can easily increase the isolation of engine noise by 10 to 12 decibels. The more mass, Isomat, you apply the better the result.

Wheelhouse insulation, method two
The second method also contains elements of the first method, insulating with mass. This method is to insulate the wheelhouse floor by applying a decoupled floor on top of the existing floor. With a decoupled floor you can insulate vibrations that can become audible. The first step of this method is to apply a double layer of Regupol Comfort on the wheelhouse floor. This elastic like product is a vibration insulator. On top of the Regupol need to place a layer of plywood e.g., at least 12 mm thick. Make sure that this layer of material does not touch any walls, objects or structures of the ship.

To insulate noise a layer of mass is needed, we recommend an Isomat variant of 8 kg/m² to be glued on the plywood. This insulates resonances in the plywood and isolates engine noise even more. Apply a thin layer or Contact Adhesive on both the materials, let it sit for a short while, and apply the Isomat on top of the plywood. Last step is to fill the gap between the wheelhouse walls and the newly place floor with a sealant/kit.

Tips
For a more comfortable boat ride, and stay in the wheelhouse, you can also improve the acoustics in the wheelhouse or bridge. You can do this by applying Acousticcell VSP or Akotherm SF to the ceiling. These materials dampens noises which results in a more quite space. For more tips and solutions you can take a look on our tips page Boats & Yachts.

Products to insulate the wheelhouse

How to isolate the bridge or wheelhouse?