Studding and Foaming

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After the planning stage you need to build the structure that is to support the wall coverings, walls, bookcases, and electrical fixtures.   It starts with a very inexact science of fastening bits of wood to the steel beams and supports within the hull.  I say inexact because every piece will be different and require broad adjustment.  Where four supports are similar the fifth will have two unexplainable rivets protruding.  Two of the four will have bits welded on to them and then crudely cut off as a reminder of some long ago redundant function.  Of the remaining two, one will be badly bent and so not perpendicular to the wall surface and the other will take a unique curve as it adjusts the hull line. Below the deck line this is less of a problem.  The panelling supported by the lower studding is generally for the back of a bookcase or radiator box.  There is no continuous line that must be maintained.   In the first picture below, the variability of the studs is quite evident but it all worked out in the end. Above the deckline it is a different matter.  The wall tends to be continuous from one end of the ship to the other, interrupted only by bathrooms or wheelhouse.  Careful measurement and trueing of support surfaces is a good practice.  Even then, there are likely to be several shims used between the supports and the final panels. Before foaming, all surfaces that you will want to use for support have to be masked with a strong tape.  After foaming, you have to take it all off.  The third picture shows the beginning of taping with the roof complete and several side studs masked.   We built in a fireplace in a corner of the salon.  Since it would not be the best idea to have a semi-inflamable material next to the heat source, we placed fibreglass next to the hull and held it in place by metal sheets.  This was later further protected by surrounding the firebox with a fireproof brick of 5 cm thickness so we have no fears of overheating behind the unit. When the studs are all in place and masked the foaming can start.  This is a job for professionals but don't worry, you will have plenty of exposure to the stuff before you are finished.   When the foam is nicely applied you have to trim off all the material covering the studs.  This is not as easy as it sounds just because the studs are masked.  Gobs of rock-hard foam will hang down in the way of the ceiling, masking tape will break every 20 cm., the smell is something to remember for a lifetime, and it will be years before you ever again eat prawn cracker thingies in the Chinese restaurant. We have included a partial inventory of the foam removal tools.  The key is to keep tools sharp, without undue damage to one's limbs and digits, and to have flexible knives to allow cutting around corners.  It will eventually get done - in our case after the removal of 61 large green garbage bags of trim - and then you can get on with the jobs that really show progress.

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Each section of the hull requires its own frame.  Here we are building a support for the plywood sheets around the portholes.

In the rounded part of the hull we had to shape the studs to conform to the hull line, or lose quite a bit of space with vertical supports.

When the studs are all in place the whole thing needs to be covered with tape so that the foam can be removed relatively easily.

After the foaming guy leaves you have a huge task of trimming all of the studs.  On the right much of the trimming is complete.

In this section we planned a fireplace so the insulation was non-flamable and covered by tin for additional safety.

Here are the tools necessary to cut back the foam.  61 large green garbage bags get filled in some of the most back-breaking work involved with fitting out.

Like building a house, studding for walls has to be fixed in place.  With the foaming process the top runner must be done before foaming or it will be difficult to fasten studs.