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Old 05-12-2018, 07:45 PM   #1
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Soundown Carpet Underlayment Installation

For years I've been considering, researching, budgeting and planning to install a sound attenuating carpet pad under my salon carpet. Something else always seemed to take higher priority but I finally got it completed this week. Here's the tale...

First, a huge shout-out to Keysdisease/Steve who provided me with great information, samples and advice about the Soundown products and relayed his own experience in his Mainship 34. He helped me find the right pad thickness and vinyl weight for my boat. (I picked the 1/2 inch foam-1 Lb/Sq Ft vinyl.) It's always nice doing business with a fellow TFer. Thanks, Steve!

I pulled the rugs and carpet to expose the old felt pad. I don't know if the pad's original but it sure looked it! Off with the pad to expose the unpainted () floor repair after fuel tank removal by the PO. After removing the 100+ staples and about a lb of sand/dirt with a vacuum, it was time to cut and fit.

The pad just floats on the floor and one hatch without attachment except for the other hatch with a table base installed. The 54 inch width was just about perfect for covering about 85% of my floor dimensions. I cut the hatches with a 2" overhang to mitigate noise transfer through the gaps. The material was easy to cut with a utility knife and a good shear or scissors.

The 1/2 inch foam pad keeps it from shifting and the mass loaded vinyl soundproofing layer is smooth and comfortable to walk on. No issues with the carpet moving on top of the vinyl either. It all feels very soft but stationary.

I put it all back together and it looks and feels great! It was too windy to go out today but at high idle in the slip, the sound level is noticeably improved. I did a sound test before the installation and I'll do a new sound test the next time I'm enroute and post comparison readings here.

As I was lying in bed last night reminiscing fondly about my handiwork for the day, I pondered the remnants. They were roughly 2 ft wide and 7-8 ft long total. Could they fit under the fwd 'hall' or passageway carpet? This morning I laid the carpet on the dock and figured out that if I started the coverage fwd of the ladder steps (no pad under the ladder), I could cover the entire space completely! Perfect! That area has never had carpet pad and feels fantastic underfoot now that it's there! In my book, that's a free bonus room!

I'll post more when I get the sound tests completed.
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Old 05-12-2018, 08:11 PM   #2
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I put it in a previous boat and liked it. Yes it was very easy to install.
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Old 05-12-2018, 10:10 PM   #3
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Nice work. This is something I am interested in doing also. I will be watching for your data and impressions...thanks for sharing!
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Old 05-12-2018, 10:15 PM   #4
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Nice work. Looks very professional.
Did you take some sound readings before with a dB meter? Interested in hearing the before and after results.
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Old 05-12-2018, 10:48 PM   #5
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Nice work. Looks very professional.
Did you take some sound readings before with a dB meter? Interested in hearing the before and after results.
I have a phone app called Advanced Spectrum Analyzer Pro that records a screenshot of the frequency spectrum. Yes, I took a "before" measurement at cruise power.

I'll post some comparison pics soon.

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Old 05-12-2018, 10:50 PM   #6
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I used soundown material on my generator enclosure and floor and it made a big difference. Also used Steve and he was a huge help.
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Old 05-13-2018, 06:52 AM   #7
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Fly thanks for sharing great work

Question are you happy with the 2" overlap now that it is in or would you do different?, I know you have not had much time to use the hatch with it in
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Old 05-13-2018, 06:52 AM   #8
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It does work well, but with our launch , moving it after lifting the carpet to check the engine for the next days run becomes a drill.

But the quiet is a delight.
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Old 05-13-2018, 10:19 AM   #9
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I was worried about that, too, Fred. That's one reason I went with the 1 lb/sf vinyl instead of 2 lb/sf and cut out the hatch covers to be lifted separately. My top hatches only get opened for engine maintenance or large ER jobs. Simple engine and fluid checks and top-offs are done with access through the fwd ER door (below the steps) or the aft ER lazarette in the cockpit.

Alan, I'll let you know about the 2 inch overlap, but it's what Steve recommended. It's a very tight fit so I seriously doubt I'd notice the difference from a solid sheet vs one with cut hatches.
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Old 05-13-2018, 12:05 PM   #10
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I was worried about that, too, Fred. That's one reason I went with the 1 lb/sf vinyl instead of 2 lb/sf and cut out the hatch covers to be lifted separately. My top hatches only get opened for engine maintenance or large ER jobs. Simple engine and fluid checks and top-offs are done with access through the fwd ER door (below the steps) or the aft ER lazarette in the cockpit.

Alan, I'll let you know about the 2 inch overlap, but it's what Steve recommended. It's a very tight fit so I seriously doubt I'd notice the difference from a solid sheet vs one with cut hatches.
Thanks look forward to hearing I am sure his recommendation it is going to be perfect
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Old 05-13-2018, 01:59 PM   #11
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The pad just floats on the floor and one hatch without attachment except for the other hatch with a table base installed. The 54 inch width was just about perfect for covering about 85% of my floor dimensions. I cut the hatches with a 2" overhang to mitigate noise transfer through the gaps.

Very timely, thanks for posting. We're just now getting ready for a re-carpet job... and in fact we just selected the color from our samples today.

So your real (over-) carpet isn't tacked down around the edges, etc.?


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Question are you happy with the 2" overlap now that it is in or would you do different?, I know you have not had much time to use the hatch with it in
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I was worried about that, too, Fred. That's one reason I went with the 1 lb/sf vinyl instead of 2 lb/sf and cut out the hatch covers to be lifted separately. My top hatches only get opened for engine maintenance or large ER jobs.

And your engine hatches are not "wrapped"?

How much noise could there be from around the hatch seams without the 2" overlap

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Old 05-13-2018, 02:04 PM   #12
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Right...everything floats and stays stationary. My carpet has floated on a felt pad for 11 years that I've owned it without incident. Makes it easy to pick up to access the hatches.

Maybe Steve can answer the question about noise from the hatch seams without overlap. I suppose every boat is different. My hatches are not tight fitting so the overhang was critical, IMO. Tough to quantify the difference without testing, though.
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Old 05-13-2018, 02:22 PM   #13
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.... a huge shout-out to Keysdisease/Steve who provided me with great information, samples and advice about the Soundown products... It's always nice doing business with a fellow TFer. Thanks, Steve...
I’ll second that. When we redid the engine room Steve was an invaluable resource.

Nice job Al.
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Old 05-13-2018, 03:06 PM   #14
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We had a previous boat recarpeted. We used the Soundown 2# 1/2” underlayment. I had them bind the edges around the hatches and then sew 2” velcro on the bottom of the carpet facing up with 1” sticking out. Then they sewed 1” velcro on the bottom of the hatch carpet pieces. We also had the hatch openings in the carpet cut oversize by 2”. Then we could just rip the carpet over the hatches off when we needed access. The carpet on the hatches stayed put even with our large Lab running around.
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Old 05-13-2018, 03:17 PM   #15
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Lead sheeting is probably the best, also thick foam if you have the head room.
I can have a normal conservation in my salon, sitting over two Detroit Diesels running at full rated hp. And I have poor hearing.
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Old 05-13-2018, 03:21 PM   #16
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Lead sheeting is probably the best, also thick foam if you have the head room.
I can have a normal conservation in my salon, sitting over two Detroit Diesels running at full rated hp. And I have poor hearing.
that is impressive for sure I have to have elevated speech but not yelling
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Old 05-14-2018, 09:07 AM   #17
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A "leaky" hatch can contribute 5-10 db, a significant amount and makes gaskets the best bang for the buck you can get in noise control. We have found that cutting our carpet underlayment oversize for hatches that need access provides a kind of "flap" seal that effectively reduces noise from hatches with no or damaged gaskets.

Many boats are going to "loose lay" carpeting with bound edges, which for a boat typically works very well as the carpeting usually can't go anywhere anyway as its constrained by bulkheads and cabinetry.

And Al, be sure your before / after tests are same / same. Taken in the same place under the same conditions. If you took the "before" at cruise RPM no load in the slip, take the "after" the same way.

Nice to hear so many are pleased with our product and service.

Thanks, Steve






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Right...everything floats and stays stationary. My carpet has floated on a felt pad for 11 years that I've owned it without incident. Makes it easy to pick up to access the hatches.

Maybe Steve can answer the question about noise from the hatch seams without overlap. I suppose every boat is different. My hatches are not tight fitting so the overhang was critical, IMO. Tough to quantify the difference without testing, though.
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Old 05-14-2018, 02:18 PM   #18
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We have found that cutting our carpet underlayment oversize for hatches that need access provides a kind of "flap" seal that effectively reduces noise from hatches with no or damaged gaskets.

Does that not give you a hump around the hatches?

If the hatches are "wrapped" -- i.e., carpet at least, and maybe the underlayment too, are folded over the edges of each edge where the hatches meet the main deck -- does that not provide some sound abatement around the hatches?

Can Soundown be installed that way?

Or when wrapping, do folks usually cut the underlayment flush with the edges and fold the carpet over the top of all that?

(Our hatches were completely covered with fully-tacked carpet, so I cut our carpet open around the hatches myself... which means I've not seen first-hand how it's really supposed to be done...)

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Old 05-14-2018, 02:32 PM   #19
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I often wondered how that heavy rubber sold as shower underlayment would work.
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Old 05-14-2018, 02:33 PM   #20
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dB sound meter apps are available on cell phones these days, often free.
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