Is that like the lead foam used in noise control, nearly as expensive as
heat shield :{)) ? Or is there some other noise abatement of which I'm
not
aware (there are probably encyclopediea worth of info of which I'm not
aware!)? Is this an application where a foil-backed insultion board would
help?

That is correct. It is opencell foam either side of a rubber membrane
imbedded with lead and a foil face. I don't think you really have that
option though. You would have to rip everything off that front engine room
wall and having seen it I do not believe you really want to do that. :-)

A little clarification: Once the radiant energy is absorbed it becomes
conductive and the metal actually speeds up transmission. If the foil is
behind another layer that absorbs radiant energy, like the wood face of the
refrigerator it looses much of its effectiveness because the radiant energy
has already been converted to conductive. The foil side on foam or
fiberglass insulation goes on the warm side. It reflects some of the
remaining radiant load but mostly it acts as a moisture barrier.

With your galley layout you have two places where the fridge will be subject
to radiant load. The side of the stove where it sits beside the outboard
end of the box and the back side against the engine room. You are cutting
down the size of the box (Seriously folks, this box is big enough to fit two
coffins in.) so if you go with vacuum insulation you might consider turning
that far end into pot storage. The front wall of the engine room might be a
good candidate for some foil insulation. (Not nessacarily Heat Shield) It
will be easier to install than SoundDown and sound insulation is useless
unless you completely cover all the room surfaces.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com