Anyone familiar with the Mr. Heater Buddy or Big Buddy heaters? I am considering one for my Hunter 450 and am trying to decide whether or not to get the bigger unit? PS. I know that these will require some ventilation.
Mr. Heater Buddy or Big Buddy?
- Thread starter Bowedtoothdoc
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I have been using the smaller one, the Portable Buddy, and I am very happy with it on the 34. Gets the boat nice with temperatures as low as 30F.. I suspect two of the smaller ones would be better on your 450 than one big one, because it would give you more heat flexibility .. that would keep ya from roasting in one cabin while freezing in another.. They do require a little ventilation and they do have safety features like tip-over shut down and low oxygen shut down. Get a carbon monoxide detector/alarm too..
I've used the one now called the portable buddy 4000 to 9000 BTU in 32 ft boat at temps down to 40 (hey, I'm in San Diego, that's freezin' to us) and it works well. Seems one would cover your salon but maybe not the whole boat. It will eat a 1 LB bottle in 4 hours on high, after getting things started you can usually turn it down to low.
They make wall mount units also if you have room and were going to tap into the boats propane system. Of course, I can't buy one because I live in California ?
http://www.mrheater.com/ProductFamily.aspx?catid=57
They make wall mount units also if you have room and were going to tap into the boats propane system. Of course, I can't buy one because I live in California ?
http://www.mrheater.com/ProductFamily.aspx?catid=57
Thanks Kloudie for the quick reply....I think I will start with one of the smaller units and see how it goes. I can always get another one if needed.
Bowed, we have the smaller one and use it regularly. I really like it and it heats the cabin up pretty nicely. It has a "low oxygen shut off" and states it is for indoor and outdoor use. I did not want the bigger one because it would get in the way getting around it in the cabin. When it gets really chilly we will close off the forward cabin and just let it heat the salon and aft cabin.
We also carry a Coleman Blackcat Catalytic Heater and it works well too but my preference is the Mr. Heater.
Review
I have the smaller one and a friend has the larger one. I bought mine as a back up in case of power loss. Both of us brought them tailgating one to heat up what was essentially a three sided tent. Both functioned well, but lacked the BTU's to make the space warm. It was nice to stand in front of them for sure. The small one is quite portable and light, while the larger one is pretty large and heavy and would be difficult to stow. Note that they even have the 3800 BTU Little Buddy with O2 sensor and tip over safety feature. That would be very easy to stow for sure, but to be frank, 3800 BTU's isn't a lot of hear.
In short I recommend them.
I have the smaller one and a friend has the larger one. I bought mine as a back up in case of power loss. Both of us brought them tailgating one to heat up what was essentially a three sided tent. Both functioned well, but lacked the BTU's to make the space warm. It was nice to stand in front of them for sure. The small one is quite portable and light, while the larger one is pretty large and heavy and would be difficult to stow. Note that they even have the 3800 BTU Little Buddy with O2 sensor and tip over safety feature. That would be very easy to stow for sure, but to be frank, 3800 BTU's isn't a lot of hear.
In short I recommend them.
The Mr. Buddy heater works great. We even use it instead of electric when on shore power. What I have found to work well is to turn a fan on low pointed over top of heater to circulate heat through out the cabin. Another plus is to refill the 1 pound bottles. Much cheaper to run. Don't expect to find the adapter to refill in California! For storage cap the bottles with Mac caps.
I would go with the larger unit. It offers not only more heat, but it also has a fan. You can also get a hose that you can connect to your extra propane jug so it can run all night/day.
"Output Power=4000 Btu/h [Max], 9000 Btu/h [Max], 18000 Btu/h [Max], Working Area=400.00 sq. ft. [Max], Fuel Type=Propane, Usage=(1) 1 lb. Cylinder: 1.5 to 6 hrs, (2) 1 lb. Cylinders: 3 to 12 hrs, (2) 20 lb."
We have the smaller one on our HV'36 and sometimes wish we had a little more heat. If we are at the dock we also run our electric blanket.
"Output Power=4000 Btu/h [Max], 9000 Btu/h [Max], 18000 Btu/h [Max], Working Area=400.00 sq. ft. [Max], Fuel Type=Propane, Usage=(1) 1 lb. Cylinder: 1.5 to 6 hrs, (2) 1 lb. Cylinders: 3 to 12 hrs, (2) 20 lb."
We have the smaller one on our HV'36 and sometimes wish we had a little more heat. If we are at the dock we also run our electric blanket.
Here is the address to the MacCap
http://www.amazon.com/Mac-Coupler-Propane-Bottle-MacCaps/dp/B001AH1DCQ
Thanks Everyone,
I ended up at Northern Tool yesterday and bought the smaller unit. The larger one was just too big to store aboard the boat...If needed I can always buy another unit or maybe even the really small unit.
I ended up at Northern Tool yesterday and bought the smaller unit. The larger one was just too big to store aboard the boat...If needed I can always buy another unit or maybe even the really small unit.
Bowed you will be pleased with it. It does well for us in all but the very worst nights and days (20-30's). And then we just use the small unit as well or turn on a burner on the stove or bake something
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