Being in St. Pete, FL and having cruised the last few years in the Caribbean, we're pretty ignorant about the current 'best thinking' regarding portable electric heaters. We're prepping for some cold weather cruising and, along with adding a diesel heater, would like to put aboard a simple AC-powered fan-assisted space heater. We'd like to consume 10 amps or less. For those of you with cold-weather savvy, which heaters might provide the most heat? And are there certain types that have special virtues (e.g. ceramic element types)? Jack WHOOSH
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Ceramic is fine.
Jack: We use a ceramic heater. We place it just below the steps on the companionway. This seems to do an okay job unless the weather has been foggy for several days and there is no heat. As far as the power consumption, they are typically 750 & 1500 watts (low/high). I guess you will need to leave it on low!
Jack: We use a ceramic heater. We place it just below the steps on the companionway. This seems to do an okay job unless the weather has been foggy for several days and there is no heat. As far as the power consumption, they are typically 750 & 1500 watts (low/high). I guess you will need to leave it on low!
Ceramic
Those little ceramic heaters are really great. I've always found that it heats just fine on the low setting. You won't think you're in the tropics but it'll keep things comfortable. LaDonna
Those little ceramic heaters are really great. I've always found that it heats just fine on the low setting. You won't think you're in the tropics but it'll keep things comfortable. LaDonna
ceramic heater works great
Ditto for me! it's been below freezing here several times (yes, we're still in the water, ski parkas,gloves and hats but still sailing!)and one of the small ceramic heaters keeps the cabin very comfortable on our 356.
Ditto for me! it's been below freezing here several times (yes, we're still in the water, ski parkas,gloves and hats but still sailing!)and one of the small ceramic heaters keeps the cabin very comfortable on our 356.
Are there other choices?
I ask because I see heaters in catalogs like WM that suggest an alternative to the glowing coils and ceramic elements. Jack
I ask because I see heaters in catalogs like WM that suggest an alternative to the glowing coils and ceramic elements. Jack
Pelonis
Is a brand of ceramic heater that I like. The new ones have a digital thermometer. You can set the thermostat to the temp you want and it will run like crazy until it gets to that temp. Then the fan slows down and gives just enough heat to keep the thermostat happy. I use this in my 25 all winter while I am working on it. r.w.landau
Is a brand of ceramic heater that I like. The new ones have a digital thermometer. You can set the thermostat to the temp you want and it will run like crazy until it gets to that temp. Then the fan slows down and gives just enough heat to keep the thermostat happy. I use this in my 25 all winter while I am working on it. r.w.landau
West Marine Three-speed
Electric heaters, which work off of resistance, are going to be all about the same efficiency-wise. It's the other things - construction, fan design, thermostat, heating elements, noise, etc. that will be what sets one apart from another, and price. We don't liveaboard but living in the Pacific Northwest we use heaters a lot, even in August! We chose a comparatively mid-priced West Marine model (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&classNum=743&subdeptNum=379&storeNum=12&productId=10837) for several reasons: 1. It's low profile won't tip over (but does take up floor space), 2. Three speeds/power settings, 3. Easy to take apart to clean (one needs to vacuum the dust and lint out every so often), and, 4. In the lower power settings it is very quiet (the squirrel-cage fan gets faster with increased heat settings but it also gets noisier). Your desired 10 Amp input works out to 1200 Watts which is in the middle of the two highest output settings. When it's freezing and we come aboard I'll often use the forced air heater in combination with the electric heater to quickly get the cabin up to comfort range. Once that's reached the lower settings on our 35-footer is sufficient to maintain cabin temperature. Question: You said you're preparing for some "cold weather cruising" - just wondering, is that in Florida???
Electric heaters, which work off of resistance, are going to be all about the same efficiency-wise. It's the other things - construction, fan design, thermostat, heating elements, noise, etc. that will be what sets one apart from another, and price. We don't liveaboard but living in the Pacific Northwest we use heaters a lot, even in August! We chose a comparatively mid-priced West Marine model (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&classNum=743&subdeptNum=379&storeNum=12&productId=10837) for several reasons: 1. It's low profile won't tip over (but does take up floor space), 2. Three speeds/power settings, 3. Easy to take apart to clean (one needs to vacuum the dust and lint out every so often), and, 4. In the lower power settings it is very quiet (the squirrel-cage fan gets faster with increased heat settings but it also gets noisier). Your desired 10 Amp input works out to 1200 Watts which is in the middle of the two highest output settings. When it's freezing and we come aboard I'll often use the forced air heater in combination with the electric heater to quickly get the cabin up to comfort range. Once that's reached the lower settings on our 35-footer is sufficient to maintain cabin temperature. Question: You said you're preparing for some "cold weather cruising" - just wondering, is that in Florida???
For John...
Funny to see your question about 'cold weather cruising in Florida' after diving the boat today. Geesh, was it cold in that water! (We're real wimps and 65 degrees is, for us, frigid). No, we're prepping the boat in St. Pete but headed for Europe, with an initial goal of wintering at one of the marinas on the Thames in London. Jack
Funny to see your question about 'cold weather cruising in Florida' after diving the boat today. Geesh, was it cold in that water! (We're real wimps and 65 degrees is, for us, frigid). No, we're prepping the boat in St. Pete but headed for Europe, with an initial goal of wintering at one of the marinas on the Thames in London. Jack
Jack, I'm Envious
Off to Europe, eh? I'm really envious. I've got over a hundred full-size cruising charts of northern Europe (including the Thames), and read numerous cruising books about the area; however, the other half doesn't like the idea. Even tried to sweeten the pot with a new Bavaria (fly over and pick up the boat) but no dice. Das ist nicht gut aber c'est la vie. Guess my talk about St Petersburg and Spitzbergen didn't help much, nor, come to think of it, buying a couple charts for the southern end of Greenland. I can just picture myself going through Denmark. Spain, Croatia (Dalmation coast), and Turkey also sound like really good places to visit. And the route back via the Azores or Canary Islands for return trip in the wake of Columbus..... I'm really envious!
Off to Europe, eh? I'm really envious. I've got over a hundred full-size cruising charts of northern Europe (including the Thames), and read numerous cruising books about the area; however, the other half doesn't like the idea. Even tried to sweeten the pot with a new Bavaria (fly over and pick up the boat) but no dice. Das ist nicht gut aber c'est la vie. Guess my talk about St Petersburg and Spitzbergen didn't help much, nor, come to think of it, buying a couple charts for the southern end of Greenland. I can just picture myself going through Denmark. Spain, Croatia (Dalmation coast), and Turkey also sound like really good places to visit. And the route back via the Azores or Canary Islands for return trip in the wake of Columbus..... I'm really envious!
John, about those charts...
Any chance that they're taking up space you'd rather dedicate to other dreams? Email me if you'd like to offer a list & a price. And thanks for the encouraging words; we can use them. The Azores-UK run will be tough, perhaps not even possible. But we figure those 3 big chunks of ocean work, which is frankly exhausting when things don't go wrong and even tougher when they do, have a huge payoff at the other end - unlimited time to be in our own home and see tons of interesting people, places & cultures. And as you say, the dessert is at the end - back to the Caribbean! Jack jack_patricia@yahoo.com
Any chance that they're taking up space you'd rather dedicate to other dreams? Email me if you'd like to offer a list & a price. And thanks for the encouraging words; we can use them. The Azores-UK run will be tough, perhaps not even possible. But we figure those 3 big chunks of ocean work, which is frankly exhausting when things don't go wrong and even tougher when they do, have a huge payoff at the other end - unlimited time to be in our own home and see tons of interesting people, places & cultures. And as you say, the dessert is at the end - back to the Caribbean! Jack jack_patricia@yahoo.com
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