Heat for a Catalina 30

[Bad Obsession]

I have been thinking about the idea of starting my cruising season early. What would be a cheap, non permament, and descent way to take the chill out of the cabin?

I really don't want to put anything in my cabin that will have to be mounted etc. It would be nice if it could burn overnight, safely, and heat the cabin in April weather for the Middle Chesapeake Bay Region. March is too unpredictable for cruising in this area with powerful cold fronts bringing high winds through the area. April also has some of these risks of these strong fronts, but they aren't quite as frequent as March.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Benny]

An oil space heater. This is a radiator type heater with an electric heating element encapsuled in oil. It is very safe as the coils do not get hot enough to ignite paper but radiate quite a bit of heat. A separate fan will help with air circulation in the cabin.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I wish I could report on my new heat source, an Origo 5100. We leave NC next week and I bought it for the trip south. So I have had no opportunity to test it. I have read good reports but you know how those go. I opted for alcohol because I already carry it for my stove. In reality I hope that I do not have to use it, that it stays above 60 degrees all the way from Beaufort to Tampa.

 

[Rick D]

Ed, I Have One

If I recall, it's about 5000 BTU. It works very well for us in SoCal winter conditions. I have used it for maybe 15 years.

 

[Stu Jackson]

For just getting the edge off

try a catalytic heater from any sporting goods store. Burns the same canisters as your BBQ. Ours works fine for us here on chilly mornings.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Flowerpot heat

Turn a clay flowerpot upside down over your stove and put the stove on medium heat. Storage is minimal and if you use a small fan the whole boat will get warm.
Aim the fan above the pot, not on it.

Keep a weather eye out for CO poisoning. I've not had a problem with my CNG but better safe than sorry, keep a port open.

 

[RAD]

Mr Heater

I have one of these and it has a CO sensor built in and works real well, even has a way to mount on a wall with key hole slots on the back of the unit
try a search and there's a lot of places that stock them

http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=24

 

[Tim R.]

I also use a Mr. Heater. They work great. We burn it while in the cabin until bedtime and will start it up again when we wake up. We were out a few nights last fall when we had temps below 30 and it was very cozy inside the cabin.

They also work great for working on the boat in the winter while on the hard.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Thanks for the advice guys....Looks like Mr. Heater is a definite consideration for this idea. Maybe the larger version of Mr. Heater because it holds two cylinders. I have a CO2 detecter in the boat so that is added peace of mind.

 

[larryw]

I've used a variation on the clay flower-pot thing for years; use the largest pot or kettle you have on board, (no plastic handles) turn it upside down over a medium low burner. The whole pot gets very warm and will radiate heat throughout the cabin, and a 12v fan will blow it into the stateroom. You already have the fuel and there's no storage issues. The cabin vents will prevent CO2 buildup.

 

[ggrizzard]

As a result of this forum posting, I bought a Mr. Heater 9. It works great. Yeah, I know I live in FL, but these old bones get creaky below 75 degrees and the day I got it, the temp was 52!
The propane fuel is the same as my BBQ, and I can keep the cannisters in the anchor locker (it's vented at the bottom) with no worries about leaks into the cabin.
Cost was $89 at my local Ace, so no shipping. :dance: