?? Input on Portable Butane heater for Pocket Cruiser

LooseDiamond · Mar 17, 2009

I have a little propane heater that I have used on overnights. I am skittish about using it much, though. I only use it to heat the cabin prior to sleeping and shut it off, or early morning. Once heated, I have been comfortable at 44º or so overnight in sleeping bag. I have a CO detector, but will not leave heater running regardless. Hate someone to find me "sleeping" in a perfectly good boat. Other thoughts?

kloudie1 · Mar 17, 2009

Steve, Search for the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy .. It is approved for indoor use and has its own built in oxygen sensor and cut-off.. I don't know your space requirements, but this thing looks pretty neat. Here is a link to their website.. They don't show dimensions, but you can find these locally in a few stores.. http://www.mrheater.com/ProductFamily.aspx?catid=41

Charisma · Mar 17, 2009

We use the "Mr. Heater Portable Buddy" both in the spring and fall, as our boat is 2hrs from the house. This really stretchs our sailing season, a must have. On a h26 it will keep things comfortable. Chris

sailaway78 · Mar 17, 2009

Cabin Heat

Had a friend who used the Heater Buddy in a Catalina 30, and was very happy with it. Did a good job, and the oxygen sensor gives some peace of mind.

Benny · Mar 17, 2009

Interesting unit but wonder how long the small canister lasts at maximum heat output.

kloudie1 · Mar 17, 2009

The specs for the heater talk about 3 hours on high and 6 hours on low for a 1# propane canister. doesn't sound too bad.. especially if ya buy the canisters in bulk quantities..
Now.. If they only made a portable propane powered air conditioner for this part of the world! I remember about a thousand years ago when I was in high school that several of my buddys' houses had natural gas powered air conditioning but nothing like that is available today.. Propane refrigerators, yes, but not AC..

Jalepeno · Mar 17, 2009

If you look at thier website you will see that the heater (and all of their products) use propane. There is a vast difference and most will say to be very carefull using a portable propane heater. Check with your insurance broker.
I use a portable electric heater while at dock and an Origo HeatPal at anchor.
s/v Jalepeno, CAL 2-25

Stu Jackson · Mar 17, 2009

We use one of these propane jobbies: http://www.rei.com/search?query=catalytic+heater&button.x=44&button.y=11

Great to take the chill off in the morning. Most don't use butane, why butane? The propane green bottles are ubiquitous, and you can buy them in a hardware store for a lot less than a marine store.

Jalepeno · Mar 17, 2009

Heat Pal 5100

Origo, from Sweden, make a number of very safe non-presurized alcohol stoves in addition to the Heat Pal 5100 heater. They are sold by many marine stores throughout the world. Have a look at the following example:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...0?&cid=chanintel&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12130

I had a single burner 1500 stove for ten years on my previous Hunter 23 sailboat. My CAL 2-25 came with a protable butane stove when I bought her two years ago but it was not marine approved and my insurance company told me to get rid of it. I replaced it with an Origo 3000 two burner.
s/v Jalepeno

Napa Ed · Mar 17, 2009

the butane canisters cost more and are harder to find. even the best price is twice the cost of propane per pound.

Jalepeno · Mar 17, 2009

Heat Pal 5100

Origo, from Sweden, make a number of very safe non-presurized alcohol stoves in addition to the heat Pal 5100 heater. They are sold by many marine stores throughout the world. Have a look at the following example:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...0?&cid=chanintel&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12130

I had a single burner 1500 stove for ten years on my previous Hunter sailboat. My CAL 2-25 came with a protable butane stove when I bought her two years ago but it was not marine approved and my insurance company told me to get rid of it. I replaced it with an Origo 3000 two burner.
s/v Jalepeno

Stu Jackson · Mar 17, 2009

Flower Pots again!

stephenronning said:
RE: ORIGO HEATPAL. I saw where someone said to fire-up the alchohol stove and place a flowerpot upside down on it. Would this acheive a similliar effect?
SR

Yes, you can do that with any stove. The big trick is to find somewhere where the flower pot can live without breaking. Worked just great on our C25, (and our 2 burner Origo - loved that stove!) with its relatively small space, but remember, the stove is higher than the floor and heat, well, rises. We like the catalytic heater better because, first it's on the floor and keeps our toes warmer, and it also uses the same fuel as our BBQ, so the fuel is always on board. We keep at least three of them and number them to keep track. You can also figure out the contents of the small bottles by shaking them and using your fingers to find out where the cold stops, which is the level of the fuel remaining.