Staying warm..........

[Rick]

Hello!It was 4 degrees F this morning at our house this morning....Ouch! Although it won't be that cold when our o'day 25 gets launched this spring, I'm looking for your thoughts on how to stay warm while staying overnight in the chilly nights of spring. We will be tied to our mooring so electricity is not an option. We do have two batteries on board but would rather not drain them if possible. Keep in mind, our boat has a two-stroke (gasoline) inboard therefore there is "concern" regarding fumes. Other than lots of blankets, what type of heating source (if any) do you find works on your boat? Thanks in advance for your response!Rick Leger"Tiny Dancer"

 

[Russell Marcks]

Staying Warm

Any chandlery has a variety of devices for heating. Perhaps one of the alchol burners might work; although I've always been leary of both alchohol as well as carbon monoxide from ANY flame source.I suppose you could mount a CO detector and use a propane/butane/alchohol heater while keeping the hatch cracked.(CO is lighter than air).Just how cold do you expect it to be? The safest option might be an arctic sleeping bag. I have one that my wife uses and she keeps warm enough with that.Russ Marcks

 

[Don Evans]

Agree With Russ

Buy the best sleeping bag you can find. I prefer the type that has layers that can be removed as the temperatures of night increase through the season. My friend, Gord Perchie out in Vancouver has a Force 10, propane heater aboard his OD25, mounted on the bulkhead and the flue through the deck. He swares by it, but he also has precautions aboard, such as propane and CO detectors, with lots of ventilation. For myself I use a catalytic propane camp heater which radiates IR heat. I ONLY use it in the late night and early morning to take the chill out of my bones. I also have a kerosene lamp mounted to the bulkhead which throws just enough heat to keep the cabin air comfortable. All flames are extinguished onboard my vessel before retiring.Don

 

[Tom Ehmke]

w/o insulation, it's hard to keep the heat

Without a layer of insulation inside the hull no heater will be particularly efficient, and with insulation, you risk carbon monoxide poisoning unless the heater is vented. I use a catalytic heater like Don does, but on a REALLY cold evening or especially in the morning after snuggling into a warm comforter all night long, it's REALLY hard to crawl out. I have also used the Origlo galley stove with a clay pot over the burner which will provide a more uniform heat and somewhat reduce the condensation inside the cabin area. Bottom line, I guess, is to anticipate the cold and take all the pleasure you can from just being on the boat.