Top 3 Heaters, Non-Shore Power?

B

braol

.
Apr 16, 2014
348
Hunter 27 Rebel 16 Great Lakes Naval Base, IL
All,
I'd like some feedback on the top three ways people heat their cabins when not connected to shore power. (Getting busy with The Admiral not included!) :naughty:
Most of the discussions are from people who are always looking to ventilate in the hot weather but I have two little kids and worry about keeping them warm down below. My upcoming transfer to the more temperate Lake Michigan sailing grounds is the inspiration for this topic.
 
heart of gold

heart of gold

.
Sep 21, 2009
385
Hunter 34 Comox
While underway, on engine power, we use a bus heater. This type plumbs into the cooling circuit of the engine. Works quite well. When at rest or sailing, we have an Espar D4 Airtronic that when it works, is awesome heat, a little noisy, but will keep the boat toasty dry. You will want good batteries and charging system. I have had a little trouble with it but know people that have had them for years and love em.
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
My boat is equipped with a Sig Marine Cozy Cabin Heater... it runs on propane and without electricity of any kind and is extremely fuel efficient for a propane heater.
it is vented to the exterior and also has an oxygen depletion sensor for safety, and will shut off automatically if it senses low levels...
it uses about a pound of fuel every 6-7 hours once it gets warmed up... a 20lb bottle will last 100+ hours of constant use. I have spent every weekend at the boat since February and have used well less than a half a tank...
I was skeptical when I seen it, but I would recommend it now that I have used it a lot..
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
braol said:
Do you have to provide for exhaust of the fumes in any way???
Click to expand
it has a simple 1" diameter vent pipe thru the roof... all the fittings are included except the pipe. its an easy installation.
 
Les

Les

.
May 8, 2004
375
Hunter 27 Bellingham, WA
I am a fan of Webasto hot air furnaces and I use it the year around. Here in the northwest we have cool nights and warm air in the evening and early morning is always appreciated. The entire system is small and uses little in the way of fuel (I tap off the diesel engine tank) and electricity. I think more important I have had no problems with the furnace in the past five years. In my past five boats I've had Webasto furnaces, one hot water and the rest hot air.

At present I have three outlets, one in the aft cabin, one in the head and one in the main cabin. It takes about twenty minutes to warm up the boat.
 
Mikem

Mikem

.
Dec 20, 2009
823
Hunter 466 Bremerton
And a side benefit of the Webasto heater/boiler is that it also provides hot water.
 
centerline

centerline

.
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Ive also used the Webasto heaters, and they are a GREAT source for heating.
the upside to them, they are definitley powerful, dependable heaters that put out a lot of forced air heat.
they are a great consideration when looking at heaters, either for replacement of an existing unit, or a new install.

the down side to them are, they do consume a substantial amount of power from the batts, and the fuel consumption can be higher than desired when away from a source for refueling for extended periods.
also, like the heater itself, parts are very expensive when they are required for repairs.

as much as I like them and want the heat output, my style of boating does not allow for the consumption rates on either the fuel or electrical...
 
D

Dunlookin

.
Jan 13, 2011
94
Hunter 33 (78 Cherubini) Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
I did a tremendous amount of research. I kept in mind that I was a coastal cruiser and would never be a great distance from resupply. I wanted safety and as few moving parts as possible. I knew that I would be upgrading my non-pressurized alcohol stove to a propane stove/oven so I kept the idea of propane in mind. I selected the Dickinson Propane heater. It comes with almost everything you need to heat your boat. You simply have to decide if you want to supply it via a disposable or a larger tank. The beauty of the design is that it has a double walled pipe. The inner pipe draws fresh air into the unit and the outer pipe exhausts the waste. The inut has a fan that will circulate heat faster but, is not required.

I installed it on my 33' Hunter and used it as I lived aboard while "wintering over" in Philadelphia, PA. Heated my non insulated boat nicely above 40 degrees. Below 38 degrees I had to put on sweats to be comfortable.

The fan failed after about five monts of hard winter use. Dickinson replaced it for free.

I twenty pound bar-b-que tank would last me four days of constant use on high. A week of constant use on low.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

.
Feb 6, 1998
11,701
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I've had a Force 10/Cozy LPG cabin heater on three boats. On all three we refused to use it. Made the boat wetter than warm because it is a glorified flower pot heater......

The day I ripped the Force 10 heater out of our current boat, and installed a forced air Espar, was the best move we've made for coastal cruising here in Maine.

If I had to do it over again I would probably choose a Wallas as they tend to be quieter. The Espar, Websato and Wallas forced air heaters are excellent and they SIP fuel. They LOVE clean fuel though.. Ours has been heating our boat every day I work on it in the yard, since early December. We are still have lots of fuel. The fuel use of our Espar is not even a consideration for coastal cruising because we have waaaaay more diesel than we do LPG...

If I was live aboard I would have a hydronic system but for coastal cruising my choices would be....

*Wallas FHA
*Espar /Webasto FHA
*Dickenson LPG


I was talking with Tim R. just yesterday who lives aboard in Portland. He and his wife have a Hurricane Hydronic boiler. They used just 230 gallons for 24/7 heating and hot water, all winter, on an uninsulated 40' boat. It was one of the coldest winters here in a long time.
 
Les

Les

.
May 8, 2004
375
Hunter 27 Bellingham, WA
Okay, Main Sail, you caught me. Wow, 230 gallons of fuel for a winter in Portland. Portland is normally warmer then Seattle and......ooooooh, Portland, MAINE. Yes, that would be a WOW in fuel.

I've had five Webasto furnaces and they have all been quiet but on the first two we hung the pump on a wire wrap so that you couldn't hear the clicking. But the last two Webastos have been very quiet, use practically no fuel and as far as I am concerned, very little electricity after the initial start.

However, you do bring up a very important point and that is that this type of furnace regardless of the brand does produce DRY heat. No moisture. For those considering heating options, keep this in mind.

230 gallons? I'm glad I live in the Pacific Northwest. I've used less then five gallons this winter but then again, I don't live aboard.

BTW, I installed the Smart Plug. Thanks for the heads up and web site.
 
bletso

bletso

.
Aug 20, 2013
106
Globe 38 PCB
We have a Shipmate pressurized kerosene heater. Works great, but they are no longer in business. I did have to make another fuel tank for it a couple years ago.. Different story..
 
Allan12210

Allan12210

.
Jan 22, 2008
1,661
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
heart of gold said:
While underway, on engine power, we use a bus heater. This type plumbs into the cooling circuit of the engine. Works quite well.
Click to expand
Could you provide more information on a bus heater, please? I'm wondering if there is a way to tap into the hot water system when plugged in to shore power as a source of heat.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

.
Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Allan12210 said:
Could you provide more information on a bus heater, please? I'm wondering if there is a way to tap into the hot water system when plugged in to shore power as a source of heat.
Click to expand
Allan, I'm guessing it's something like this:

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Cabin_Heater

Only works when the engine is working, unless you have a separate electric heater in the loop, which I haven't heard of. Yet...

He did say: "While underway, on engine power..."
 
Allan12210

Allan12210

.
Jan 22, 2008
1,661
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Stu Jackson said:
Allan, I'm guessing it's something like this:

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Cabin_Heater

Only works when the engine is working, unless you have a separate electric heater in the loop, which I haven't heard of. Yet...

He did say: "While underway, on engine power..."
Click to expand
Thanks Stu for the quick response. Since the water heater is electric maybe with the addition of a small pump this could funtion as if it were in the coolant loop of the engine. I would be circulating the fresh water instead. I've seen a small 12 volt pump that is used for the thermal solar panels moving water from the roof to the storage tank in the house. The search continues.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

.
Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Allan, the normal water heater is six gallons. Of water heated to maybe 120-150. That won't go a long way to heat anything. Think about it. Even if you stayed plugged in with the heating element on, then you'd spend more to pump it around. Buy a space heater for when you're at the dock or a catalytic heater when anchored out, or invest in one of the heaters mentioned in a parallel discussion of Top 3 Heaters. KISS.
 
Allan12210

Allan12210

.
Jan 22, 2008
1,661
Hunter 34 Alameda CA
Stu Jackson said:
Allan, the normal water heater is six gallons. Of water heated to maybe 120-150. That won't go a long way to heat anything. Think about it. Even if you stayed plugged in with the heating element on, then you'd spend more to pump it around. Buy a space heater for when you're at the dock or a catalytic heater when anchored out, or invest in one of the heaters mentioned in a parallel discussion of Top 3 Heaters. KISS.
Click to expand

Good points, Stu. We have the space heaters but was just toying with alternatives. We always tun off the electric water heater when running the space heater. Then I thought why not stop using the 1500 Watt space heater (usually run at 900 Watts) and take the heat from the 1200 Watt water heater. Its just to keep the chill off. Aren't DIY projects supposed to be overly complicated? :)
 
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