As the summer starts to fade .....

[Andy Bav]

Many thanks to all of you who kindly responded to my "What do you cook on board" post before we took delivery - we eventually went for a George Foreman grill, an incredible piece of kit. However, thoughts are now going towards a damper Autumn and a cold(ish) winter and so I wonder if you could give me some pointers - as she will remain in the water. Shopping list so far consists of.

Tube heaters x 2 (engine bay and saloon) 60 watts enough ?
Oil fired rad
Timers x 3
Old Duvets x 2 (one for each engine)
Camping electric hook up rather than shorepower - heard that could save anode deterioration, but what about batteries ??
Dehumidifier (?)
Dehumidifying crystals
Prayer x many
First engine service end of October (50 - 100 hours)

Should I think of anything else, and do you have any other physical advice such as blinds up or blinds down, how to get last drops of water from systems etc.

 

[RobWales]

Certainly wouldn't use duvets over the engine's, tube heater should more than take care of any threat of freezing!

Think you'll find that the duvet would retain moisture...?

Defo on a good dehumidifier though, infact I have a very good one that I used to use when I had the larger boat, now redundant so may be up for grabs at a reasonable fee... Next time I'm in the garage I'll get the details and let you know.

Rob.

 

[lisilou]

Dehumidifier (Meaco) and tube heaters in engine bay is all we use Raf and so far so good.
L

 

[wipe_out]

I am planning on putting the dehumidifier in this weekend.. Noticed last weekend it felt a little damp.. Using an over spec dehumidifier with a humidistat ( Ebac unit ) so it will switch on and off as needed to maintain the correct humidity level..

When it gets a bit cooler I'll be using an ET05 plugin thermostatic switch (rather than a timer) to switch the tube heaters on and off as needed.. Will probably put it into a thick clear plastic bag to seal it from any fumes and so reduce the risk of any explosions (we are petrol engined)..

Even though I still plan on using the boat through the winter, in a month or so will drain down the fresh water system as well just in case of a cold snap over the winter that might freeze a pipe..

That should do us..

 

[KevB]

I use a fan heater and dehumidifier on a timer so they both come on at the same time. My dehumidifier is of the cheaper type that needs the air to be warmer to work better. I also use 3 pots of the crystals about the cabins which seems to work great.
I've never bothered to drain the water system, just left the taps on with the pump off and never had a problem.
Given how much heat the tube heaters give off and how bloody cold it gets in the winter, I'm not sure they make a difference to the engine bay temp, especially if you don't block up the air vents.

I believe there are two schools of thought about keeping the damp at bay on a boat. One is to leave it well ventilated and not worry about heating, the other is to seal it up and keep it warm. I use the latter but the former is much cheaper.

Not sure what type of boat you have but definitely take any cockpit cushions down below when you're away from the boat as they can get very damp and dirty.

 

[oGaryo]

The secret to all this is to put the tube heaters on during winter and turn them off once it becomes warm, others may differ in their opinion but that's my preferred method

I made up an arrangement where multiple heaters can be run through a single thermostat.. I'll find the picture I took if you're interested. only downside is if the thermostat packs up, you effectively lose both heaters but it seemed pretty reliable when we used it last season.

remember you'll still need to empty your fresh water system of water as you would do on a caravan when not on board

 

[oGaryo]

 

[wipe_out]

Wow Gary, That's quite a serious looking gizmo..

I am using one of these..

and a multi-plug..

 

[Andy Bav]

Thanks for that Gary, looks like one for my eldest - an Electronic Engineer ....

Looking at your picture and also your recent comment regarding a car alarm on your boat, would I be right in assuming that your Christmas lights dont stretch to a single strand from B&Q

 

[gjgm]

I dont understand the forum fascination with heating the engine bays.
When did Torbay last freeze over?So, stop wasting your money- its a block of cast iron!
A dehumidifier is a good idea, but no need to get carried away with the use, unless you are saying your boat is like a swamp on the inside to start with.
If you arent going to use the boat, then get anything natural fibre off the boat that will hold damp (bedding cushions etc),drain fresh water systems (doesnt need to be super drained), I would remove the swim platform shower head if you have one.
Seems to me most boat advice is for northern Finland...

 

[Tender_aft]

I dont understand the forum fascination with heating the engine bays.
When did Torbay last freeze over?So, stop wasting your money- its a block of cast iron!
A dehumidifier is a good idea, but no need to get carried away with the use, unless you are saying your boat is like a swamp on the inside to start with.
If you arent going to use the boat, then get anything natural fibre off the boat that will hold damp (bedding cushions etc),drain fresh water systems (doesnt need to be super drained), I would remove the swim platform shower head if you have one.
Seems to me most boat advice is for northern Finland...

Is this advice (which seems sensible to me) for those that do not plan to use their boats over the winter?

 

[Andy Bav]

I dont understand the forum fascination with heating the engine bays.
When did Torbay last freeze over?So, stop wasting your money- its a block of cast iron!
...

Thanks - when we were looking at second hand ones [in the water] in Torbay and Plymouth in January and February, a heater in the engine bay was a common denominator and in the harsh winter 2 years ago we had 2 showers crack with the cold just 10 miles up the road so I am erring on the side of caution..

We are hoping to use her 2 weekends in 4/5 so hopefully not sitting idle from November to March..

 

[RobWales]

I dont understand the forum fascination with heating the engine bays.
When did Torbay last freeze over?So, stop wasting your money- its a block of cast iron!
A dehumidifier is a good idea, but no need to get carried away with the use, unless you are saying your boat is like a swamp on the inside to start with.
If you arent going to use the boat, then get anything natural fibre off the boat that will hold damp (bedding cushions etc),drain fresh water systems (doesnt need to be super drained), I would remove the swim platform shower head if you have one.
Seems to me most boat advice is for northern Finland...

My sentiments exactly!

Well that was right up until I cracked the 5.7 mercruiser block in my Cruiser's 24! Which was on its wet berth, did have the correct antifreeze in the closed loop but cracked due to the very cold ambient temps we experienced about 4 winters ago!

Can only have been the raw water in the jacket!

 

[gjgm]

Is this advice (which seems sensible to me) for those that do not plan to use their boats over the winter?

well, diesels and sea water. I think you need to be a bit more careful on petrols and fresh water.

 

[RobWales]

My sentiments exactly!

Well that was right up until I cracked the 5.7 mercruiser block in my Cruiser's 24! Which was on its wet berth, did have the correct antifreeze in the closed loop but cracked due to the very cold ambient temps we experienced about 4 winters ago!

Can only have been the raw water in the jacket!

PS....marina berth sea water!!!

 

[oGaryo]

Wow Gary, That's quite a serious looking gizmo..

I am using one of these..

and a multi-plug..

lols.. I've had a few of those stop working as they're designed for internal use really. the kit in my piccy seems to be more robust on paper with the unit mounted in the waterproof casing. I dangle the remote probe mid way between the engines too to ensure the reading is taking from there rather than where the plug in thermostat is plugged in. seems to work well

 

[oGaryo]

Thanks for that Gary, looks like one for my eldest - an Electronic Engineer ....

Looking at your picture and also your recent comment regarding a car alarm on your boat, would I be right in assuming that your Christmas lights dont stretch to a single strand from B&Q

they're the wife's christmas lights on the boat so a pretty simple affair

 

[PEJ]

If you get a dehumidifier then get one of these

http://www.meaco.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DD8L

Drop me a PM if you do, I might be able to get you a better deal. I am a trade customer of Meaco.

 

[maby]

Don't bother with chemical dehumidifiers - they are a waste of time - get a good desiccant dehumidifier - probably a Meaco - they work at any temperature, suck vast amounts of water out of the air and slightly warm it - reducing your heating needs.

We are South East based and use the boat the whole year round. We've never bothered with tube heaters or oil filled rads - generally leave the Eberspacher on at a very low thermostat - a min/max thermometer in the boat shows that the internal temperature never went below about 8 degrees. Some will tell you that that is meaningless and it is the temperature in the engine bay that matters. They are, of course, correct, but a lot depends on the layout of your boat - in the boat we had up until this spring, there were cabins down either side of the engine bay, so heating the interior protected the mechanics as well. Our new boat has no accommodation around the engine bay, so I'm thinking that I may have to put a couple of tube heaters in.

 

[Matt341]

I have previously had problems with the domestic water system freezing, even with a tube heater in use which was sitting just below the galley area. It turned out that leaving the taps open wasn't enough. The non return valve within the water pump was split, the plastic cartridge within both galley and heads mixer taps both cracked and the shower hose split. We used to stay onboard for the odd weekend through the Winter so it could be a pain to completely drain the system every time. However, I found that isolating the supply from the water tank, running the pump dry for a few seconds (diaphram pump which won't damage when run dry) and opening the calorifier pressure relief valve with all taps & shower open did the trick. Put a bucket under the calorifier valve to save getting water in the bilge.

We don't stay onboard now so the tank has already been emptied and pipework drained for the Winter.

I still leave a small 60watt tube heater on in the main cabin to help keep the upholstery damp free.

A bit of light doesn't do any harm in the Winter either, during the Summer we keep all the curtains & hatch blinds closed to prevent damage to the upholstery and wood but during the Winter I leave the main cabin sunroof blind & bow cabin hatch blind open so that the interior isn't in complete darkness, mould then seems less inclined to grow!