Cockpit drain heaters

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bryan

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12 months ago I fitted cockpit drain heaters, powered by a kubota 2.2Kw marine generator, for a planned trip into Antarctic waters. This trip has been cancelled and I have subsequently removed the heating elements from the stainless drains (which are forsale as new), but I have kept the generator. This gives us a tremendous amount of electrical power that we are having trouble consuming. We have always been carefull with electrical power on board, and as such have missed a lot of the wonderfull gadgets that are now available. We now have the following, and I consider invaluable, electrical appliances:- knives, microwave, hairdryers, toothbrushes, frypan, breadmaker, slowcooker, but I am sure there are things we have missed, that would improve our boating quality of life. Any ideas.
Regards
Bryan
 
Hello Bryan forgive a simple Ozzie but how do cockpit drain heaters work? My first thought was that surely if it is so cold the water in the cockpit would also be frozen enough to be unwilling to flow overboard through the drains. Alternatively couldn't you just fit bigger drains that hopefully won't seal up with ice. we have had winter arrive today 19degree maxand I am complainig bitterly (10 days ago we had a 42degree max) so I am shivvering at the thought of cockpit drains needing heating.
Any more stories about the problems of Antarctic would be appreciated.
PS congratulations on decidingh not to go to Antarctica. regards olewill
 
Dear William
The cockpit floor has a rubber mat with elements running thru it, with kevlar strips to keep it ridged and thru holes to bolt to existing floor, the floor and tubes have thermostats througout that keep them at + 5degC.
regards
 
I'd make sure that your battery charger is as large as your batteries would stand, so you can make best use of the generator run-time. Likewise, your water heater. Many water heaters are low power (750W) to avoid tripping marina supplies but you can probably buy a bigger element. By the way, our Kubota powered Fisher Panda 6kW generator should not be run continuously at more than 80% or rated output, according to the manual. It is suggested that 50% or less is desirable otherwise the oil might need to be changed more often. It might be worth checking your manual.
 
Gawd! I think I would rather go somewhere tropical, then you can fit air conditioning with all that spare juice!!
How about an ice making machine, massage table, sun bed, surround sound cinema TV or perhaps charge up an electric scooter to ride around on?
 
Hi Chris comes back to the forum after several hours having suddenly realised it is April 1 now I am really confused. i hope if it is it is resolvd before too long. ole olewill
 
Dear mike
I have ice making from compressor off the engine, and large screen plasma TV with sound. The scooter is a fine idea, will give this some thought. As I have said I have removed the heating elements from the drains and I am working on a macerator system using 4 electric motors and chopper plates / housings from electric toilets, I am fitting sharpened steel blades, these engage when water passed down the tubes. This idea like the cockpit drain heaters is backed with funding from the Royal Navy, South Hampton University and the ROC, as it has been proved that many lives are lost at sea in cruising boats, due to blocked cockpit drains.
regards
Bryan
 
Cockpit drain heaters have been banned for antarctic use for some time now.

Apparently the flows of warm water from these heaters have seriously affected the ability of penguins to detect changes in seson impacting their migratory and mating patterns.
 
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This post has nothing to do with April 1st, by some chance, does it?

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I just somehow think it might ! !


/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Dear Jmirvine and Chris
I have chosen a very unfortunate day to communicate some new concepts, and discuss my slightly eccentric needs. I have worked for so long with my idea's it seems strange that lights dont turn on in others.
Maybe bow thrusters, series drogues, para anchors, expensive cat food and fire all seemed like crazy ideas. When a wave washes down the deck and tumbles into the cockpit and flows into the cabin, everything floats including you, things you havent seen for the last 2 years will be flowing down your drains perhaps blocking them. Whats so strange about chopping this blockage into small pieces. Preventing ice is a big problem.
regards
Bryan
 
How about installing some high tech navigation system and stabilisers so that even if the cockpit is full of ice, the boat remains stable, providing an additional recreational facilitiy for penguins, polar bears etc as using the hight tec nav system you could just send the boat sailing unhanded..
The Royal Navy could monitor which species of antarctic life adapts to life on board, and whether relationships develop between previous hostile species, evaluating the much praised team building activity that is often attributed to sailing...the potential is limitless..
 
With all that electrical juice to spare, have you considered using a big fan to fill the sails on calm days? I had a Dehler 34 with massive battery banks. I managed a class win in her in the 1989 Round The Isalnd when there was hardly any wind. On with the fan and off we went.
 
Why bother with an expensive electrolysis unit?
Just have a trailing generator - so as you go through the water - powered by your fan, it turns the blades of the genny - topping up your batteries - hey - you can do away with the generator altogether!
 
Hope you never get rolled over. Cor, fancy being stabbed to death by a Moulinex electric knife! That's what I call 'style' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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