Do 120 watt heaters protect against freezing

[haddock60]

I have a Moody 27 about to spend 3 months in the boatyard (Devon). I have a 120 watt tubular heater with thermostat that I intend to place in the cabin with the hatch to the engine open. Do these heaters protect against freezing? The Engine and Boat have been winterised so the heater is really a fallback. Does anyone have any direct experience?

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

Why not put it in the engine compartment? Thats where all the expensive plumbing is!!
120Watts is barely enough. For all the extra expense, I would suggest that you invest in a couple more heaters and distribute them in the boat.

 

[NickRobinson]

probably not a lot....

Hi-

as often the answer is 'it depends' but....

You generate a bit more than 120w, same as a bright living room light bulb. Would leaving a light on do the job?

If you could get the heater under the sump, more useful, especially with an old sleeping bag on top of the lump. (and warning sign on ignition switch-)

Otherwise convection will pass any warmth to the cabin ceiling and out through the ventilators as there is virtually no radiant heat.

Best tip.. (and I've not seen my boat since lift out at Skeggy due to c**p weather) move to Med?

Nick

 

[Ross D]

I have a 120W heater in my Albin Vega, it has no thermostat, and I bought it from toolstation for half the price you pay in a chandlery for the same thing.

However, in the well below freezing temps we had about a month ago, it kept the cabin warm and dry throughout (and allowed the epoxy on my new bulkhead laminations to cure). If you have winterised your engine properly then there should be no problems of it freezing, after all you don't put a heater in your car engine.

Ross

 

[Bosun Higgs]

How long is a piece of string?

Depends on how cold it is outside the boat and for how long. How exposed the boat is. Where in the boat the freezable stuff is. etc etc.

If the boat is out of the water then empty it of anything that might freeze and you wont have the worry.

 

[LadyInBed]

120 watt tubular heater with thermostat

Whilst you are at it, see if you can find a couple of 100w light bulbs, rig up a couple of sockets and have those on as well.

Heat and Light

 

[VicS]

If you must heat it go bigger than 120 watts .. much bigger.... 500 watts, or even more.

With a thermostat you can set the minimum temperature that will be acceptable to you and relax in the knowledge that unless we have some record breaking low temperatures the boat will remain frost free.

( I have 2kw to keep a small greenhouse frost free .. there cannot be a big difference)

My boat ?
No heating, nothing left there that could freeze.
Not the power available in the yard to heat more than 3 or 4 boats anyway.

 

[tr7v8]

With the Draco I had a couple of 80watts or thereabouts in the engine bay, outboard of the engines & another slightly bigger one in the cabin. All on a central heating type stat set at around 5 Deg C. I never had a problem whilst the boat is in the water but never saw the current sort of temps in the Medway towns when I had the boat.

 

[Teddy]

I have a Moody 27 about to spend 3 months in the boatyard (Devon). I have a 120 watt tubular heater with thermostat that I intend to place in the cabin with the hatch to the engine open. Do these heaters protect against freezing? The Engine and Boat have been winterised so the heater is really a fallback. Does anyone have any direct experience?

In my experience, the answer is NO.

I have 2 x 120w in the rear cabin, 1 X 240w in the saloon and a 400w in the front AND my max / min thingy recorded a low of -1.5.

With overnight temps down below -8 with day max of about +2 you will find 120w a drop in the ocean (excuse pun)

 

[Jim@sea]

Cracked Engine Block due to cold. In October a few years ago I part exchanged my Moody 30 at a boatyard for another new boat. The following year I took possession of my new boat and found that it was defective and was an "unsold stock boat" that I had refused to buy previously as I wanted a brand new one.Anyway I used a solicitor to get my money back, BUT the boatyard would only give me the balance I paid back together with the return of the Moody 30.
But when the boatyard bought the Moody 30 the previous October and it became their possession they did nothing to it, so when winter came the block froze and split, so never assume that when you buy a boat that the engine has been winterised.

 

[davidwf]

I have a 80w tube under aft bunks sat next to shaft and an 800w convection heater in main cabin. Both are on a commom thermostat set to switch on at 3 degrees C. Boat is still afloat and when I checked yesterday coldest it had got in cabin according to the thermostat (Which is electronic and shows max min) was 2degrees C. There had also been a power cut at some point because my mechanical timer was out by about 6 hours on the dehumidifier.

I am very happy with this as the engine is not winterised as I am still using it.