Do you have a heater in your boat?

[Playtime]

Hydronic systems need to use matrix heaters to transfer the heat from the water to the air; these matrix heaters have fans, so there's an electrical requirement. Depending on which matrix heaters you use, the overall power consumption could easily be more than for a simple air heater. It's also likely that the Hydronic system would be noisier than an air heater. However, the Hydronic system can be plumbed so that it also heats domestic water.

Matrix heaters do not "need" to be used. If you have space for radiators/towel rails then these are actually preferable as they do not require fans.

The modern matrix units do not use much current - around 0.7A for 2KW heat output. My 3 fan matrices flat out plus the boiler itself use less than 6A overall which is better than a D5 airtronic. If radiators alone are used the overall current would be around 4A on high.

 

[pvb]

Matrix heaters do not "need" to be used. If you have space for radiators/towel rails then these are actually preferable as they do not require fans.

True, but most yachts wouldn't easily be able to site radiators large enough to output 4 or 5kW of heat.

 

[David2452]

In my view the wet based system is superior in every way to blown air, I have fitted many systems from 4kw to 32kw if you can avoid matrix and use rads they are far more efficient and quieter than a blown system, good quality installation is even more important than blown air and for long term reliability a pressurised system is best of all options, use 22mm feed and return or a central manifold and always install valves but never TRVs to the rads to balance the system for efficiency. It is slower to heat in a decent sized system and takes longer and more skill to do correctly but is worth the effort.
For the OP, I have not yet had a customer regret having heating fitted and most regret not having done it sooner.

I have read several posts saying how good a Hydronic system is.
I like the idea of them as I would not have to cut large holes throughout the boat for hot air ducting.

I have not had any heating in 25 years of sailing so do not want to make a mistake so I have the following questions .....

are they as 'instant' heat as a hot air system ?

are they as easy/hard to self install as a hot air system ?

any other comments/pros cons would be gratefully received.

 

[zikzik]

Wallas 85 diesel hob with blower lid. keeps 26' boat warm and cosy

 

[grumpy_o_g]

A 25 year old blonde can be warming
Quite expensive running costs though

It's the cost of removing and getting rid of the previous model that really hurts...

 

[SvenH]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

The results seem to suggest that the great majority has a heater but that seems odd to me...

Maybe it is just the people that do have one like to vote more that the ones that do not? Or do you think the percentages are a good representation?

 

[oceanpilgrim]

sorry not to good on numbers,mine is diesel so does not need meths just have a small blow torch the type thay use for cooking 3 to4 in high,just undo the brass nut place flame in side burner can till it ignights soon as you get that rooring sound put nut back on,drips i set to 1 drip 1 per second,i have mine from just alight to glowing orange,depends on out side temp,i also have a small fan to blow heat around as my main cabin is 12ft long and 11.6ft wide with 7ft head room with out the fan only one end gets hot and you end up with cold feet

 

[charles_reed]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

The results seem to suggest that the great majority has a heater but that seems odd to me...

Maybe it is just the people that do have one like to vote more that the ones that do not? Or do you think the percentages are a good representation?

Why bother to post the thread if you want to cling to your prejudices?

 

[prv]

Why bother to post the thread if you want to cling to your prejudices?

Must admit I find the numbers surprising too. Either there's something unrepresentative about this thread, or about my sailing experience

Pete

 

[SvenH]

Why bother to post the thread if you want to cling to your prejudices?

My wife is a scientist. She tought me to question any result, especially if it is different from what you expect...

 

[charles_reed]

Post the poll, then, on a different website.

If a scientist you start with an hypothesis, you then query an unexpected result to that in the hypothesis.

Presumably you started with the idea that no-one bothered to fit heaters - not an hypothesis.

If, however, you posit that people who use this are mainly liveaboards in sailboats you have a particular skewed population - you need to correct this - perhaps by asking the MoBo forum and Scuttlebut.

But be content, you can now form an hypothesis, test it and see if it's correct.

 

[FWB]

As a year round sailor I find heating essential. I think that heating is highly desirable in what passes for summer at these high latitudes. I am surprised that in reality, not the poll results, that I see many boats with no heating. Heating takes the edge off a rainy day as well as drying the oilies!

 

[Jamesuk]

2 fixed purpose built heaters, 2 portable and if it really is cold i have a gas hob with four burners, an electric hob with two and an oven ? (hawk eye on all heaters, ie i dont leave the boat if any are running)

I guess i also have two engine in a nice room if its freezing and everything else failed OTT just wish it were all mine :-(

 

[Carronade]

I consider a boat heater an absolute essential in these Northern climes. It enables a warm comfortable environment and extends the sailing season from 3 or 4 months to 12 months .. this is based on the summer of 2012! I've had my heater for 12 years it is a Eberspacher which is very effective but expensive to maintain. It is essential to insulate the hot air distribution ducting. This can be done very effectively using commercial lagging with an aluminium backing foil cut into strips and coiled round the tubing. Eberspacher sell a custom lagging but its very expensive. The do it yourself job does'nt look nice but its hidden away inside lockers. It's the hot air that feels nice! I know it is expensive to maintain as it must be serviced every year (it is a potential bomb) but considering the greater use of the boat it is worth its weight in gold!

 

[Conachair]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

The results seem to suggest that the great majority has a heater but that seems odd to me...

Maybe it is just the people that do have one like to vote more that the ones that do not? Or do you think the percentages are a good representation?

Maybe people just don't like being cold.

 

[maby]

Maybe people just don't like being cold.

Well, the poll does not distinguish between types of heater, and almost everyone I know in the marina has at least some kind of electrical heater to use while on shore power. It also does not take into account pattern of boat usage - the "launch in March and haul out in October" brigade are probably a lot less likely to have heaters installed than those of us that sail all year round.

 

[Rossynant]

My wife is a scientist. She tought me to question any result, especially if it is different from what you expect...

Well, as scientist I was taught to make observation of reality first...
Why would you think people who really use their boats would do without? Possible to keep yourself warm with clothing, sleeping bags and such, for a time, but boat (and said clothing) must have some way to dry it.

But then you could have put this poll on Florida website

 

[Leighb]

There isn't the appropriate choice for us. That would be that I had a heater and removed it.

There was a Volvo heater fitted when we bought the boat. We used it about 3 or 4 times altogether in the first couple of seasons. It did help on the odd chilly morning, but was very noisy and there was a slight whiff of diesel. SWMBO is adamant that cruising only happens between May and the end of September, so it was not much use.

It effectively occupied most of the port cockpit locker, the remaining space being awkward to utilise.

Without it we now have a capacious locker, and we don't miss it for the odd chilly day, not even last summer.

 

[SvenH]

I have a 9 meter boat and like to keep sailing in to december. Usually the nights start getting cold by the end of september (me) end of august (wife).

When I started looking in to heating I learned that the diesel options are generally not only expensive (relative to my boat) but then still need more expensive maintanance.

I also looked in to space heaters but I only like the really simple ones like woodstoves. But not enough to immediately stick one in my boat as it seems to require a lot of cleaning of both the stove and the boat.

I am now looking in to building my own small pellet burner.

 

[pvb]

IWhen I started looking in to heating I learned that the diesel options are generally not only expensive (relative to my boat) but then still need more expensive maintanance.

If diesel heaters are used regularly, there's very little need for maintenance. Even then, it needn't be expensive, as simple cleaning is a DIY job.