Eberspacher or Mikuni?

[cpedw]

I am planning to fit heating into my Westerly Falcon (10m) yacht this winter. A simple 2 outlet hot air installation is the plan. The boat is used extensively April to September in Scotland (after this summer, who needs heating anyway?).
What do you think would be the best solution? I've seen Eberspacher and Mikuni systems. Are there others to consider? Which would you prefer?
All experiences of these things welcome.
Thanks,
Derek

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[andyball]

webasto & wallas (& others ) also make diesel hot-air heaters.

A friend with a mikuni 3.5kw has had regular heater plug prob's causing starting trouble (liveaboard, so used a lot) .

I like the webastos...& the price seemed v.competitive + low start current attractive.

Wallas look well made & are different appearance from most

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[vyv_cox]

This was the advice I received from independent and knowledgeable fitters of heaters to trucks, before purchasing my system.

Eberspacher and Webasto - almost nothing to choose between them. Reliability similar, parts and service available world wide.

Mikuni - cheaper to buy but parts distribution limited. OK in UK and a few W. Europe countries and USA but more difficult elsewhere. Less reliable than Eb or We.

Wallas - less powerful motor. (This was a few years ago, I see that they now fit a more powerful one)

I bought Eberspacher and we have been very pleased with it. Had a problem when the programmer failed (UK version) Otherwise totally reliable.

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[Talbot]

Eberspacher definetly - power outputs are roughly similar for all, but the eberspacher has more fan speeds, thus only using the minimum speed necessary for the heat output. The bid advantage of this is the amount of electricity used. Not a problem if you are a mobo, but. . . . . I fitted mine myself last winter - saved a fortune but took some time due to a number of special problems with my installation. If you want to discuss installation - pm me

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[Robin]

We inherited a non-working Eberspacher system with our current boat and so far haven't found the need to sort out the repair, previous owners said it didn't heat the whole boat well even at 3.5kw, it is in the stern and we sleep in the bow 34ft to 40ft away. My main reasons though for not getting it repaired yet are:-

1) The DC consumption is such that when added to fridge, TV and cabin lights etc (early/late season = more TV, more lights) that it is better if on shore power except for short periods. If on shore power then a cheap thermostatic controlled fan heater works better, ours cost £15.

2) Friends with them say they have spent LOADS of money on repairs/servicing, one calculated that his worked out at £60 per light-up!

We are in the warmer waters of the south but our main cruising season is April to end October, outside of this is just day sailing. With a little planning we can schedule stoppovers where plugging in is possible on weekends when we expect cold nights and we can use our fan heater, just as we do on our home berth. Does your sailing really justify the cost?


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[Guest]

eberspacher the best, more expensive new, get an ex BT one, they are always on sale on ebay for about £250, BT engineer told me they rarely use them in their vans, so they havent done much, make sure you get the bits with it, ie pump and rheostat temp controller and pipe work, i have sources for cheaper exhaust pipe and can tell you size for skin fitting.
stu

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[Guest]

eberspacher the best, more expensive new, get an ex BT one, they are always on sale on ebay for about £250, BT engineer told me they rarely use them in their vans, so they havent done much, make sure you get the bits with it, ie pump and rheostat temp controller and pipe work, i have sources for cheaper exhaust pipe and can tell you size for skin fitting.
stu

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[andy_wilson]

My Fulmar came with a Mikuni (30), probably installed when new (1989). There was no documentation with it.

In my 5 years of use it has never faultered, or been serviced (except the fuel supply needed bleeding after the main fuel tank was changed).

This model would be sufficient for a Falcon also.

The main dealers on the south coast hold all parts ex-stock, and supplied me with a catalogue, service book and owners guide FOC, which arrived by post within a week of meeting them at a boat show.

The service kit seemed cheap at the time and I almost bought one in gratitude for their prompt and free help. Good job I didn't however as it would still be cluttering the spares box.

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