Heater for small boat

[Euphonyx]

I am researching the best heater to produce a dry heat for a small (26') boat. Is Carbon Monoxide a worry? Something with a flu that can be capped off when not in use would be ideal. What do you think???

Thanks

E

 

[joliette]

I have an old Blakes paraffin heater which does the job of warming the saloon on my 37 ft. It has a flue which I remove to plug the chimney with a wooden bung when not in use. I'd recommend a Blakes but they are quite expensive, unless you can find a second-hand one.

 

[Sybarite]

I am researching the best heater to produce a dry heat for a small (26') boat. Is Carbon Monoxide a worry? Something with a flu that can be capped off when not in use would be ideal. What do you think???

Thanks

E

Heat a few bricks on the cooker and they'll radiate heat for some time.

 

[Euphonyx]

Heat a few bricks on the cooker and they'll radiate heat for some time.

Thanks for the useful suggestion.. That thought had occurred to me, but I don't carry bricks. Then I thought about immollating a Tibetan monk in the saloon but I don't carry monks either!

 

[LittleSister]

We use a 'mini' catalytic gas heater, cost around £100 plus around £20 for some piping and a gas tap to connect it to the cooker gas supply (I fitted it myself). Produces around 3/4 of a kilowatt of heat - ample in our 23 footer and we always have to turn it right down after a bit. (There are also larger, more powerful 'midi' heaters (just Google it.)

It's quite small, about 13 inches tall by 9inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep, IIRC. We intended to mount it on a narrow bulkhead, but found the quoted dimensions don't include the pipe fitting that sticks out of the side, so it wouldn't fit like that. So instead I connected it via a flexible hose and it lives in a small drawer-like locker when not in use, and stands (with a built in fold out frame) on a low step in front of and under the cooker when in use.

It's claimed not to give off carbon monoxide, but will give off moisture. Burns the gas without a flame. We only use it with ventilation and would not (normally) leave it on overnight (though I did once when I fell asleep fully clothed after a long day's hard voyage - no ill effects).

I'd rather have a charcoal or coal stove or other heater with a flue, but space in our current boat precludes it.

We have bought another boat which does have a charcoal heater (Bengco), but the boat's in a bit of a state, and looks like it'll be a long time before that's in the water. Will probably end up using the heater while we're working on the boat ashore.

 

[oceanpilgrim]

look at taylors heaters or dickenson

 

[ghostlymoron]

Taylor type take up a lot of room in 23 footer. Also applies to all charcoal and oil heaters .
Blown air heaters are compact and can be tucked away in locker. Also no separate fuel to store. Expensive but so are the others. You can often find them on ebay. This would be my choice plus a portable fan heater when on shore power.
Sorry - notice your boat 26'. And yes, CO is a worry but not with blown air.

 

[aquaplane]

I have a Wallas 1800 on my 26' Centaur, it works. No CO worries with that.

Of course there are other warm air blowers available and everyone has their own favourite.

 

[NUTMEG]

Victory

Take a peek on my blog. Alexandria is just 21' and the victory works a treat. Have a CO meter and it never moves from zero. Very warm and cozy. £90 off of FleaBay

Steve

 

[firstascent2002]

I am currently removing alot of the kit from my boat prior to selling her.

I also have a wallas 1800 which I just love.

If it comes out would you like me to pm you?

J

 

[NickRobinson]

There are some very specialist websites out there!

Take a peek on my blog. Alexandria is just 21' and the victory works a treat. Have a CO meter and it never moves from zero. Very warm and cozy. £90 off of FleaBay

Steve

Do you have the factory manual ?

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/11730

At the bottom of the page, it states 'visit our sister site... Pressure Lamps....'

I threw all my primuses (primae?) out... smelly but powerful

Nick

 

[lw395]

I am researching the best heater to produce a dry heat for a small (26') boat. Is Carbon Monoxide a worry? Something with a flu that can be capped off when not in use would be ideal. What do you think???

Thanks

E

If you have to ask, carbon monoxide should be a worry.
My suggestion would be to get an Eberspacher or Webasto.
They are often available secondhand from vehicles.
Some are 24V, but that is surmountable.

Dry air with the exhaust properly dealt with.

 

[oldvarnish]

A Pascal Atkey Pansy stove will give a lovely dry heat, and plenty big enough for a smaller boat, and it uses a small bore flue. One bag of charcoal will last you a season with occasional use. Keep it simple. NO electrics!

This thread offers opinions:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117228

 

[mikeinkwazi]

I am researching the best heater to produce a dry heat for a small (26') boat. Is Carbon Monoxide a worry? Something with a flu that can be capped off when not in use would be ideal. What do you think???

Thanks

E

Look at a BENGCO charcoal burner. Worked well in my 32 footer, too hot in my 26ft

 

[doug748]

Do you have the factory manual ?

http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/showtopic.php?tid/11730

At the bottom of the page, it states 'visit our sister site... Pressure Lamps....'

I threw all my primuses (primae?) out... smelly but powerful

Nick

I also have a Victory. It is realy just a Primus stove inside a brass bread bin affair. It looks very smart on the bulkhead and is excellent, within its limitations. I trust sensible ventilation to get rid of any moisture, niffs or fatal gases.

Thanks for the link, tip no 9 seems particularly sensible:

9) Do not operate the heater if swinging.

 

[2nd_apprentice]

A Pascal Atkey Pansy stove will give a lovely dry heat, and plenty big enough for a smaller boat, and it uses a small bore flue. One bag of charcoal will last you a season with occasional use. Keep it simple. NO electrics!

This thread offers opinions:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117228

Mhm decided to give the Pansy another go this year but so far I haven't been impressed:

lovely dry heat? Well not that much tho: 0.75 Kw according to the Pascal Atkey website. Absolute pig to start (pre-warming flue and having it insulated above deck), very dirty and kept setting off the CO alarm.

Try buying lumpwood charcoal in winter, failing that try lighting briquettes.
Certainly went through more than a bag before giving up on the thing. Covered everything with soot and ash without keeping me warm in my 30 footer.
It's a compact unit however and might be suitable for occasional use on a smaller boat. If you can live with the dirt and all.


"firing up"

I'm considering the Samphire stove now

 

[KellysEye]

Over tiime we have had two 500 watt electric heaters and one 1.5 Kw oil radiator. Avoid anything that has CO emissions. For a small boat 500w would probably be fine. Bear in mind any heater in winter willl create condensation followed by mould, we used a dehumidifier to stop those.

 

[Lakesailor]

Dylan has a sure-fire way to heat his boat.

 

[Greenheart]

Just an obvious, speculative thought which always occurs to me when the dangers of yacht central heating are mentioned...

...isn't it infinitely preferable to have a heating unit which operates remotely from the place where the warmth is delivered?

If the burner could reside in a separate cockpit locker, heating water or air which is then pumped into the cabin, then fumes and moisture caused by combustion wouldn't need any clever removal, and it would alleviate that inevitable grave concern about 'the silent killer'.

I can't think of any yacht I've seen that didn't have capacious cockpit lockers, completely separate from the yacht's interior. So does it make sense to rely on an internal location for a system which, by necessity, pumps out lethal gases, and may even kill through leaks?

Seems like an elementary design decision.

 

[lw395]

Just an obvious, speculative thought which always occurs to me when the dangers of yacht central heating are mentioned...

...isn't it infinitely preferable to have a heating unit which operates remotely from the place where the warmth is delivered?

If the burner could reside in a separate cockpit locker, heating water or air which is then pumped into the cabin, then fumes and moisture caused by combustion wouldn't need any clever removal, and it would alleviate that inevitable grave concern about 'the silent killer'.

I can't think of any yacht I've seen that didn't have capacious cockpit lockers, completely separate from the yacht's interior. So does it make sense to rely on an internal location for a system which, by necessity, pumps out lethal gases, and may even kill through leaks?

Seems like an elementary design decision.

Eber-Basto-Mikuni.
A proper job will add value to your boat.
A coke or wood stove might be more appropriate on a liveaboard barge, but on a coastal sailing yacht I wouldn't want flues through the cabin top.
Something you can use while sailing on a nice winter day is luxury.