I want to heat my boat - recommendations ?

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homa

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Just removed an ancient Webasto (irrepairable - no spares available)

what should I replace it with ?

can't afford to buy new, am seriously thinking of buying secondhand

Any suggestions of what I should look for.....

Tx
 
Look on the 'for sale' part of the forums

What ever you do dont buy a Propex gas heater. They are not suitable for a boat despite what Calor say. I have a brand new one at home that I will sell on ebay, for caravan heating, for which it will work well.
 
If you have shore power there's a lot to be said for an electric fan heater. Cheap, simple and effective. Running costs might be a bit higher than diesel if you pay a kWh rate for your electricity, but the difference would never justify the capital cost of a diesel heater.

If, on the other hand, you don't have shore power then it's a bit harder. A properly flued and vented solid fuel stove would be nice if you could manage to fit one. What you want to definately avoid is any sort of unflued heater: gas, paraffin or whatever, they all create or exacerbate condensation problems.
 
If you already have a webasto you already have the difficult to install bits, ducting, fuel pipe, exhaust etc. Look on eBay and pick up a second hand webasto or ebersp. heater for £200 or so - or go to a boat jumble there are ususally a stand or two with second hand heaters shown running
 
Based on my own past experience of living aboard, I agree.

(At risk of plugging my own wares, in a back copy of Classic Boat there is an article written by me on fitting a solid fuel stove, which is fairly comprehensive.)
 
How do you stop the sacks of coal falling off the deck when the boat heels? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I have a swinging mooring so an electric heater first appears out of the question however, I can see that a short term answer might be a small electric fan heater when in a marina. Is there a power limit on what you can plug into a marina supply?

We will be taking the boat to Holland for the family holiday next year and that's where I expect to need the heat if at all.

Plus perhaps the occasional foray into one of my local marinas on the E.Coast.

Alternatively the diesel heater looks the obvious thing as I already have the boat set up for this. The most common secondhand heaters are in the 1800 to 2200Watt range which looks a little small. Should I be looking at the next size up (3600W) or can I get away with the smaller heater?

Tx for the responses so far
 
At the moment the Fan heater is the only heating we have on the boat - that is fine provided that you stop overnight in marinas which have power - which is not too limiting given the time of year when you need the heater as the marinas tend to be quieter then.

As a fall back we can also use the cooker to heat the boat - but that is not ideal as it produces a moist heat and requires reasonable ventilation.

For a boat your size I would say that 1800W should be fine - note that if you fit a diesel heater you don't want to be starting and stopping it on a thermostat too often as this drains the battery - so you need to ensure the heater has a low-enough output
 
You can turn a larger heater down, but you cannot turn a smaller heater up past its maximum.

However, if the heater is too big it will spend to much time cycling on and off, if this means restarting, that's when the large current draw occurs.

If you are going to buy new (you can always pretend! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif) ask a supplier what size would be ideal for your boat, it may require some internal measurement.
 
Had a Propex in the last boat and it worked well. On the other hand we had a club member who burned his boat out with one of those trad bulkhead oil heaters - he says it was well adjusted but obviously I cant be sure.
 
I know, I know.......
but I must have a plan "B" when the weather turns wet, just like last week.

I have 2 small boys who get bored quickly so if the weather turns wet/windy we would probably hole up in a marina, the shore power would be useful to keep the batteries topped up.
Port Zeelande would be a good example of a place I would consider for a weather bound stop over as a plan "B" (to keep the kids happy at the center parc)
 
Good point about turning the heat down and the cycling problem & power drain if too much heat.

From one of the manufacturers sites it mentions the 1800W heater for boats up to 32' - I know that's a very general statement and my boat is only a foot longer but it does imply that I would need the bigger heater.
Just wondered what the general consensus was for the smallest 1800W models and whether anyone had one in a boat similar to mine.
 
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