Off grid heating

DoubleEnder

DoubleEnder

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My boat will remain afloat on a drying pontoon for the winter. I have a good cover and I can visit weekly. But there is no mains power available and I'd like to run some sort of heating once in a while. Any ideas?
I can fire up the charcoal stove maybe but anything suggested that might be quicker? If I invested in a big 12v battery that I could recharge what good would that be? I'm guessing there is no answer but I'd like to wrong

Graham
 
FWIW I am in a similar situation, - afloat all winter and with no power supply. I just use dehumidifying crystals, about 4 spread around the boat. They last about 3 months so one visit over the 6 month winter period to replenish the crystals. No problems with mildew. I do however completely drain the water system and winterise the engine.
 
Do you want to heat the boat so that it is comfortable whilst you are aboard, or are you thinking more along about keeping her sweet over the winter?
 
Assuming you are talking about heating the boat whilst you are on it and not for background heating.
I use an alcohol powered heater.
Basically a sponge in a tin.

For me works well , but horrendously expensive for what it is.

Yes it emits water vapour.
Yes you must be carefull about carbon monoxide/ventilation.

One of these:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Origo-510...UK_Sporting_Goods_Sailing&hash=item4ae18e2e16
 
I just want to keep the boat - a wooden boat - as dry and sweet as possible. So maybe those crystals are worth a try. The ventilation is ok under a canvas cover. I won't fit 'proper ' heating, as I have a good charcoal stove and I like to keep things simple. Where do you get the crystals ?

Thanks everyone
 
gdallas said:
I just want to keep the boat - a wooden boat - as dry and sweet as possible. So maybe those crystals are worth a try. The ventilation is ok under a canvas cover. I won't fit 'proper ' heating, as I have a good charcoal stove and I like to keep things simple. Where do you get the crystals ?

Thanks everyone
Click to expand...
if you burn petrochemicals you will be creating moisture
 
Do everything within your power to stop water getting into the boat in the first place. Ideally you will have nothing in the bilge except dust.
 
silica gel crystals on a boat are a waste of money.

They absorb only 60% of their dry weight of water. They cannot absorb any more until they have been dried out. That takes heat.

If they are damp and the atmosphere is dry, they release water vapour back into the boat. You would need hundreds of kg of the stuff for it to work well. Gel crystal only work well in enclosed packets or sealed boxes.


The only answer for off-grid, unmanaged (i.e. no humans nearby) keeping of a boat dry is either to hermetically seal it on a really dry autumn day (Ho! Ho!) or arrange that there is masses of ventilation, with locker doors open and bunks tipped up to expose both sides.
 
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The boat is well ventilated. All the lockers are open,floorboards up,hatches open under an all over canvas cover. I was just looking for more ideas. But thanks to all. I'll light a fire whenever I can
 
I have pondered hard wiring a small solar panel to a computer fan. The idea is that whenever it's sunny, and hopefully a nice day, you get some air changes through the boat.
 
dylanwinter said:
seriously though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QplSiZf2WoE

while you are aboard and want a bit of heat
Click to expand...
Hi Dylan I watched some of those videos on making small wood burning stove. What they don't mention is that using disposable containers (beer keg)
means that the metal is as thin as the maker can get away with. So they would tend to burn/rust through PDQ. It occured to me that often in junk collections are old LP Gas cylinders. These of the right size could make an excellent barrel for a stove. Metal heavy enough to last for a while but then again harder to cut holes in etc. I reckon you could make a neat little pot belly stove out of a medium sized gas cylinder.

Anyway back to the OP question on heat. There is no way around the fact that a 12v battey does not hold much power (total) compared to petroleum products or wood. Diesel perhaps has the most heat for the price and convenience. But wood if you get it free but less convenient for storage. Candles I imagine are also an expensive source of heat especially I would think the tea candles compared to old fashioned long ones.

From there the little pot belly type stove must be totally efficient in that all the heat comes out of the fuel. The only loss being what goes up the chimney. If you make the chimney long then even theis heat can be extracted from the waste air.
However you really want not just heat but a way to spread the heat throughout the cabin. So something like an Eberspacher with ducted heating can do this very well compared to a pot belly stove. Even so a single heat source can eventually warm the whole boat.

I think however for the OP the simplest solution is to run the cooker for a while with hatches closed. Don't stay inside yourself as CO gases will kill you. This should warm and dry the boat a bit at least. If you want to stay inside in the warm then think about a smoke stack over the cooker or just provide ventilation.
good luck olewill
 
gdallas Hi from Canada. You seem to have your boat well ventilated,& that's all that's necessary.My boat is kept the same way for 5 mos. of Cdn winter & no problems.
I suspect that if you do go aboard & light a fire,it will create condensation & not really accomplish much-unless you need heat to do some work,or whatever.
I find things stay dry,until the warm spring sun hits,&even then,with good ventilation,it does not create enough to be a problem.Mould seems to grow best in warm,summer wx,& not much,if any, in winter.My insurance does not allow any heat,even electric,while boat is stored.
Just my personal experience.
Cheers / Len
 
Don't run the heater if your aim is to end up with a drier boat. Burning gas in an unvented space will produce water vapour.
 
I have an excellent solid fuel stove with a chimney. Burning candles, lighting the cooker etc are ways to make things more - not less - damp. But thanks to all, much appreciated.
 
Just out of interest for candle powered fanatics. This video has some measurement of output. Sort of shows that the laws of physics have to hold good. Flower Pot Heater - The reality: http://youtu.be/zCAfAT9MVrY
As someone has pointed out, burning hydrocarbons will produce water vapour which will make a boat (or any space) damp.
 
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