parafin heaters?

[FWB]

Dylan, with both systems you are the perfect person to give advice !

Say you arrive in a anchorage at 6 ish and it is a bit chilly or wet, do you always light the Sigmar or have you found that the ease of use of the airtop means that you tend to use that more ?

As regards heating under way, I have always thought that it is best to get acclimatised to the ambient conditions. I could foresee that if the cabin was nice and warm I would never get into the cockpit ! If I think about it, we have sailed on the west coast of Scotland every summer for 25 years and rarely get very cold. By the time the oil lamp is lit and the dinner is cooked, the boat is nice and warm down below. One thing that is a pia is when you get gale bound and suffer days and days of rain. The whole boat gets damp and miserable. It is for times like these I would love a heater.

If it's cold I switch on the Webasto and then light the Sigmar, if it's that cold the Webasto is probably on anyway! Once the Sigmar is going, takes about 15 mins, I switch off the Webasto. The Webasto can be left running for days and I'm happy to sleep with it running. The Sigmar is best not left unattended since a strong gust of wind can blow it out, so I don't sleep with it on unless it's a calm,cold night. Either heater will heat the boat very well.

Just to add that I use the Sigmar even in the summer, it gives a cosy glow to the cabin and just takes that chill off that we get on the water in the evenings.
Also I I have a Cobb BBQ, you can sit around that in the cockpit as if it were a camp fire !

 

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If it's cold I switch on the Webasto and then light the Sigmar, if it's that cold the Webasto is probably on anyway! Once the Sigmar is going, takes about 15 mins, I switch off the Webasto. The Webasto can be left running for days and I'm happy to sleep with it running. The Sigmar is best not left unattended since a strong gust of wind can blow it out, so I don't sleep with it on unless it's a calm,cold night. Either heater will heat the boat very well.

Just to add that I use the Sigmar even in the summer, it gives a cosy glow to the cabin and just takes that chill off that we get on the water in the evenings.
Also I I have a Cobb BBQ, you can sit around that in the cockpit as if it were a camp fire !

Sounds like you have got your heating totally sorted !
If a gust can blow the Sigmar out I can see that it would be a real disadvantage, especially in Scotland. Do you think the Samphire will be better in that respect ?

 

[FWB]

Sounds like you have got your heating totally sorted !
If a gust can blow the Sigmar out I can see that it would be a real disadvantage, especially in Scotland. Do you think the Samphire will be better in that respect ?

From the stuff on their website I would say that in that respect the Samphire is better. However the Sigmar gives a flame you can see whereas the Samphire appears to show a glowing grid rather than a flame.
The Sigmar only suffers from flame outs in strong winds or down draughts under sail, it needs a balanced flue to stop this. The Samphire has solved this problem.

 

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From the stuff on their website I would say that in that respect the Samphire is better. However the Sigmar gives a flame you can see whereas the Samphire appears to show a glowing grid rather than a flame.
The Sigmar only suffers from flame outs in strong winds or down draughts under sail, it needs a balanced flue to stop this. The Samphire has solved this problem.

Oh God, decisions, decisions ! I cannot see that I would leave the heating on when sailing so do you get blow outs when at anchor ?
Sorry for so many questions but nothing beats real experience

 

[FWB]

Oh God, decisions, decisions ! I cannot see that I would leave the heating on when sailing so do you get blow outs when at anchor ?
Sorry for so many questions but nothing beats real experience

In 11years I've only had the Sigmar blow out once at anchor. It can be difficult to light in a strong wind, in this case I use a fireligher to preheat rather than meths. Once lit gusts affect the flame but as I said it has only been blown out on one occasion. It's Canadian so I guess they know about the cold

 

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Looks so cosy. Mind now made up - paraffin/diesel heater first and then blown air later. Now just a question of choosing which one (and also convincing swmbo who wanted warm air in her heads !).
Thanks Dylan