Small Boat Heater

J

JustMelfort

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I'm looking for a way of heating a 22 boat to get a bit more sailing in over the winter - and hoping there are some options out there. I don't want a portable gas heater (condensation) and don't have diesel (only 8hp outboard). I do have 12v, but not enough for electric heater. Is there anything out there that I should be looking at or is it down to Webasto with own tank/ wife/ whisky/pub? Is there any heating out there that won't gas me, soak the inside, or require a flu installation? And in case you were wondering, yes, cheap would also be appreciated!
 
Umm
Not gas
Not diesel
Not electric
Not solid fuel.
Right, your course is clear - Lidl are doing a special offer on small atomic piles.

Seriously though you do seem to have ruled out all the obvious options!
 
What about the PAN2000? web page

Easy to "install" [stand it on the stove, run the flue outside plug in to 12v]. No need to cut holes in your boat or run pipework.
Safe - no exhaust fumes in the cabin, just warm air blown around.
No condensation.
Take it with you when you change boats.
Stows away when not in use.
 
Thanks for the fast replies - I'm not ruling anything out though.

PAN2000 - now that may be an option. Never heard of that but will go looking.
 
I imagine a fixed installation requires, a lot of effort to install, takes a fair amount of space and isn't cheap, plus the fuel costs.

For those reasons I got one of these for my 26 footer ( I think the price shown has either escalated since 2005 - I paid £83- or maybe there's a cheaper supplier out there)

http://www.marinemegastore.com/product.asp?pf_id=ECS_5756&jump=4&cat_id=CABCOO004

I don't use purple ,UK , meths as it has a strong smell, so I get a few litres each season from France which is much more acceptable.

It throws out a lot of heat, doubles up as a backup cooker, it's cheap to run and as the liquid is absorbed into an internal absorbent mat, it can't spill if knocked over.

Even at this price I reckon its the best option for what you want , so I hope this helps
 
Much depends on how much you want to use it hence how much you are prepared to pay in fuel.
An existing cooker preferably meth spirits can provide some heat but you might worry about getting the fumes outside. A flue system perhaps with a small computer fan in the outside end might suck the fumes out enough and if thee flue is long will radiate heat in the process. A bit like the PAN2000 only relying on the heat radiating from the flue. If that is made of copper or Aluminium then it will transfer the heat quite well. Certainly worth a try.
Or if you think meth will be too expensive to run or you don't have a cooker what about a wood fueled heater. Made of heavy steel cylinder with chimney there are designs around in a size to suit your space. It has to be mounted clear of bulkhead and have a chimney.
good luck olewill
 
I have a Camping Gaz Blue Cat heater. It warms up the cabin well, you can remove the gaz cylinder when you've finished warming up the cabin and keep it in the cockpit. Less than 1KW. Fine>
 
I use the Blue Cat Gaz as well on my Anderson 22, plus the Coleman Parabolic heater if really cold. Plus got good quality sleeping bag from the Maldon Camping shop, excellent investment.

IanC
 
What about a Tilley Lamp? Saves battery on lighting and kicks out a very decent amount of heat- certainly keeps the biggish saloon warm on my 30' boat, tho admittedly would struggle to heat heads & forepeak as well- but should be ok on a 22 footer.
Cheap to buy & run.
 
Yes, the PAN 2000 is a bit steep at today's Euro exchange rate but, when you compare it with the price of a Taylor's heater it's not nearly as expensive, and the insatallation costs are almost nil.

However, I like the concept but I must own up to hoping someone else will buy one first and report back on it! I've seen some good reports on Swedish boat forums but none from any British users.
 
i've looked at the blue cat heater but dismissed it because i thought it was only suitable for outdoor use. Not so? Safe to use in cabin?
 
I have a Webasto Air Top 2000 diesel heater , and in common with Eberspacher, not only is diesel needed but a reasonably well charged battery to start up the glow plug.

According to the manual there was also a petrol version of the Webasto.


There are also the Propex propane fuelled heaters that need less electrical power.

But I suspect that the marina mains lead, a marina and an electric heater is a much cheaper option.
 
If you burn a fuel of any type it will produce dangerous gases. If you don't remove those gases from the boat you will die /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

If you burn the fuel in a proper heater [Webasto, Taylors, Eberspacher, PAN 2000, Pansy Charcoal Stove or whatever] it will have some means of transferring most the heat to you whilst safely removing the dangerous gas from the boat via a proper flue/chimney.

However, if you don't want a proper boat heater and decide to burn your chosen fuel in something without a flue e.g. a Tilley lamp, Gaz heater, galley stove with plantpot, or by lighting a bonfire, you will have to provide a lot of ventilation to shift the dangerous gas out of the boat.

So you have the choice of sitting in a freezing draught from an open hatch or sitting in comfort with hatches shut and all the gas going up the chimney. What you choose depends on how much you want to spend.

Or, as suggested above you can go in a marina and plug in your electric heater. Which is ok unless you want to anchor somewhere or make an overnight passage.
 
22 foot boat? Unless it's all cabin, I found an oil lamp was enough to take off the cold, and give a psycological warmth. Admittedly, there is H2O generated, but it's not much more than your lungs, and you have to ventillate that anyway. TwistedAlfGarnet (above ) mentions the ubiquitous Tilley lamp which is grand if you don't mind the noise and can replace mantles at regular intervals (I love mine)
Hotwaterbottles must come in to this discussion, we use them often.
 
Thank you all. So far its Origo, Pan2000, Camping Gaz and Tilley lamp. Marina and 240v marina power are out (boat, not floating caravan) and Webasto worthy of some serious consideration and checking of space/cost/ another fuel tank etc. I'll dig the old tilley lamp out first...
 
A good Scotch or Rum helps in a cup of coffee.

A cheap barbie & a bag of charcoal would make a very effective heater, but I would recommend leaving the hatch ajar to ensure ventilation. Or perhaps you could close the lid & set up a flexy exhaust leading out to the hatch.

Search the net, there are plans for making wall or floor charcoal heaters out of steel pipes.
 
I have a Origo (double burner) for cooking. Looking at the Sterling Combi quasi charger/inverter unit, reckon small enough for a 22 footer. Not sure if the fume from the Blue Cat are dangerous, but tend always to have some ventilation when using it.
Charles Stock refers to a "radiant" heater for his 16' "Shoal Waters", not sure what exactly that is.

IanC
 
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