Taylors Diesel Heater

[afterpegassus]

I'm getting a bit fed up with the Ebersbacher - it's noisy, power hungry and occassionaly temperamental.
I am considering changing to a Taylors heater which I imagine would be not much more fuss than a primus stove.
What would the forum's thoughts be?

 

[NormanS]

In my previous boat, I had a Taylor's diesel heater, in fact I had two.
With one of them, I made the mistake(?) of installing a fuel tank up on the wheelhouse roof, which meant that the fuel had a greater head than designed. This made the drip feed even more difficult to control. Don't do that.
My other one was down in the aft cabin, and had a very long flue, which probably helped it a lot.
They do give a good heat, and give it right away, but I found them dirty, sooty, and fiddly. I would NEVER leave one unattended, and found that the drip feed tended to either slow down, and possibly stop (safe), or speed up alarmingly, with whole thing going redhot (unsafe).
Personally, I would never have one again. I would be willing to look at the paraffin model, which, as you say, is like a Primus stove.
I now have an Eberspacher, which gives excellent service, but which, as you say, is power hungry. My wind generator helps with that problem.
The best boat heating I ever had, was a wood-burning stove, but hardly ideal for most boats.

 

[bilbobaggins]

I'll offer no comment on the diesel model(s). The paraffin ones, however.....

These are for the ever-reducing ranks of 'truly experienced' seamen who cherish fond memories of crouching round a crackling, whining Long Wave radio in the wee small hours, in some dubious anchorage, straining ears to hear a distant voice intone "And now the Shipping Forecast....."; who learned to navigate back and forth across Channels Various when Consol-with-DR was truly the sole reliable navaid on board; who had dim, flickering paraffin lamps for anchor AND nav lights; and who learned the vagaries of lighting Primus/Optimus pressured paraffin stoves in any and all conditions.

A quiet chuckle was suppressed some years back when shown over a newly-built 'traditional gaffer'. With great enthusiasm for the old ways, the owner had installed a huge, heavy '3-ring circus' of a paraffin galley stove, quite certain that this would provide reliable and regular meals of Tilmanesque 'belly timber' whenever required. "There's maybe a wee bit more to it," ventured the grizzled visitor, "than that. Have you tried it at sea?"

The answer came a few weeks later, on the way up the Celtic Sea, when the hungry young crew - the biscuits, bread and jam all finished - decided they needed to heat up something from the ton of tins rolling in the bilge. The 'grey-beard loon' happened - but not by chance - to be on the helm at the time, and watching with mounting interest through the deck-hatch the preparations below to fire up their iron monster for the first time. It was not long before the confident voices below became first agitated, then raised in alarm, as a 4-foot plume of oily yellow flame spurted up from the over-pressured but under-heated burners, licking in menace at the white-painted deckhead.

Three startled and agitated bodies surged up the companionway onto the deck, where the old guy - shaking with laughter - asked quietly amid the hubbub and rising panic "Would you like me to go down and sort it?"

It took but a moment, and some wet fingers, to reach in and release the pressure. In seconds the greasy flames subsided, and a minute or so later - with just a tiny application of experience - the burners were purring away contentedly, and the soup pot warming on top.

Traditional seamanship skills extend even into the galley....

 

[oldvarnish]

I agree with all of the above re paraffin. But back to the question, or at least close to it -
for easy heating in home waters where temperatures are never that low, a simple charcoal stove does the job nicely. Economical on fuel, easily bought at a garage on the way down to the boat - although one big bag will last you an autumn season. Easy to install, and only a one inch chimney needed. Kept me as warm as toast in a Nova Scotia spring when there was frost on the deck most mornings. But we let it go out before bed.

 

[Blueboatman]

Reading the Taylors 079D (Diesel) manual, available on line here

http://www.youngsunowners.org/pdf/079D Instructions.pdf


I think you will want the later ''improved'' model which has a more refined drip control device which is-usefully-situated at some distance from the actual burner thus is theoretically less influenced or disturbed by the heat generated by the heater itself as well as being a better device in its own right. There is also provision to heat the domestic water tank now, so hey, after a snug night at anchor, hot shower anyone?

Taylors do seem to stress that a minimum flue length of around one metre plus (either inside or in-and-outside-of the cabin, will result in best performance with least soot or downdraft...

Imo the dealmaker/breaker is whether your boats interior will allow a neat installation where the chimney flue is not backwinded by, say, the mast or dodger and where you have sufficient total flue length and can mount the heater low down in the cabin to give toasty feet.

But these things ain't cheap anymore though 'may' outlast the Eber and are dead simple to service and don't run down the 'leccy or make noises for you and your neighbours. via the exhaust.

I have sailed with a 079D in Spring and was very impressed, soot and drip adjustment vaguaries notwithstanding and, putting my money where my mouth is, have just acquired an almost new one for my own boat, complete with low current electric pump to supply fuel from the main diesel tank..
Ask me again in the spring how I rate this improved version !

And, yes, I too have an Eber and a wind generator to keep the batteries up.

 

[Poignard]

I agree with all of the above re paraffin. But back to the question, or at least close to it -
for easy heating in home waters where temperatures are never that low, a simple charcoal stove does the job nicely. Economical on fuel, easily bought at a garage on the way down to the boat - although one big bag will last you an autumn season. Easy to install, and only a one inch chimney needed. Kept me as warm as toast in a Nova Scotia spring when there was frost on the deck most mornings. But we let it go out before bed.

_____________________________________________-----

What model do you have and doesn't it make a filthy mess in the boat?

 

[robbiegrant]

The best boat heating I ever had, was a wood-burning stove, but hardly ideal for most boats.

I just ripped out a multifuel from my 30ft wooden cruiser. It was great when you got it going but you really need to be using the boat for extended periods to make it worthwhile lighting it. It was heavy, dirty, smokey, sooty and you had to store fuel ( coal ) which was dirty and heavy and ( wood) which was bulky. SHMBO liked it because it was " romantic " ( nicest thing she has ever said about the boat ) bought a taylors 029 paraffin stove to replace the cooking component and plan to fit an eberspacher and possibly a small paraffin heater for the heating component.