Winter Sailing: advise needed to keep warm

[e014945]

Dear All,

We have just spend our first weekend on our new to us boat (a SunDream 28) and we felt very cold during the night. So I am reaching to your to try to make our next weekend more pleasant.

The boat is equipped with Diesel Heater (A D2 from Eberspacher) which is located in the cockpit locker but this one makes such a noise that it is impossible to sleep. It sound's like a spaceship is launching, this is probably due to a hard mounting and the lack of silencer. Do you have any experience on the reduction of noise by fitting such silencer?

Secondly we do not have a air ducting in the rear or front cabin, only in the heads and salon. So this good be a big plus if i managed to extend the actual ducting but i have no clue on which tubing to use (and insulation).

So I try now to convince myself that something can be done, and that i do not need to forget about winter or off season sailing. Do you actually stay on board overnight during the off season and how do you cope with the cold (only 5°C during the night at this season in Holland). I am seriously in need of advices from people who actually use their boat in such conditions.

On the plus side with saw a lot of boat sailing and the weather was nice with us with some wonderful colors in the sky

Thanks a lot for your help and suggestions.

Gary

 

[john_morris_uk]

Eberspachers can be noisy, but the noise is usually outside the boat and from the exhaust. There are silencers available. I'm surprised that it makes it impossible to sleep. We humans usually get used to most noises and sleep through them eventually.

Ducting is simple and reality available. Measure what you've got and look on eBay for the 'Y' fittings and vent outlets. (We close the vents on the parts of the boat we don't want heated.)

Insulating the ducting makes a big difference to the heat that actually comes out the end into the living accomodation.

 

[ShinyShoe]

Really your bedding (sleeping bag etc) should be warm enough to sleep at 5C... So the warmth is needed before you sleep...

Are you on a berth with power?

Electric heater (not fan) is silent... Can be timed / thermostat if required.

 

[Baggy]

Just fitted one of these to my noisy ebber

Bloody marvelous, :encouragement:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/24MM-MAR...784117?hash=item2ab9db4f75:g:dT4AAOSwyP5aGHju

 

[lw395]

Duvet.

 

[KellysEye]

We have a thick winter duvet and a thinner summer one.

 

[ashtead]

Welcome to your new boat. Thoughts are 1 that the blown air heater by Eber should be easily able to heat a 28 foot boats living area so does it need a service etc? We had one on our 34 Bavaria and it became too hot with 3 vents in one stern cabin, saloon and bow . You might find precarved spaces for routing the hose if you are lucky but a trip to your local Eber man or maybe someone at a local marine services etc. 2 if on shorepower buy an electric blanket for warming up bed. 3 invest in a cockpit tent to act as a porch for the saloon ,3 see if any opportunities for insulation to be installed ? 4 buy a convector heater, 5 put down some rugs in sleeping areas . Hope some of these might be of interest

 

[bluerm166]

All as above but also get some proper baselayer thermals (with good coverage of the back) so that you never get to the point of being cold during the day and evening.

 

[johnalison]

All the above + a carpet is cosier than wood. Keeping one's core temperature up us the main thing and good quality clothes will repay their cost. The best and most economical thing is a hot water bottle. People may scoff, but these have been used for centuries, and the cost of a kettleful of water is far less than that of heating the boat. In fact, with an uncovered rubber bottle I find that the hot water from the tap is about the right warmth, and if this is engine heat it is free.

A tot of rum is comforting and gives the impression of warmth, but is not a good idea before going outside, since you lose heat faster.

 

[neil1967]

Insulating the ducting also makes a significant difference.

 

[lw395]

All the above + a carpet is cosier than wood. Keeping one's core temperature up us the main thing and good quality clothes will repay their cost. The best and most economical thing is a hot water bottle. People may scoff, but these have been used for centuries, and the cost of a kettleful of water is far less than that of heating the boat. In fact, with an uncovered rubber bottle I find that the hot water from the tap is about the right warmth, and if this is engine heat it is free.

A tot of rum is comforting and gives the impression of warmth, but is not a good idea before going outside, since you lose heat faster.

HW bottle is a good idea.
Gets rid of the damp feeling.
Alcohol is probably the wrong thing, but we do tend to have a glass of wine or 3.
Having a decent meal inside you helps.

But seriously, I sleep on boat with the hatches open for ventilation. A good duvet and maybe some base layer clothing.
We bought some cheap hollowfibre duvets for the boat. We take them home to air when it's convenient.

When I go on other people's boats, I take a sleeping bag plus a thin liner which seems to help.

The other thing is try to keep the boat as dry as possible, which means washboards out when cooking, keep the bilge dry etc.

 

[fredrussell]

... and as well as a silencer for the eberspacher exhaust, get one for the combustion air intake - makes a huge difference.

 

[johnalison]

... and as well as a silencer for the eberspacher exhaust, get one for the combustion air intake - makes a huge difference.

Or swap it for a Webasto.

 

[MarcJ]

Eber's usually have a thermostat in the control box (unless you have a separate one) - once it gets up to temperature it will stop "roaring" and calm down to a gentle hum that you won't hear!

 

[Sandy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

IF it is just at night you need better sleeping bags or duvets. Better still bring a friend to cuddle up to.

I've sailed in an air temperature of -10 celsius and its never been a problem with a decent sleeping bag and clothes.

 

[Topcat47]

My mother would say "put another jumper on". Modern thermals, decent socks and fleece PJs are as a good an answer as you'll find, I think. A decent sleeping bag inside a Goretex bivvi-bag will keep you warm and dry in any conditions.

 

[Laysula]

If you buy a silencer for the Eber, make sure you get a marine one as the lorry ones can leak as they are just pressed and spotwelded.

 

[e014945]

Thank you all for your answers, I am a bit more optimistic about our next weekend on the water. I plan on doing the followings:

1) divert the hot air ducting to the aft cabin (no reason why not having it as the main ducting pass close by)
2) insulate the ducting
3) fit a silencer on the exhaust and depending on the price also on the fresh air intake (but where can i get a marine one? and more importantly be certain it is a marine one)

This should increase the confort and warm up the aft cabin before we go to bed. and depending on the noise level i might need to invest in some electric heaters on the shore power, but i first need to check how many amps i gan get on the marina's network and try to find something small enough to fit in the cabin (not a lot of space there).
Our current sleeping bag is rated for 10° confort, i might need to purchase another one for the winter.

Thanks again and please continue to share your tips

 

[chrishscorp]

If you buy a silencer for the Eber, make sure you get a marine one as the lorry ones can leak as they are just pressed and spotwelded.

+1

The vehicle ones are not gas tight and can leak fumes as they are designed for outside on a vehicle not inside a boat hull, it must be a marine gas tight exhaust. As someone else posted a silencer can be got for the air intake and they seem well received.

I use a good sleeping bag and there is a duvet on board that has always proved warm enough

 

[AntarcticPilot]

A good sleeping bag should be all you need. I don't like leaving heaters on overnight; the only time I've done it was when I had shore power and left a fan-heater on MINIMUM setting, more to reduce damp than to warm the boat. I have spent several weeks aboard in frosty conditions in Scotland, even when the marina had ice on the water, and never been cold at night. Reluctant to get out of the sleeping bag int he morning sometimes, but cold in bed, never.

Worth bearing in mind that, unlike a caravan, tent or even a house, a boat can never get much below freezing - if it does, the water it's floating in has frozen entirely, and that doesn't happen in the UK! SO actually, a sleeping bag good for below zero camping (plenty around) will be ample for a boat.

I have an Eberspacher, and the only noticeable noise inside the boat is a very slight roar from the cabin vent and that's quiet enough that I can also hear the fuel pump ticking! I didn't install it, though, so I can't comment on the details; I'm pretty sure there's a silencer, and as it's mounted in a locker right next to where we sleep, I guess it must be rubber mounted. There is an outer sleeve over the exhaust (just a bit of the hot air ducting slipped over it) which is mainly to protect the locker contents from the exhaust heat, but I suppose it deadens the sound a bit.