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12-04-2012, 00:36
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Durban South Africa
Boat: L 34
Posts: 284
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Boat Heaters
Planning a trip thru Magellan and would appreciate comments on the necessity for a cabin heater and opinions on makes. Thanks.
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12-04-2012, 00:40
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Denmark (Winter), Helsinki (Summer); Cruising the Baltic Sea this year!
Boat: Cutter-Rigged Moody 54
Posts: 33,764
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Re: Boat Heaters
Espar or Webasto hydronic is the high-class option, but expensive and consumes elec, and needs service from time to time. Espar or Webasto air heater cheaper. Passive bulkhead mounted diesel heater needs no service you can't do with a bit of seizing wire, needs no elec, and some put off a cheerful glow. But will only heat that one space. Take your pick.
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12-04-2012, 03:36
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: U.S., Northeast
Boat: Currently boatless
Posts: 1,643
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Re: Boat Heaters
Evans Starzinger swears by Refleks heaters (available here). Evans and Beth have a lot of high latitude sailing experience, so I would consider their recommendation carefully.
__________________
... He knows the chart is not the sea.
-- Philip Booth, Chart 1203
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12-04-2012, 03:55
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Brisbane, Australia.
Posts: 1,338
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Re: Boat Heaters
Why would someone that hates boats be on this forum.
Edit: sorry my bad.
__________________
Simon
Bavaria 50 Cruiser
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12-04-2012, 04:05
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#5
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Greece
Boat: Custom steel cutter, 15m
Posts: 649
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Re: Boat Heaters
We have a Refleks heater with an internal coil hooked up to the hot water tank. This supplies our hot water and, with the addition of a circulating pump and a few radiators, keeps our whole boat toasty
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12-04-2012, 04:23
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Maryland
Boat: Island Packet 35
Posts: 132
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We got a Wallace 40 dt forced air system last fall. We are liveaboards up in Maryland and last winter was nothing. If I was to do it again We would have gotten a Webasto water heater.
With the Wallace we got just over 1.5 gallons a day economy. It typically would only get the boat to 66 degrees or so. But it did move air around really well so we supplemented it with a electronic oil radiator...with the two the boat was toasty. The 3 in ducting was difficult to route and limited where we could put the vents. It did however make our aft locker a warm/dry winter storage location.
Friends have the webasco. I understand from them.....running the small water lines was really easy allowing for greater flexibility in placing the radiators. Their boat (much larger than ours) stays really comfortable with just the diesel
heater. The have constant hot running water with the heat exchanger. And its wasn't that much more money.
Hope this helps.
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12-04-2012, 05:31
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Durban South Africa
Boat: L 34
Posts: 284
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Re: Boat Heaters
LOL SimonV, I'm beginning to hate the idea of being where I have to heat my boat.! But I want to go to Pitcairn/Easter/Juan Fernandes and don't want to go through Panama again.
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19-09-2013, 05:56
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: NYC
Boat: Kadey Krogen 42
Posts: 5
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Re: Boat Heaters
Hi all,
I'm having the same debate right now. I have sort of settled on the Wallas dt40, in large part due to its quietness and ability to dry out the boat. I have spoken to some who have thier boat in the Gulf of Alaska and this is a very popular option in SE Alaska.
I have planned on using my existing A/C ducting, so that I do not have to run more ducting, which I too think would be a real PIA.
I am somewhat taken aback by the consumption mentioned above. 1.5 gal/day=50 gal/month=roughly $300/month just to heat boat. Seems like a lot.
Maybe I should look at other options??
THought?
Richard
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19-09-2013, 06:34
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,185
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Re: Boat Heaters
Fuel costs a lot, not a lot of ways around it. Smaller boats, smaller spaces to keep warm.
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19-09-2013, 06:57
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Toronto Canada
Boat: Bristol 45.5
Posts: 848
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Re: Boat Heaters
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hotel L
We got a Wallace 40 dt forced air system last fall. We are liveaboards up in Maryland and last winter was nothing. If I was to do it again We would have gotten a Webasto water heater.
With the Wallace we got just over 1.5 gallons a day economy. It typically would only get the boat to 66 degrees or so. But it did move air around really well so we supplemented it with a electronic oil radiator...with the two the boat was toasty. The 3 in ducting was difficult to route and limited where we could put the vents. It did however make our aft locker a warm/dry winter storage location.
Friends have the webasco. I understand from them.....running the small water lines was really easy allowing for greater flexibility in placing the radiators. Their boat (much larger than ours) stays really comfortable with just the diesel
heater. The have constant hot running water with the heat exchanger. And its wasn't that much more money.
Hope this helps.
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The biggest issue with heating a boat is not keeping it warm , it is the constant struggle against condensation and then the resulting mould on the inside of the hull.
I had a webasto hydronic system on my last boat with all the hoses and heater cores. Kept the boat very warm and damp. The system only recirculates the moisture laden air inside the boat .
If I was to do it again I would use a hydronic system over a single heater box with all the air drawn in from outside through the heat exchnger ( Heater 901 - 50 000 235 ) and ducted through the boat .
Also , if you are using a boat in cold water , try to find a boat with a cored hull , they are warmer and cut down a lot on the inside cold surfaces.
Regards
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19-09-2013, 07:00
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: South Pacific
Boat: Oyster 53
Posts: 359
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Re: Boat Heaters
Keep in mind if you decide on the Webasto or Espar diesel heater you will not be able to use existing aircon ducting. That ducting is designed for cold air and will melt - so the technical guys assured me - if you stick one of those powerful diesel heaters on it. This means new heat resistant ducting needs to be run around the boat.
We went with a Webasto hydronic system and love it.
Cheers.
Dhillen
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19-09-2013, 07:06
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: NYC
Boat: Kadey Krogen 42
Posts: 5
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Re: Boat Heaters
Quote:
Originally Posted by typhoon
The biggest issue with heating a boat is not keeping it warm , it is the constant struggle against condensation and then the resulting mould on the inside of the hull.
I had a webasto hydronic system on my last boat with all the hoses and heater cores. Kept the boat very warm and damp. The system only recirculates the moisture laden air inside the boat .
If I was to do it again I would use a hydronic system over a single heater box with all the air drawn in from outside through the heat exchnger ( Heater 901 - 50 000 235 ) and ducted through the boat .
Also , if you are using a boat in cold water , try to find a boat with a cored hull , they are warmer and cut down a lot on the inside cold surfaces.
Regards
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Thanks. We have been in Maine all summer and I am already having problems with the boat never drying out inside. I appreciate your thoughts. and yes, I will check to make sure my current ducting can take the heat.
Richard
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19-09-2013, 07:06
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Portland, Maine
Boat: Caliber 40LRC
Posts: 609
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Re: Boat Heaters
We have an ITR Hurricane hydronic heater on our 40 ft. Caliber. We expend roughly 2 gallons per day in the months of Jan, Feb and Mar in Maine. We usually run the heater at 67° while awake on board and 60° while at work or sleeping. For safety and noise the heater is installed in teh sail locker with the exhaust out the transom. This system is very popular in the PNW. It is not cheap but very well made and has options to pre-heat the engine or on-demand hot water.
The boat gets clear shrink wrap in the winter which helps with the heating costs during the day. The system is completely 12v so we can also use it at anchor. It has 3 zones so we can control what gets heated and when. We cruise from May 1 to Dec 1 in Maine.
See my website if you want more details.
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19-09-2013, 07:28
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Seattle
Boat: Cal 40 (sold). Still have a Hobie 20
Posts: 2,944
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Re: Boat Heaters
Quote:
Originally Posted by wxman
Hi all,
I'm having the same debate right now. I have sort of settled on the Wallas dt40, in large part due to its quietness and ability to dry out the boat. I have spoken to some who have thier boat in the Gulf of Alaska and this is a very popular option in SE Alaska.
I have planned on using my existing A/C ducting, so that I do not have to run more ducting, which I too think would be a real PIA.
I am somewhat taken aback by the consumption mentioned above. 1.5 gal/day=50 gal/month=roughly $300/month just to heat boat. Seems like a lot.
Maybe I should look at other options??
THought?
Richard
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You have a long tube shaped ( lots of surface area to radiate heat per volume) non to poorly insulated house.
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