Eberspacher D2 heaters..

[boatman61]

Hi..
Been looking at heaters for a small boat (25-29).. so far my choice is this Cosy Cabin gas stove/heater... attractive and efficient.

However am also looking at the Eber' D2.. now on E-Bay you can get a 12v system for less than £600 for the kit.. but when one types in 'Marine' its suddenly double near enough..
To those more aware/clued up/in the trade... whats the difference.. or is it just like cookers and so many other things camping.. all ********..
NEW 2015 EBERSPACHER D2 AIRTRONIC 12V DIESEL NIGHT AIR HEATER UNIT AUTO & MARINE | eBay
Or are all the electric's gold plated against moisture corrosion..

[Lancerbye]

I bought one of those which is the same as the marine kits except, the through hull exhaust needed requires a bigger exhaust and elbow. These are not cheap. It cost me about 300CAD more but still came out cheaper than that sold by the marine supplier. The kit offered on ebay is for trucks, everything is stainless but the exhaust has to be changed mainly because I couldn't find a double-walled angled through hull exhaust that would fit directly. I was informed by experts that the exhaust system supplied is too small and provides too much back pressure.

[JPA Cate]

Does this mean you have a new boat? If so, congratulations!

[Suijin]

On that size boat I'd definitely go with the Cosy Cabin heater. No ducting, no fan, no amps, no noise, nice radiant heat, and certainly more reliable and easier to fix.

I have an Espar on my boat and it's been great, but one of these days it's going to coke up and then I'll be fixing yet ANOTHER thing on the boat that is more complicated than it needs to be.

[goboatingnow]

Boatie,

The Eberspacher unit is just standard truck unit, and you can often get the smaller units from truck dismantlers.

You'll need a marine skin fitting , have a look at ebay ( for eberspachers too) these cost about 30-40 quid, then a bit of flexible stainless steel exhaust tubing and some heat insulation

Make sure you get the lift pump, you might need got fabricate a stainless bracket, but that can be fabbed out of a bit of stainless

After that its 100mm piping, and som outlet covers, again all cheap on ebay

Ive found them to be reliable, Ive fitted 4 over the years to my boats, never serviced them , run them in the spring and autumn , They need good batteries to start and don't altogether like the GasOil I use in the boat , they are designed for DERV, but they manage. Check the little thumb filter in the pump, the manual forgets to tell you about that !!

installation is simple

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Does this mean you have a new boat? If so, congratulations!

No not yet... using a different approach to boat buying this time...
So far over the last coupla years I've a new Sea Toilet, Cooker, VHF, Sound system, Dinghy, 8hp ob (used), running rigging etc... now I'm thinking heater...
Next boat..!!
I'm gonna be ready for it..

[boatman61]

Cheers Dave.. think I may go down Suijins route.. unless the boats no suitable bulkhead space in the salon... it happens..
Definitely an easier fix.. four screws, a T and some copper tube..
But.. definitely good to know..

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Cheers Dave.. think I may go down Suijins route.. unless the boats no suitable bulkhead space in the salon... it happens..
Definitely an easier fix.. four screws, a T and some copper tube..
But.. definitely good to know..

I notice you said Gas , The propane models would not be legal in the EU, the diesel drip ones would be .

dave

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I notice you said Gas , The propane models would not be legal in the EU, the diesel drip ones would be .

dave

D2 heater diesel..
Cozy Cabin heater.. Gas
Buga... forgot.. gotta cut a flue hole..

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

D2 heater diesel..
Cozy Cabin heater.. Gas
Buga... forgot.. gotta cut a flue hole..

Again just be aware room vented Gas heating is illegal in the EU. Watch for the question ion your reinsurance form.

I know laws are somewhat irrelevant to you however

[rabbi]

I just installed one myself. One important thing...
The normal automotive kits typically come with an exhaust muffler that is not gas tight. It is supposed to be mounted outside the car, where a small leakage does not matter. In a boat where the muffler is inside it does matter!
Just try it yourself, close one end of the muffler with a hand and blow into the other. Mine leaked badly.

Eberspächer or webasto sell similar gas tight (round) mufflers for use in a boat. That piece and the exhaust through-hull are the major differences between normal and marine kits. The marine kits seem to have additional insulation for the exaust and muffler, to reduce risk of fire.


Don't think about leaving out the muffler. Nobody in the anchorage will like you anymore if you do. The heater sounds like a starting airliner, at least when firing up. I am even thinking about adding another muffler for the intake.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Again just be aware room vented Gas heating is illegal in the EU. Watch for the question ion your reinsurance form.

I know laws are somewhat irrelevant to you however

But its got a 2+ft flue.. and vents outside..

[Cheechako]

I'd go with the forced air Espar between the two. If you can set up a small tank and run Kerosene it will burn clean and long without coking up. If Webasto makes an equivalent size/$ unit I would go with that. I'm not an expert but familiar somewhat and I find the Webasto's are less trouble prone. JMHO.


The space heater doesn't work that well for heating a cabin. (all the heat rises to the top)

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by boatman61

But its got a 2+ft flue.. and vents outside..

Yes but it burns oxygen from the living space.... right? Not that I'm against it.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yes but it burns oxygen from the living space.... right? Not that I'm against it.

I'm currently installing a Webasto heater and in the directions it recommends getting the combustion air from outside the boat and I don't understand why. It's not like any boat is so tightly sealed that plenty of air can't be sucked in to replace air that is used for combustion and this would tend to increase the portion of fresh air on the boat while the heater is running. Does anyone have any insight on why it's recommended to get combustion air from outside?