New to Salt Yachts with Various Questions

[lowride14]

Hello everyone, Iv just recently acquired a 1962 38' Hunter Sedan "escape", and i'm going to be joining the livaboard lifestyle in the near future beginning in Vancouver and then moving out to Victoria. i'v been reading these forums for a while and now i'v have a variety of questions.

1 So i'm going to be living on it through the winter and i was thinking of the best way to heat it, maybe a wood or fuel stove/heater installed in the saloon (saloon is different from the dinette right?) but i'm wondering about cutting holes in the roof for the chimney? and also i was thinking of getting a propane heater in there, less permanent and just having the door cracked or something. its pretty drafty in there already, but i am planning on taking care of that over the next while. maybe put a fan in to move the warm air around. Wondering also if you can buy low oxygen warning units?

2 If you look at the picture of the inside of the saloon/helm right above my buddy there is a hole in the roof, it goes right through but has been glassed over in the last little while.I'm wondering what that could have been from? last owner said he used to have a mast that he took down but i dont know if that would have been from that or not.

2.1 part two of this question is there is another hole on top of the bow thats been glassed over and i can see it inside the vberth, its closer to the anchor locker on the left side?

3 Since he had removed the mast what do you folks recommend i use to mount my antennas, and gps transmitter/receiver, and stern light?

I'm sure i'v got plenty more questions, but lets start with that ahaha.

[simonmd]

Welcome aboard! You must be REALLY new to sail yachts as youve got one without any sails, or even a mast for that matter!! Nice classic looking craft though, i'm sure she'll make a great liveaboard.

Not sure about a 'low oxygen sensor' but certainly a CO (carbonmonoxide) detector would be a good idea, im sure any large DIY store would have them.

[boatman61]

I'd give the propane heater a total miss... they produce more moisture than you want to be dealing with...
I assume your going to be spending most of your time at the slip.. if so why not get yourself a decent little electric fire to be going on with if you've access to electric... nice dry heat to keep condensation to a minimum...
till you've thought things through and figured out location, fitting etc...
Considering the boat I'd go solid fuel (wood/coal) with a lid... stand a coffee pot on or a pan for a slow cook meal...

[lowride14]

Originally Posted by simonmd

Welcome aboard! You must be REALLY new to sail yachts as youve got one without any sails, or even a mast for that matter!! Nice classic looking craft though, i'm sure she'll make a great liveaboard.

Not sure about a 'low oxygen sensor' but certainly a CO (carbonmonoxide) detector would be a good idea, im sure any large DIY store would have them.

ahaha yeah well ideally I want one with sails and a mast, but I was referring to the salt not sails, because I currently have a boat only one year newer that this one on okanagan lake. 1963 Sangstercraft 16.5' 100hp evenrude outboard.

But i guess all i need is a CO detector, cause in the absence of oxygen would be co with a propane heater.

[lowride14]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I'd give the propane heater a total miss... they produce more moisture than you want to be dealing with...
I assume your going to be spending most of your time at the slip.. if so why not get yourself a decent little electric fire to be going on with if you've access to electric... nice dry heat to keep condensation to a minimum...
till you've thought things through and figured out location, fitting etc...
Considering the boat I'd go solid fuel (wood/coal) with a lid... stand a coffee pot on or a pan for a slow cook meal...

I didn't realize that they would create moisture, how is that? most of the time for now is at the slip but i will also be living off the hook when i first move to victoria and on weekends and such. I have an electric radiator in there but if i hook another one up even both on low they trip the breaker so i guess its only a 20amp slip? its just not warm enough and it wasn't even that cold out, maybe -6 at night, still had to have a winter jacket on inside.

Solid fuel eh? i guess wood is readily available problem being is i kinda need access under the floor wouldn't you say? Not sure of the best place to put it and i want to leave it fairly open in the saloon cause the doors open kinda like bi-fold doors.

[simonmd]

How about a couple of oil filled radiators? They are usualy thermostaticly controlled and use less power than a hungry electric element fire.

[lowride14]

hmm, well one of them is an electric radiator, and the other is one of those like cube heaters with a fan built into it. but i think that the radiator does use a fair bit of my power cause i tried turning on a fan at the same time and the fan was spinning at like 1/4 of the speed it should. and the heater is plugged into the dock with 2 heavy duty power cords, and on the other cord i have a little battery maintainer and then i tried the fan.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by lowride14

I didn't realize that they would create moisture, how is that?

A vented propane heater won't creat moisture, but an unvented one will. One of the byproducts of combustion is water, more so with propane.

[lowride14]

Ok that makes sense, the one I have is a hr.heater tank top one

any sugestions on how i could still use this and cut down the moisture?

I am only spending a few nights at a time on the boat for now so i would like it warm while i'm chillin. but i will most likely be anchoring in Victoria area at first and so i'm also thinking about what to do then. I guess if i'm in the boat i can wipe things off as it starts to acumulate.

[Sailmonkey]

The only cure for the moisture in to ventilate......I know it seems counter intutive but it's the only known way. When we use the stove during cold weather the hatch is open a little and the dorades are pointing into the breeze.

[NotQuiteLost]

Ventilate low in the cabin and it's not that big of a deal, as far as heat loss goes. Hot air rising, and all of that.

[lowride14]

Alright, yeah i was kinda thinking of putting it in the upper part, with the door cracked. so as not to die of CO poisoning.