You remind me of - well - me 12 years ago when we purchased our (first)
boat. We're moored in Campbell River at the northern end of the Strait of
Georgia, perhaps a 100 miles north of you and significantly colder. I've learned a lot of what has been said already in this thread over time, and chill out much more easily now as
winter approaches. Even up here,
water temp is 48 deg F today. I use those West
Marine pancake heaters (2 of them in fore/aft cabins) all
winter (Oct through March) and supplement them with a thermostatically controlled Caframo
heater for colder snaps. Don't use just any
cheap heater - you might have cause to worry about it if you do. Moisture will be your biggest problem - I use 2 Drizair humidifier bowls emptied every 2 weeks or less - and the West
Marine heaters both move a little air (important) and heat the air enough to retain a bit more moisture - they don't really heat the
boat much as you've discovered. Decent ventilation is very important. I do drain my
water tank by November though for reasons already stated.