Best temporary heating?

[rbk]

For limited use to take the edge off I would seriously consider a solid fuel heater like a Dickinson solid fuel heater. Wood can be a pain but a bag of charcoal doesn’t smoke, has more btu’s per pound, stores well, lightweight and can be found most anywhere. Solid fuel dries your boat interior better than anything (when combustion air is drawn from the cabin) and they are relatively cheap by comparison to liquid fuel heaters. It does require a substantial hole to be drilled but you can install and be using it within a few hours. Propane heaters don’t actually put out that much Co but the moisture as mentioned above is a serious problem. Candles and kerosene lamps do a good job heating but the soot buildup on your ceiling will surprise you in a short amount of time and when you do clean it, it is a greasy sooty, smeary mess and that burning eye sensation when you’re burning too many kerosene lamps. Forced air or hydronic are the best but $$$ a propane vented ‘fireplace’ has limited heating capacity more so if multiple cabins and less $$ but nearly twice a solid fuel fireplace. Only cheap propane vented option I’ve seen and personally used was the Dickinson cozy cabin heater. It is vented and has thermoelectric shutoff for the pilot light and a small (1.25” flue) so smaller hole and about the same price as a new solid fuel Dickinson.

[pianopraze]

I like the idea of charcoal – coconut charcoal is part of my wife's culture, and would be easy to find.

Not sure how I would run a 4 foot chimney run though. Solar Panels are over where I would install it.

Also like not invalidating insurance!

[chrisr]

we rarely get cold weather (our motto : if the butter on the table melts, go south. if it's too hard, go north (southern hemisphere))

but when it does, the owner does a lot more baking in the evening. gas oven warms the boat up pretty well - esp if we close all the doors. fringe benefit is yummy !

cheers,

[Chotu]

Not temporary, but these work just like a solid fuel heater, drying the boat air by pulling it in for combustion, take almost no power and can be run continuously for weeks on end. Plus, they use easy to get fuel you already have in the boat:



https://www.go2marine.com/item-image...91&resizew=191

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Not temporary, but these work just like a solid fuel heater, drying the boat air by pulling it in for combustion, take almost no power and can be run continuously for weeks on end. Plus, they use easy to get fuel you already have in the boat:

For some reason, Chotu, when I clicked on your link, all I got was a picture of the mystery unit. Here's the link for the

Dickinson Lofoten Floor Mounted Diesel Heater:
https://www.go2marine.com/Lofoten-Fl...l-Boat-Heaters

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

For some reason, Chotu, when I clicked on your link, all I got was a picture of the mystery unit. Here's the link for the

Dickinson Lofoten Floor Mounted Diesel Heater:
https://www.go2marine.com/Lofoten-Fl...l-Boat-Heaters

I like those Dickinson heaters, which have a big advantage in that they are extremely simple, with like one moving part, so totally owner serviceable, a big advantage for those of us who sail in remote areas. Disadvantages however include (a) need floor space which many of us don't have; (b) require whacking a big hole in the deck; (c) soot in the rigging; (d) poor distribution of heat.


Cheaper and much easier to install, and much much easier to find space for, is something like this:



https://heatersus.com/planar/planar-2d-12v-diesel

[GordMay]

What’s wrong with an inexpensive 750W/1500 Watt Ceramic space heater?
Draws about 12.5 A @ 120VAC (standard 15A cct).

[gonesail]

for the southern climate I am amazed at how well the propane cozy cabin heater works. but it requires a 1" hole for the smoke stack. the blue flame is like a small fireplace. also a couple of fans to move the air around. this is in addition to a 1200 watt oil filled electric furnace.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by GordMay

What’s wrong with an inexpensive 750W/1500 Watt Ceramic space heater?
Draws about 12.5 A @ 120VAC (standard 15A cct).

These are a great temporary heat solution in my opinion.

The best actually, or even the bigger oil filled ones of the same wattage for a different type of radiant heat.

I was thinking the OP was completely off grid without a generator for some reason. Otherwise I’d have suggested the electric too.

Since we are not going to be anywhere all that cold, we are using electric heaters on the rare occasion we need to take the edge off. Until we we need to install something more.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

For some reason, Chotu, when I clicked on your link, all I got was a picture of the mystery unit. Here's the link for the

Dickinson Lofoten Floor Mounted Diesel Heater:
https://www.go2marine.com/Lofoten-Fl...l-Boat-Heaters

Thank you!

I must have used the image link twice by mistake.

[pianopraze]

Originally Posted by Chotu

These are a great temporary heat solution in my opinion.

The best actually, or even the bigger oil filled ones of the same wattage for a different type of radiant heat.

I was thinking the OP was completely off grid without a generator for some reason. Otherwise I’d have suggested the electric too.

Since we are not going to be anywhere all that cold, we are using electric heaters on the rare occasion we need to take the edge off. Until we we need to install something more.

I have small battery bank. When I plugged the smallest electric heat I could find at walmart my system started caterwauling and turned off: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Soleil-El...-08S/504414275

I do have a generator but they say no use of Generators after 10pm at our dock. So looking for non electric, or only uses trickle of electric for like thermostat, solution.

Edit to add, I don't have diesel on board. Prout Snowgoose with a single Installed gas Suzuki engine in the rear center.

[hpeer]

A little pricy but will work well.

https://planarheaters.com/portable-d...or-activities/

[SY Kelpie]

Originally Posted by pianopraze

Meaning no permanent instillation.

I was looking at those, how much current do they draw? One I saw used a car cigarette lighter type.

I could remove the wall AC unit (which I've never used as I'm sure it draws a lot of current) and install one of China diesel units in it's spot seasonally.

They draw about 10A on startup, I have mine hardwired to the battery.

If you search eBay for an 'all in one parking heater' you should find an inexpensive unit that you could treat like a suitcase genny. Sit it in the cockpit and make sure the exhaust leads safely overboard. The ducting is 90mm diameter and would need to led inside in some way, e.g. a modified washboard.

It's not the most elegant solution, but it would be very cheap and very effective.

[mvweebles]

For occasional use to take the chill off, can't beat a propane heater. These cabinet heaters work well and will run quite a while on low (6000 Btu). For Florida, good solution, and fairly economical.

This one's from Tractor Supply, but Google "propane cabinet heater" and you'll find many alternatives.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...a?cm_vc=-10005

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by SY Kelpie

They draw about 10A on startup, I have mine hardwired to the battery.

If you search eBay for an 'all in one parking heater' you should find an inexpensive unit that you could treat like a suitcase genny. Sit it in the cockpit and make sure the exhaust leads safely overboard. The ducting is 90mm diameter and would need to led inside in some way, e.g. a modified washboard.

It's not the most elegant solution, but it would be very cheap and very effective.

That is essentially what I posed above from Planar, a 14k BTU suitcase heater, even has a built in fuel tank.