Keeping it cosy...

[Zach]

Hey John,

Sorry for the confusion, I think its just ceramic balls suspended in an acrylic binder... 60-80 mils thick. Like a paint. Not the spray foam stuff.

Zach

[Boracay]

So my approach would be something like...

1) Keep the fan heater and run it off a small petrol generator at the stern for a few hours in the evening.

2) Start the engine and let it warm up. It's in the middle of the boat.

3) Crack the hatches and light the stove. A CO detector might be a good idea.

4) Bring a few of the winter woolies and doonas on board.

5) Give a higher priority to more insulation.

and if all that is not enough
6) Get one of those tiny wood heaters.

[cooper]

It is SNOWING here !!!! How the hell do you work on a boat in a paddock in SNOW ?
If I was in Alaska sure but Melbourne? Im not even on top of a mountain......

[cooper]

When I said it was cold I wasnt kidding.....
IDV28000
Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Victoria

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST
VICTORIAN SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
for Intense cold outbreak conditions and hazardous driving conditions
For people in southern and mountain districts.
Issued at 3:40 am EST on Sunday 10 August 2008

Severe cold outbreak conditions in western Victoria this morning will extend
across remaining southern and mountain districts today.

Hazards include snowfalls down to 400 metres affecting roads that rarely
experience snow. Black ice across roads. Dangerously cold conditions for both
livestock and people in the bush or outdoors. Squally winds in the west of the
State with gusts around 85 km/h.

[john connell]

Cooper,

Whilst I feel for you it would be remiss of me as an aussie to not take some sort of advantage of you in your current situation.
I have a perfectly good Dickinson Atlantic deisel (nuclear output level ) stove sitting in my new boat that I will be offloading soon
Good price for a freezing southerner.
Comes with a set of steak knives.

Borocay,

Have a look at the Webasto site on Webasto
Those eberspacher heaters look awesome.
Not sure how the price will affect you but it is bang for bucks.
Great HW heaters also.Watched a demo on "youtube" and the HWS unit heated the water set up in a bucket flow test from 5.0c to 28 c + in a matter of a minute or so.Various type models
They have a Sydney based office in Kirrawee.
LPG based heating is another option as long as it is done by a licensed LPG gasfitter and the heater has a flame safe failure device.For my boat I am going LPG for cooking/bbq, diesel for air heating and hot water at this stage unless another option raises itself for persusal.

Zach
I would like to look at that product myself so thanks for the headsup.
Just heard too many horror stories re spray in although I admit there may be very good reason for using it and some people seem to swear by it.
Horses for courses but for steel I personally dont see it as a good method.

Regards
JC

[cooper]

Hi John...under the circumstances I think I should trade my engine in and buy your stove...I think that your stove has more HP !!