Keeping it cosy...

[Boracay]

Can anyone give me some idea of how cold it needs to get before some form of heating is needed.

It has been pretty cold in Sydney(Oz) recently - lows of 7 and highs of 17 with water temperature possibly 18 (Temperatures in degrees celsius) and it gets pretty cool inside Boracay. A little fan heater warms everything up nicely in about twenty minutes.

Boracay is a steel boat with 1" polystyrene insulation over most steel above the sole. I'll probably add a bit more insulation as time permits.

And if heating is needed what would be the most practical way, given that it is 50 years since I remember weather this cold and that it should all start to warm up in a few weeks.

[Hampus]

Sailing scandinavian waters, i know about cold I think that a heater is nice as soon as it drops below 15, if nothing else to keep the moist out. I'll upgrade to the 5kW eberspächer for water heated systems. I have a smaller heater now. I now have two radiators in the saloon. in the future I'll also install a radiator with fan in the gally and fore peak. I lived aboard the boat for two years, temperatures dropped as low as -17 degrees celcius in the winter. I had to use electical heaters at that time. I've sailed in sub zero temperatures with the small heater that is installed now. I could keep a temperature inside the boat of about 10 degrees. The nice thing is that you only need to keep the inside temp a few degrees above the outside temp for all the humidity to go bye-bye, so even a small heater will do the trick here.

/Hampus

[Pblais]

Can anyone give me some idea of how cold it needs to get before some form of heating is needed.

Water temperature determines more than air temperature. Our water is now running 83 F. It's not cold. Air over water is effected by the water temperature greatly and the temperature of the boat tends to be the water temperature.

The absolute rule is when the Admiral says it's cold - it is

[sctpc]

I will properly get told its stupid but I have lit the stove it warms up in know time and one burner on low can work like a small heater BUT MAKE SHAW NOTHING AROUND CAN CATCH its the cheapest form of heat I know off.

[Pblais]

A burner is Ok for a quick few minute effort to remove a chill, but the burner makes water vapor and carbon dioxide. If it is really cold the moisture added to the cabin isn't helpful. Extra CO2 added to the cabin could present a problem without venting. It's really the moisture that you don't need when it's cold.

[Steve Pope]

An old trick if you use the cooker for heating its to put a medium size clay flower pot over the flame, the pot will retain the heat for quite a considerable time after the stove is shut down.

[Talbot]

I would stay with the fan heater attached through a thermostat.

Alternatively, a tube heater keeps the chill off.

Not worth carbon monoxide poisoning, or any more expensive system for a once off.

[cooper]

Boracay the answer is what you are comfortable with.


I have had minus 5.3 in the last two weeks. The inside boat temperature has dropped to minus 2. Having a piss is dangerous. 4 in the morning ice. The boat is not on the water though. My boat in the lakes has had minus and ice on deck. I love it. Everybody else goes home. I do the pot on the stove trick (It does build up condensation below decks though). And you do need to be very careful of build ups...but you already know this because we have talked about it before. (dangerous gas thread)
I go to bed maybeee 10 oclock plus a few beers, with heaps of warm blankets. If I am lucky my partner is able to be there. I have the kettle pre filled and morning cup ready. As soon as the sun hits the deck I fire up the stove. Make a cupper and stand on deck with my back to the sun watching the mist lift....absolute magic.....

Serious boat heating is not something that us aussies know about. It is also VERY expensive here. If you want it....gas..or diesel...Dedicated or part of a cooking range....fan forced or natural ventilation... $2000 plus or $7500. The choice is yours. You could even go solid fuel. There is some very nice little timber/coke/coal stoves. In our situation they would cost nothing to run.

Where are you going to travel too?

North / South ?

Other countries? Stay in NSW ?

[john connell]

Off I go to the north Pole.

Well---- If I ever do I now have a nuke it type diesel stove.Have just purchased a very well built 43 ft Adams recently which is basically ready for fit out.I am not entirely sure why but the original builder back in 1992 imported a Dickinson ( Atlantic ) diesel stove and it is sitting up in the raised galley area ready to go in.I have read the manual and this stove is a killer cooker that also heats a hot water tank and can be set up for transferring hot air ( a bit like the eberspacher heaters which i have heard are really good ).
Maybe he had plans for cold country cruising.?

Trouble is -In Australia unless you live /cruise the Southern areas or are planning to travel to cold climates ( South NZ as example ) I think it will be overkill for my needs.They are quite large also.
Having said that the idea of using them for heating of hot water as a back up and hot air transfer does appeal.
Hi Borocay,Sydney area on Monday it is going down to 14 c.-brrr!!

Here we are whinging and our old mate Cooper down in the southern hills is doing it real cold.-minus 5.3.
Cooper- you have to move on to Bouburn or Scotch old fella.Much better warming qualities.!!!
Must admit I love the idea of the cuppa on the deck first am where you are-absolute magic country to experience it you lucky buggar.

Has anyone out there ever had one of these type stove/ovens and used them for not only cooking but hot water /air heating also.?
Seems like they would be great in winter but what about summer-Could be like a sauna.?
Before I go ahead and sell it off and possibly go all LPG I would like to consider all angles and would appreciate further feedback.

Regards
JC

[Talbot]

The original owner must have intended sailing well south or going elsewhere, it would be the last thing I would purchase for Sydney area!

perhaps a diesel heater for the water, kept in the engine room, but that amount of heat in the saloon - I suppose it would be a way of loosing weight

[Hampus]

When moored or anchored in calm waters, a couple of candles and a kerocene lamp will do the trick. Candles in combination with some "company" will heat things up considerably

YouTube - Testlauf Eberspächer Standheizung Hydronic D5W S

This is the little diesel heater I plan on getting, The eberspächer D5W. 5000 Watts, extremely small and easy to place. Then there will be no reason not to sail during the winter. Unless the ice is too thick....

/Hampus

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Hampus

This is the little diesel heater I plan on getting, The eberspächer D5W. 5000 Watts, extremely small and easy to place. Then there will be no reason not to sail during the winter. Unless the ice is too thick..../Hampus

Except that heater is only a water heater, not an air one. It is designed to provide hot water for the shower etc.

However, some people have taken this heater and used it to pump hot water around a cat, and to feed small heater blocks (from a mini) and using a computer fan to blow the hot air.

[Zach]

Been doing some reading about Mascoat spray on insulating coatings.

Evidently on steel boats it stops the hull from sweating and condensation from forming. Might be worth looking at for keeping the boat dry. Sounds like it replaces hung insulation on ships, so its got to do something.

(I've got a sample, but haven't given it a try yet to see if its any good. Seeing as my boat is fiberglass, and I'm a little tight on funds... I haven't done any experimenting with it yet.)

[Hampus]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Except that heater is only a water heater, not an air one. It is designed to provide hot water for the shower etc.

However, some people have taken this heater and used it to pump hot water around a cat, and to feed small heater blocks (from a mini) and using a computer fan to blow the hot air.

Nope, it's not designed as a water heater for showers etc. It's designed for and marketed as a heater for heating the boat. You just hook it up to radiators around the boat and hot it is. I use the same system myself, but with a heater of only 1270 watts. I currently have 2 radiators under the sofas in the saloon. I'll expand the system when I install the eberspächer. By the way, who needs a water heater of 5000 watts for taking showers? Normal water heaters ar around 700-1200 watts.

/Hampus

[john connell]

Hi Hampus,
Thanks for the link.
Good ideas to think about.Have to admit I really like the look of those Erberspacher units and have heard they are extremely good ( and extremely expensive) but very compact /economical.

Talbot,
Agreed.Whilst I need to lose a few pounds this is probably not the way I planned it.Would be a great unit for winter time but that would be short lived generally in our climate.

Might flick it to the classified section soon and see if anyone in South Australia, across the ditch or in Tassie could use it.

Zach,
There are plenty here that have more experience in the insulation field but from what I have generally heard the spray in insulation is not the best method.Spray on in steel in particular is difficult if you ever have to cut out a plate and reweld.Nightmares follow I have heard.Glued in panel sections may be worth looking at also.Ease of removal for repairs better than spray in.
I'd like to hear some other responses on this from more experienced members as I will soon be going throught the process in a steel hull.

Regards
JC