Cabin Heating System

[ndutton]

I won't pretend that we have anywhere near the temps as most of you but when boating in the winter and Catalina nights turn cold it's time to bake a batch of cookies in the oven. It's just enough to cut the chill and brings side benefits.

Hot buttered rum doesn't hurt either.

[Vermont30]

I am all for a wall mounted stand alone vented heater. We had temps down in the 30's with a hard frost last weekend, probably the coldest night we've spent on the water. Ultimately, I don't see using the A4 as a heat source to be safe. Also keep in mind make up air for proper combustion. So it would have to be a coaxial vent pipe. Fresh air in through the outer pipe and exhaust through the inner pipe, one penetration through the deck. Boats are not obviously tight as homes, but in a confined space, lack of air for proper combustion will kill you.

[lat 64]

Mo, they said "We lost the race…" Seems to me that a heater was a good piece of racing equipment. No?

Hypothermia can really set in fast when you are just sitting in the cockpit hanging on to the tiller. Decision making ability goes out the window and you start to do stupid things. Very fast.

Good advice to get dressed first. Like a reef in the sail, Do it before it is not possible.

Comfort is also a safety issue.

Russ

[Mo]

Mo, they said "We lost the race…" Seems to me that a heater was a good piece of racing equipment. No?

Hypothermia can really set in fast when you are just sitting in the cockpit hanging on to the tiller. Decision making ability goes out the window and you start to do stupid things. Very fast.

Good advice to get dressed first. Like a reef in the sail, Do it before it is not possible.

Comfort is also a safety issue.

Russ

They knew exactly what happened Russ. They waited too long to get warm gear on and dropped temp and couldn't warm up. The skipper and mate deferred the sail change because the sea was still up and it's too easy to make a mistake when he knew everyone wasn't on their game...that was a smart call to keep people off the foredeck. O dark 30 and trying to do a MOB in rough seas, in the dark, with people not in the game, wouldn't have been good. Maybe bad decision making earlier in the day but they didn't compound it with a catastrophic mistake.

Trivia:
O dark 30 ... is pronounced " Oh dark 30 " .... been saying it for years....referring to time we always say it's 3 O'clock, (oh)0600 etc...

[Al Schober]

Just two comments:
First, used to have a pressure Kero Force 10 heater. When it worked it was great (better than the flower pots over the alcohol burners), when it didn't it was a PITA. About 3 years ago it wasn't working well, I was playing with it, and almost burned the boat down. Brought it home to work on and (you guessed it) almost burned the house down! It went into the trash and hasn't been replaced.
Second, friend with a Catalina 42 has a forced hot air unit - a thing of beauty and a joy forever. I think it's an Espar unit. We came back to the boat one evening with my teeth chattering, he turns on the heat, in less than a minute there's hot air coming from the ducts. Gotta love it!

[toddster]

An old thread, but this is a project I've been considering. It would be nice to keep the cabin warm during long deliveries and harbor-hopping. Although I'm more likely to cobble up something with junkyard parts. Why throw away "free" heat when it's available?

(I do have a Force 10 Propane heater in the cabin. Also, the standpipe exhaust is right under the helmsman's seat and makes a nice warm spot when motoring long distances.)

To keep the cabin warm while under way, I may need to come up with a more convenient hatch arrangement than the drop boards. I've spent some winter weekends on boats with engine-heaters and the cabin never got very warm due to the traffic in and out through the companionway.

I wonder if one needs to worry about creating back-pressure on the Oberdorfer pump, what with the water heater (already installed), heater core, and all associated hoses? Especially if one of them goes all the way up to the V-berth.

[JOHN COOKSON]

To keep the cabin warm while under way, I may need to come up with a more convenient hatch arrangement than the drop boards. I've spent some winter weekends on boats with engine-heaters and the cabin never got very warm due to the traffic in and out through the companionway.

Have a canvas cover made for the main hatch with snaps to secure it. When anchored or even when under way keep the drop boards removed and the canvas cover draped over the hatch to cover it. Secure the canvas by the top snaps only. If someone wants to go below or up on deck they flip the up the cover then let it drop back down.
A bonus is using this arrangement when anchored or even in the marina is you can use the cover in this manner for privacy but still have easy access on and off the deck.
This arrangement is common in my boating area.

TRUE GRIT

[W2ET]

Bumped.

Bill

[Boat]

we have a webasto diesel heater PNW cruiser here so need something to takr the chill off