cabin heater questions

[westerner]

I believe this topic came up on the Fiberglassics forum and it delt primarily with 12 volt heaters and their hookup. Are there any other options as a cabin heat source? What i've done in the past is just simply layer-up clothing but some cabin heat sure would be nice after about 4 or 5 hours of winter salmon fishing. A friend had a late model Seaswirl with propane catalytic cabin heat, is this an option with my 16 express cabin or is 12v best? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Shakin' on the sound.

[Dave C]

You will never get any satisfactory heat from 12 Volts. A 1200 watt heater would require 100 Amps :eek: Thats as much as a starting motor, and they only run for a few seconds.
To get any kind of warmth will require some kind of propane catalytic cabin heater or the like.
Good Luck
Dave

[John Berg]

Cabin heater

What I use is the portable "Mr Heater". You just screw on a small propane canister, throw a couple more on board for spares and your good to go. It heats up the cabin quick. Mine says its ok to use in an inclosed area but I dont leave it on when Im sleeping in my boat. Carbon monoxide will kill you and I dont want to take any chances. Its nice that its portable because you can also put it out on the deck by your feet,or move it from boat to boat to boat. Wow, I have to many boats. Have fun. John

[GregS]

I can tell you that if you are at anchor, and it is smooth water and nobody has been consuming anything that will make them clumsy, then a pyrex dish with many tea light candles will heat the cabin. My friends and I did this while we were in high school on his dad's old Bellboy. We put the pyrex dish in the sink and loaded it with those small candles. It seemed to work. Yes, I know that so many things could have gone wrong but we were desperate.

[Helmar]

Cuddy Cabin Heater

On our 20ft Offshore (Belair) we too have a Mr Heater to use in it.
Only takes a Short time to get it warm up there.

If someone has a newer I/O power like Greg S, it is Fresh water cooled, what is to stop one from putting a car heater up by the cabin bulkhead?
Heat the passenger as well as defrost the windows, While running.

If I can figure out how to run another pump for my little Volvo for fresh water cooling, adding a auto heater up forward while we are running is going to be another project of mine.
If you have ever seen the insides of the Belair, you would see how many possibilities I have for placing it.

[Skagitguy]

Helmar & John, Is this the one you are talking about ? That would be great in the Farallon or even better in the Rosario being the cabin is small. Chuck


http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._211577_211577

[Helmar]

Helmar, John, Is this the one you are talking about ? That would be great in the Farallon or even better in the Rosario being the cabin is small. Chuck


http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._211577_211577

Hey Chuck.
That is the one I have.
If I remember, there were two sizes when I got mine. I chose to get the smaller one as I was going to use it in a smaller area.

I got mine at what used to be called GI Joes, now called Joes (I think)
It was on sale at the time.

[GregJ]

Chuck, I use the Mr. heater also. Come over and look at mine when you have a chance. They do turn off with excessive motion (safety) so they might not stay on while underway.

[Steve_Kiesel]

That's also what I used in my last fishing boat. Using it to heat the garage now, while I work on sprucing up the Homelite. I was at Joe's (GI Joe's) yesterday, they are selling them for $79. Great little heaters, many uses.

[Lootas1]

Joe is right about a car type water heater. I had one in my 24 foot Fiberform. Did a lot of winter fishing for blackmouth and it kept the cabin toasty warm. Wasn't enough to keep the windshield defogged though. Had a 12 v. fan on the dash for that. (Of course, we also had a 12 v. coffee percolator on the dash and a couple of cups of steaming coffee in the cabin as we fished.) Ah, those were the days!

[Tim_Mattson]

Heater options

I`ve seen them in Diesil that work pretty good.The propane models are now coming with a 1`` vent that lets the moisture out more than fumes.
The danger of Propane is it settles in the hull if it goes out or leaks.Gas fumes and open flame are also not a good plan.
I have seen some really nice Electric stovetops in the Welded Alum Pilothouse hulls that are made by Wallas and are basically two electric burners for cooking.They have a slick top cover with fan that allows to blow hot air thru the cabin.It did require a housebank Deep cycle battery seperate from the starting motor but it can be done.
Pretty spendy for the latest and greatest but it is a multi purpose unit that can extend your season.Warms you up while you boil some water for Cocoa.
I still use my Mustang Suit when I want real warmth.
With an inboard ,you can plumb finned heater units like RedDots and fit them with a small 12volt fan to throw more heat.The hose itself can be coiled under floors to get radiant heat while the engine is running.Petcock valves can turn it off in summer.
TimM

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Another Small-Heater Option...

Here's another little propane heater that puts out few btu's than Mr. Heater, but also costs less. (I suspect that 3,000-8,000 btu's is more than most of us need inside our tiny cabins, anyway.) This one generates 1,500 btu's and runs a long time on the smaller propane cannisters.

As others have suggested, I'd only use them before turning in for the night. They may be rated for 'indoor use,' but I'd still be nervous leaving one of the things on while sleeping.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Perfec...outThisProduct

- Marty

[John Berg]

Chuck, Yes thats the one. Grab Gregs or let me know if you want mine to see how fast it heats up your cabin. Very stable unit and you can set it in a corner out of the way. Let me know. John

[Skagitguy]

Marty, On the Rosario i have my two 12 gal gas tanks up against the bulkhead. I just wonder if it's such a good idea to have the propane going away inside the cabin like Tim said " The danger of Propane is it settles in the hull if it goes out or leaks.Gas fumes and open flame are also not a good plan." I could always turn it on in the stern and then put it in the cabin ? I have really have not ever smell fumes inside the Rosario cabin. I would only use it when sitting still like at Kenmore waiting for the guys coming down the Slough. I don't want to go Ka-Boom ! Best,Chuck

[Nomad55]

If someone has a newer I/O power like Greg S, it is Fresh water cooled, what is to stop one from putting a car heater up by the cabin bulkhead?
Heat the passenger as well as defrost the windows, While running.

Some years back I installed an underdash aftermarket a/c unit with the suction throttling valve removed in a friends 19' boat I/O. It worked out well. The units have mounting brackets to hang the unit, dual fans, a lot of finned surface area to provide needed heat, and ajustable vent direction. This one was just hung from the dash. The next one I did we hind the unit under the bow and using 55 Chevy windshield defrost vents, very slim profile,to keep the cabin windows clear and ran pvc piping for remote vents around the cabin. The underdash units are becomeing a little scarce but I have pick up several on Ebay for various projects in the past.