We have propane heaters. Why no gasoline/petrol heaters?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I was kind of waiting for you to jump in. You always find the safety issue.

The proposed installation meets the conditions above.

It’s outside in a locker similar to a propane locker. I’ll give it a dedicated locker.

My propane locker is better than most. It’s a catamaran and the locker is outdoors on the bridge deck.

It’s a box with 6(qty) holes in the floor of the locker. Each hole is 3” diameter. Each hole is simply a hole in the bridge deck leading to open air and the water below.

So I plan to put one of these heaters in a box like that.

I don’t have any ignition protected environment inside boat because I don’t have any equipment inside the boat. Everything is outside.

I do have 150 gallons of gasoline in one of the hulls, but that has its own airtight enclosure box around it with passive ventilation. There are no sources of ignition in that box either since the tanks are the only contents of the box.

Main point is I have 4 pieces of gasoline powered equipment in this case if I do the proposed installation.

Two Outboards, a generator and this heater. All of them outside.

I’m pretty sensitive to mold and nasty chemical smells and stuff I also don’t like excessive heat and stink of any type in my cabins. So, every single mechanical device is outside. It’s been a design philosophy from the start

Congrats, That is not a simple thing to accomplish within the confines and limitations of a small vessel.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Congrats, That is not a simple thing to accomplish within the confines and limitations of a small vessel.

Thanks! It’s a 50’ x 25’ catamaran so it wasn’t as hard as it sounds, really. Just a little forethought was needed and to dedicate some deck space to the safety aspects.

Outboard power was a key part of it. They were primarily for better sailing performance (they retract clear of the water) and reduced weight. One of the advantages they had I didn’t fully appreciate until later is no engine room and no seacocks or zincs.

[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I was kind of waiting for you to jump in. You always find the safety issue.

The proposed installation meets the conditions above.

It’s outside in a locker similar to a propane locker. I’ll give it a dedicated locker.

My propane locker is better than most. It’s a catamaran and the locker is outdoors on the bridge deck.

It’s a box with 6(qty) holes in the floor of the locker. Each hole is 3” diameter. Each hole is simply a hole in the bridge deck leading to open air and the water below.

So I plan to put one of these heaters in a box like that.

I don’t have any ignition protected environment inside boat because I don’t have any equipment inside the boat. Everything is outside.

I do have 150 gallons of gasoline in one of the hulls, but that has its own airtight enclosure box around it with passive ventilation. There are no sources of ignition in that box either since the tanks are the only contents of the box.

Main point is I have 4 pieces of gasoline powered equipment in this case if I do the proposed installation.

Two Outboards, a generator and this heater. All of them outside.

I’m pretty sensitive to mold and nasty chemical smells and stuff I also don’t like excessive heat and stink of any type in my cabins. So, every single mechanical device is outside. It’s been a design philosophy from the start

I was thinking in terms of a monohull and couldn't figure a way that I would use a gasoline heater. I was thinking about running a bilge blower every time i fired up the heater. But it looks like you have a way to do it on your cat that makes sense. I will be interested to see pictures of your installation.

By the way I have also flown many airplanes with gas heaters. One night in a Beech 18 (that has the heater mounted in the right wing) I heard a LOUD bang and foump and lost several years of my life thinking the wing might come off. Turned out that no structural damage was done to the wing but I've been biased against those things ever since.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Chotu

. . .Outboard power was a key part of it. They were primarily for better sailing performance (they retract clear of the water) and reduced weight. One of the advantages they had I didn’t fully appreciate until later is no engine room and no seacocks or zincs. . .

No holes in the boat, no gear dragging in the water, cost nothing to remove for service or replacement, ideal access for service, cheaper, etc etc etc There are plenty of advantages of outboards on cats.



Would be nice if one could run them on kerosene, though. What size are they?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

No holes in the boat, no gear dragging in the water, cost nothing to remove for service or replacement, ideal access for service, cheaper, etc etc etc There are plenty of advantages of outboards on cats.



Would be nice if one could run them on kerosene, though. What size are they?

Sorry I didn’t respond to your idea to run them on kerosene/paraffin.

I’m not looking to spend $10,000 on this problem (new outboards) plus a heater, plus a different tank for my genset, plus the fact that kerosene isn’t available at docks.
That’s a non starter for this task of heating the boat.
I’m off grid at anchor. Not able to drive anywhere. Kerosene isn’t available.
They are 30hp each.

[challenger1949]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Same here.

I’ve seen the espar and webasto options but they seem to only be sold in Europe for some reason. They aren’t available in the USA and are also really small output.

I’m kind of hell bent on using the 150 gallons of gasoline I have already for main propulsion to do the heating. With the weight sensitivity I have on my Catamaran, I can’t be carrying around extra fuel tanks that are not being used.

Airplanes use gas heaters and the FAA approves that. I once had a VW in the 60's that had a gas heater. Since airplanes must undergo an intensive inspection yearly safety would be better than in cars or boats.

[skenn_ie]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Same here.

I’ve seen the espar and webasto options but they seem to only be sold in Europe for some reason. They aren’t available in the USA and are also really small output.

I’m kind of hell bent on using the 150 gallons of gasoline I have already for main propulsion to do the heating. With the weight sensitivity I have on my Catamaran, I can’t be carrying around extra fuel tanks that are not being used.

Is the weight of the container really THAT important ?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by skenn_ie

Is the weight of the container really THAT important ?

A 50 gallon container weighs 350lbs, so yes.

It’s not kept empty if you want a functioning heater.

[Sidney777]

Volkswagen beetles used to have that gas type of heater. Maybe you can find some info.

[captainwd40]

I believe gasoline heaters are a bad idea for the same reason gasoline forklifts are not allowed to be operated in buildings........Carbon Monoxide!

A gasoline heater on a boat will probably keep you warm at night ..... but you probably won't wake up in the morning to tell anyone about it ...... that is if you don't blow yourself up in the process!

My 2 cents .....

Cheers!

[Carl-T705]

Don't let facts dislodge a preconceived notion..... I ran a Southwind gas powered heater for several years and never had an issue. It heated coolant which provided radiant heat. The only time I had an issue is when the gas stayed in the tank for months without use, it simply wouldn't be fire off , fresh gas is all it needed. This was before ethanol gas.. I now have a wabasto heater, like the Southwind the exhaust need routing to the exterior. These heaters are sold everywhere in the USA, just check on eBay. They are all made in Germany. The ones sold in the US cost twice what the Euro models cost but it is still the same unit, only the warranty is different.

[bailsout]

And a lot of those cabin heaters were used when gas was leaded.

[MikeInMaine]

Back in the 60s/70s VW equipped their air-cooled vehicles with auxillary gasoline fueled cabin heaters. In the vans they were located under the vehicle but in the beetles the auxiliary heater was located in the front baggage compartment above the fuel tank.. not a very well-ventilated area.



Mike Maine
P-33-1 Brizo

[skenn_ie]

Originally Posted by Factor

Propane is gas??? Is not liquid or solid. Sop how can gas be better than gas?

In the cylinder, it is mostly liquid.

[skenn_ie]

Originally Posted by Chotu

A 50 gallon container weighs 350lbs, so yes.

It’s not kept empty if you want a functioning heater.

What are you making the things from, 1/4" steel plate ?
How much does a 45gallon drum weigh ? Even if double thickness, maybe 100lbs. Not a lot compared to the contents, and if you use one fuel, you still need to carry more of it.