Heating options for Cape Dory 27 Sailboat

[Rob S.]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Combustion air should not be a problem, your boat is not air tight, any crack in the companionway hatch or etc will feed it when you have it on.

This is basically what my installer said. He is going to put in a vent between the cabin and the locker area the heater will be in to ensure adequate air supply. I'll probably crack open the hatch under the dodger when the heater is on for some fresh O2.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

I don't really follow your logic. Cold, wet, miserable offshore conditions sound exactly like when I would want my boat to be warm and dry inside.

The only thing I can imagine that is more miserable than sitting at anchor or at dock in vile conditions is hove-to while waiting out vile conditions. The first two, you may be able to go to shore for a coffee or to walk to dogs at least. I guess hove too, you hopefully aren't as worried about land or other hard objects...

- AT

I think it would be a non-issue. I have taken green water over the stern on just a handful of occasions when running down-wind in heavy conditions. But never hove-to. I think we'll be able to run our heater in just about anything, and definitely while hove-to.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

I think it would be a non-issue. I have taken green water over the stern on just a handful of occasions when running down-wind in heavy conditions. But never hove-to. I think we'll be able to run our heater in just about anything, and definitely while hove-to.

The exhaust also rises just inside of the exit so water ingestion through the transom to heater is unlikely. If necessary a drip loop can be installed.

[DRussell]

I have a ranger 28, I took the table off the wall and installed a cubic mini cub wood heater. It’s beautiful and heats the boat up nicely and keeps it dry. I mulled over all the options for a while, I am not live aboard but I use it in winter, my boat is in Northern B.C. I will get something like a lagun table leg system to reattach my table.

[Brews]

I have a bus heater and hot water heater that run off engine coolant heat exchange. The heat from the bus heater is nice - better than nothing, but not great. I just installed a Planar 44 diesel heater for those occasions when the bus heater won’t cut it. I have a Catalina 27. The heater is installed in the port cockpit locker, and vents through the galley. The exhaust is through the transom. The batteries moved to under the port salon settee, not because the space was needed, but because of the risk of hydrogen in the same compartment as a naked flame.

It’s great. 1/3 of the cost of Espar / Webasto for similar performance. 2 years warranty. The distributor is located 35nm away.

[ron17571]

I admit I have no experience in this, but why not use an engine coolant heater as most cars do?
My future plans would include going south to warmer and more pleasant weather.

[Sofa King Fishy]

Originally Posted by rphdiego

I have installed 3 of the Chinese diesel 'parking' heaters. Although they are around $125 on ebay the proper installation materials for a marine application add up to about $350. Still much cheaper than a German Espar.

Agreed- add a better fuel line , proper mounting bracket($45) a sealed, Marine grade exhaust/muffler (the ones they come with are UNSAFE for an enclosed space) $250 with fiberglass heat wrap, and more robust set of intake & supply ducts (20) and a marine garage exhaust thru-hull ($50) the cost of the actual install- at least safely on a BOAT, not a van or truck, adds significant cost.

[Brews]

Originally Posted by ron17571

I admit I have no experience in this, but why not use an engine coolant heater as most cars do?
My future plans would include going south to warmer and more pleasant weather.

Not everyone can migrate like ducks.

As I mentioned above, I do have a heater that extracts heat from the coolant. When the noise stops, so does the heat. That’s when the diesel heater is especially handy - besides which it hears much better.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

We've just installed a 2kW forced-air Chinese diesel heater. It's running as I write this. Very happy with it so far. For a 27' boat I really would have thought 2kW should be plenty. The unit is physically smaller than the 5kW, ducting is smaller etc. which should be a good thing for your limited space. Actual measured output is even a little greater than 2kW so performance will be better than that electric heater you're currently managing with.

Indeed, I would be astonished if you needed any more than 2kw based on our experience with a Webasto ST2000 (2kw) heater on a 31ft yacht for the past decade. They really want to run hard rather than at idle or you risk sooting them up, hence the suggestion of the smaller size.

Fitted our before the Chinese copying them, but its been really good to the point we have run it during the summer if its raining and damp to help dry the yacht out which it is really good at and far better than radiators. The coldest was about -10c when the salt water splashing on the pontoon froze. We were toasty inside.

Pete

[Davo1404]

We have a Force 10 cosy cabin heater. 1 inch Chimney runs on LPG. 6000 BTU on high. We installed it 20 years ago. Easily heats a 32ft yacht.

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

Most of my sailing is around the 41st parallel.

Experiencing first hand how quickly living in a 40* cabin, with water raining from every condensable surface, even my synthetic layers wet and clammy, toes and fingers not quite cold enough to be numb with cold, instead cold enough so I get to experience the exquisite pain of it, experiencing how quickly that life made me want to scuttle the boat and fly home. When I was changing out of only damp clothes to put on wet clothes to go outside and check for chafe or take the dogs for a walk, over and over again, slowly coveting what "dry" clothes I had left because eventually those damp clothes will also be wet clothes... well that just wasn't my idea of fun. My unrealistic dream of cruising is to bask in 80* heat all the time. It made me promise myself to get a heater.

Temperatures where I have to put pants, heaven forbid a shirt or foot prisons, are really problematic for me. You see I'm a nudist at heart, so wearing shorts is a legal compromise for me.

All kidding aside, with the help of people in this thread I feel I am leaning towards a parking (torpedo) heater. 5kW, so I have some head room if I end up hanging around New England in the fall. I feel pretty confident I can find room for the unit without much sacrifice in space. I don't envy the extra complexity it will add to the boat, but they do seem fairly simple.

- AT

Don't go bigger than required as it will run colder and cause buildup issues. Had a member of our yacht Club do this in a 28 footer after seeing my 5k in our 40 footer. He's now put the bigger unit in his shed and gotten the 2k from Amazon.

[Sofa King Fishy]

Originally Posted by nortonscove

Don't go bigger than required as it will run colder and cause buildup issues. Had a member of our yacht Club do this in a 28 footer after seeing my 5k in our 40 footer. He's now put the bigger unit in his shed and gotten the 2k from Amazon.

He’s got a SHED?! Lucky Bastard! Oh~ I found good pricing for the Webasto sealed marine grade exhaust pipe/muffler from Heatso, in the UK. The ship worldwide 🌎

[nortonscove]

Originally Posted by Sofa King Fishy

He’s got a SHED?! Lucky Bastard! Oh~ I found good pricing for the Webasto sealed marine grade exhaust pipe/muffler from Heatso, in the UK. The ship worldwide 🌎

Everyone's got a shed here. I've got two and looking like I'll be building a third in short order. The auxiliary bits for my heater came to about the same cost as the heater itself.

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by mitiempo

The heater I am installing is ok with the 4" to 3" reduction at the heater. 3" is easier to run. Then reducing it to 2 1/2" with the "Y" to one heat outlet. The other part of the "Y" will be split again I think to 2 separate outlets, one forward in the main cabin and the other in the head area.

As far as transom outlet sailboats heel, sometimes to deck level. One good ingest of salt water and the heater either needs an expensive service or worse. An exhaust in the top half of the transom rising inside before going down to the heater eliminates any water issues.

If you think you need to install the heater farther forward Wallas has a closable deck exhaust that can be used.

I have installed many heaters professionally - work at the Canadian distributor for Wallas. The only situation for an exhaust out the side of the hull is on a powerboat.

If there is anyone else out there that has read through my thread with the same concern as me about stern-exit exhausts, I have found a product that is supposed to prevent a water slap incident from backing through the exhaust.



I'm not planning on purchasing one, it definitely wouldn't fit in my application and is cost prohibitive. I also have no idea what the efficacy is.

If anyone reads this thread and knows where I an find a USA available 90* water trap at a reasonable price and shipping cost - I'm still trying to find that!

- AT

[sparrowhawk1]

https://youtu.be/CL_hcw1Bkq8

I'm in Florida but if I was farther north I would definitely install something like this.