Cindy Ballreich wrote:
To you guys who have these heaters, how big are your boats? Would a
system like these be better than a radiant heater (Dickenson or Sigmar
for example) on a 30' boat? Or would the added complexity outweigh any
added benefit?


Our boat is a 36' tug. Three seperate cabins plus a big head
compartment, which I specifically wanted HEAT in. A *real* cruiser
probably doesn't mind taking a shower with ice cubes, but I'm not that
tough!

For a 30' sailboat I think one of the radiant types would be plenty. I'd
consider routing the exhaust pipe through the head, too

Another simple option is to add a bus heater to your engine. This is
very simple: a y-valve on the coolant loop between the water heater &
engine, a big radiator-type heat exchanger, and a fan. This will heat up
the cabin marvelously, but only when the engine is running. Cost about
$200, no holes to cut in the cabin top.

For all too short a while, I owned & cruised in a an old wooden racing
sloop from the 1930s. It had a Shipmate Skippy coal stove... cute and
very effective. Of course they don't make it any more, and coal (I used
self-lighting charcoal briquets) is nowhere near as convenient as diesel
or propane. But that warm old-timey atmosphere is cozy....

Fresh Breezes- Doug King