Boat Heater

[KellyC]

I am thinking that a heater would be real nice to have in my boat when the weather is not so nice. Have any of you installed or used one? Not sure as to what to look for but I do know that I really want one. The reason is that since I found that I have diabetes and taking meds that I get cold really really easy and makes life kind of miserable. So any help on this would really be appreciated.

Kelly

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Boat Heater

Kelley If yoour boat is fresh water cooled to add a heater is no problem except cost of hoses to and from the cooling .If Not then a little buddy propane heater is very good esp. with a smaller external tank. The tank would have to be mounted on the outside deck of the boat. The tank that fits in the heater is fine ,just a limited amount of use and very pricy as you know.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Boat Heater

Hey Kelly, send a PM to oops!. He put a heater in the hull extension boat and he loves it. He's always very helpful and I'm sure would happily provide you all the info on it.

 

[GLG fishing]

Re: Boat Heater

This is the one I use
It holds 2 tanks and has a fan
It's almost too hot

A friend has this one and he likes it alot.

Here is a link to the website for more info.
http://www.mrheater.com/ProductFamily.aspx?catid=41

GLG

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Boat Heater

Do it Kelly, that way I can copy. It gets cold in Michigan too.

 

[KellyC]

Re: Boat Heater

Pugetsound, my boat is raw water cooled I believe it is called. Draws water from outside the boat to cool the motor. So if I did something like that it would mean the motor has to be running for the heater to work. That would not be practical as we anchor up for the salmon and steelies a lot and that would burn a lot of fuel just to keep me warm.

Ez, thanks bud. I will shoot Oops a pm and see what he did. I have been reading his hull extension thread and am to page 80, can only read so much in a sitting. Reading has a snooze affect on me no matter how much I am interested in something.

GLG, yea I was looking at those the other day at WalMart. I just did not know how well they would keep a boat warm is all. But since the wife works there I get a 10% discount on anything I buy there, which would help a whole bunch. Any savings is better than none at all.

Bwana Don, I am going to do it there is no question about it. I grew up in Idaho and was used to the cold up till this last year. Now I seem to get cold at a still breeze and I really hate that.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: Boat Heater

I would also use a buddy heater, I have the one with the one bottle.
Bottles are not bad if you buy an adapter to refill them. I use the wife's digital food scales to weigh the bottles so I do not overfill. Weigh a new bottle and write that weight down.

 

[heyyou325]

Re: Boat Heater

I used a buddy heater in my Crestliner, and was figuring on it in my Starcraft. This is the first inboard I've had and a regular heater, without flame sounds good also. Be careful of gas fumes with one tho, they will blow. Gas fumes from your boat gas that is. I've known people to use little wood stoves vented out from the boat, but know of 2 that blew up. Both outboards with the portable tanks.

 

[rockb]

Re: Boat Heater

I have the smaller one and use it in my Pop Up. Works well in there. Not sure how well it would work in an open boat. I guess if you sit really close it would work OK.

 

[KellyC]

Re: Boat Heater

I am really leaning towards the bigger of the 2 little buddy heaters. I will have a cover on my boat with a back drop on it so I am sure that it will hold some of the heat in. But that is going to be down the road a ways that is for sure.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: Boat Heater

How about the DC heaters they put on the floor of school buses? My neighbor rigged one in the cab of his Kabota tractor and it works great when he's out snow blowing. Might be able to get a used one cheap at a junk yard.

 

[KellyC]

Re: Boat Heater

That would be a good idea MichaelP if I could find one. But one draw back to that would be the power consumption, an electric heater is a huge draw on power. They can be good and then some don't work very well. But like I said I would be worried about the power it uses and how many batteries I would really need to carry on the boat to be able to use it for very long. I know that they would draw way more current than what light do and lights will drain a battery fairly quick. Will have to look into them and see what I can find out.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: Boat Heater

I agree Kelly there will be alot of draw with that set up. I suppose that it would run OK as long as the engine is running to keep the battery charged but I'm not sure if the stator output would keep pace. Or run 2 batteries on an isolator??? I like this idea and installing it under one of my seats in the cuddy would be sweet.

Just found this in JC Whitney.. They have many others that use the engine coolant for heat, this one is 120VAC so you need an inverter. When I was a kid I had a DC rear window defroster in my VW. It wasn't very powerfull but I reacall it was cheap.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/deluxe-high-performance-electric-space-heater/p2017615.jcwx?filterid=j1

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Boat Heater

Kelley Check into the wall propane heaters they sell in RV supply houses. Could work very well for you. I see one every tine I go into Valley Rv here in Mt Vernon. BOY did it SNOW last Night

 

[djpeters]

Re: Boat Heater

Kelley Check into the wall propane heaters they sell in RV supply houses. Could work very well for you. I see one every tine I go into Valley Rv here in Mt Vernon. BOY did it SNOW last Night

Hey, I was thinking, is there any danger in using a gas/propane type heater in a boat? I mean about fumes or gas sinking down into the bilge and going boom. I seem to recall my neighbor telling me that's why his cook stove is alcohol (lighter than air).

Maybe I don't know what i'm talking about.......

 

[KellyC]

Re: Boat Heater

Hey, I was thinking, is there any danger in using a gas/propane type heater in a boat? I mean about fumes or gas sinking down into the bilge and going boom. I seem to recall my neighbor telling me that's why his cook stove is alcohol (lighter than air).

Maybe I don't know what i'm talking about.......

That is a very huge concern dj and a justified one at that. I would have the heater in the area under the cover and not in the cabin itself. I do find it hard to believe that the gas fumes would be able to build up enough outside the motor enclosure to cause a problem though as most of the back of the boat is open. I know of several people that do us propane heaters in their boats and have not had an issue, does not mean it could not happen though. The use of any open flame heater or cooker in a cabin can be hazardous due to C02 build up more so than an explosion factor. And as long as you run your blower before firing up the engine which you should do anyway, you should be fine.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Boat Heater

Kelly 18 inches of snow up north here ,they even closed 1 -5 for a 15 mile stretch. did Oregon get dumped on? My dog kennel, 14 covered runs ,I hope the roof does not colapse and my dear starcrafts are out there somewhere in the snows. When it melts might need them . Pugetsound I ran a 2 burner in my enclosed cabin for three years and never had a problem. I used it as I took the troubelsom alcahol stove out. Puget sound in Mt Vernon WA.

 

[Starcraft Enterprise]

Re: Boat Heater

I contemplated the same question, there are cheaper kits available if you follow the others links.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=452429

 

[Starcraft Enterprise]

Re: Boat Heater

Hey, I was thinking, is there any danger in using a gas/propane type heater in a boat? I mean about fumes or gas sinking down into the bilge and going boom. I seem to recall my neighbor telling me that's why his cook stove is alcohol (lighter than air).

Maybe I don't know what i'm talking about.......

Yes, you do know what you are talking about. All of those reasons and warnings are correct.

 

[KellyC]

Re: Boat Heater

Kelly 18 inches of snow up north here ,they even closed 1 -5 for a 15 mile stretch. did Oregon get dumped on? My dog kennel, 14 covered runs ,I hope the roof does not colapse and my dear starcrafts are out there somewhere in the snows. When it melts might need them . Pugetsound I ran a 2 burner in my enclosed cabin for three years and never had a problem. I used it as I took the troubelsom alcahol stove out. Puget sound in Mt Vernon WA.

It has been snowing on and off in this area all day but there is no snow really sticking in this area that I am aware of. But then I have not really been out today either so am not sure how it is anywhere else. Have been tinkering with the boat a little today, all the white foam is now out of it now.