Have my Tomcat back finally ! More questions

[tinbender]

I have my Tomcat back after over a year waiting at a friends top shop. He had constant life threatening issues and just finally told me he couldn't physically do the job. He does excellent affordable work, but just couldn't do it anymore.I just couldn't wait any longer ,and have an appointment in April for a top.

I owe a guy on here a gauge for his fuel tank when I get mine done. I haven't forgot you. He fixed me up with a manual.

So now busy working on boat. Planar hot water diesel heater, Trying a composting head. Moving batteries, new charger ,adding batteries, and switching system . Mount for 20 hp Suzuki kicker engine in center, aft control for kicker, and others . I will post photos and results of center kicker once tested.
Question Any idea where to find gaskets for the diamond/oval forward ports for the Tomcat? Mine leak.

Also still studying those aft deck storage fish boxes. Would like to be 100% water tight and still usable. Best solutions?

[srbaum]

Tinbender,
I looked up the Planar site and couldn’t find a reference to a “Planar hot water diesel heater”.
Could you elaborate more about this type of water heater?

[tinbender]

The heater is a Planar Binar 5S diesel. It is actually a prestart engine heater no limit operation time to heat hot water for starting diesel engines. We are routing that hot water to "bus type heaters" for heat, and eventually will tie that in as a hotwater heater heat /exchange.

[thataway]

We used a ProHeat X 45 diesel truck block, cab and sleeper heater in our Cal 46. It was 45,000 BTU, the Planar 5S diesel is 17,000 BTU, and should provide a lot of heat. We used computer fans behind the small radiators in 3 zones (forward stateroom, Main saloon, and aft stateroom.

We used standard truck coolant 3/4" hose in most of the areas, but in the heads and wet hanging locker run the eutectic solution thru copper pipes to give good radiant heat.

Each of the small computer fan, radiators had a thermostat, which turned th fan on or off. That way we could control the heat, or shut off the heat in one specific aea. The "Bus heaters" or Red Dot heaters used too much power for the fans, and that is why we went with the computer fans. We also had a 25,000 BTU heating system off the main 85 HP diesel, so it used the waste heat from the engine to heat the main salon and enclosed cockpit area (right above the engine, just aft of the pilot house.). That had the higher draw fan, but we were running the 200 amp alternator, and so the 6 or so amp power draw was not a factor.

I would think you probably would want one heater near the galley and one pointed up toward the forward berth in the Tom Cat.

[tinbender]

I had been planning on the copper pipe in the head area. I looked through I think all your photos. Do you have a photo of the piping you put there? Was it enough ,or too much? It may get done a little later on,I have so many changes going on now.

Great idea about the computer fans, that was one of my concerns was running those fans all the time in the bus heaters. Maybe i can figure out how to use the computer fans with what I have.

Any idea for sealing the portlights ? Would like them to operate, but not leak.

Thanks,

Byron Miller

[thataway]

[quote="tinbender"]I had been planning on the copper pipe in the head area. I looked through I think all your photos. Do you have a photo of the piping you put there? Was it enough ,or too much? It may get done a little later on,I have so many changes going on now.

I am sorry, but I have no photos of the installation in the Cal 46. The firebox, pump etc was in a diamond plate box, made to go on the outside of an 18 wheeler. We had a large standup engine room, and placed it in the back of the workbench. There were about 5 turns of copper pipe in both the heads and hanging locker.


Great idea about the computer fans, that was one of my concerns was running those fans all the time in the bus heaters. Maybe i can figure out how to use the computer fans with what I have.

Force 10 was going to use a similar fire box, and they had sourced the small radiators (about the size of a Red Dot), and we added the computer fans. Force 10 then decided not to go forward with the project, and sold us the heater radiator boxes they had made at their cost. I believe that you could modify any small radiator to mount a computer fan-it probably would take a bit of imagination and probably some alumnium 1" angle stock for support.



Any idea for sealing the portlights ? Would like them to operate, but not leak.

We didn't have any problems with the gaskets. Pensacola has a "Rubber shop, which makes gaskets as well as all things hydraulic. They have made gaskets for me in the past. So if you can find a gasket or "rubber shop". They can make any gasket you need. You might be able to get the round or same configuration gasket material, cut to the proper length and the glue the ends. You can find neoprene round gasket "rope" in sizes from 1/8" on up on the internet (Zoro for example 3/16 is about $5 for 10 feet of material.)
Here is the PDF on the ProHeat and diagram showing how they use the "fan heaters in a boat. At the bottom of the page is the price on their fan heaters. We used something similar (prices were less 30 years ago!. We used Robertson Control 12 vol thermostats instead of "on / Off" switches for each secretor. I note that now there are 4 zones, only 3 when we adopted our unit. I suspect there are other sources for the low draw fan heaters. I believe that the Pro Heat use low current draw fans--perhaps computer fans.

these small kick space 12 volt heaters are close to the correct size, and only draw about .7 amps: cost about $300.

Hydronic Heating Parts Wearhouse has several computer fan heat exchangers like this for $147: