Heater for a 16' Cruiser?

O

OlympiaDoggoneit!

New member
Hello!

I'm the new owner of a 16' Cruiser.

I would like to install some type of heating for the PNW. I have full cockpit canvas with side curtains, so protection from wind/rain. Does anyone have any recommendations of a heater and where to mount it/run exhaust? Wallas? Other?

Thank you!
 
Most importantly is there a radiant option where on can warm their fingers without having warm air blowing all over them. I'm watching this thread as it is important to my wife and I. Best Wishes OD
 
I would get one of the Espar diesel heater kits, and move the hose as you need it--helm and navigator's stations. then to bunk area, back in the enclosed cockpit etc.

There are those who like the "little buddy" type of heaters. They tend to give off water, increasing the humidity, some risk of CO poisoning if not vented. I am not a fan of "open" type of heater. And a fan of heaters which vent to the outside and draw air from the outside or pull humidified air out of the cabin (replaced by more humidified air thru cracks and gaps into the cabin.

Way back I used a catalytic propane heater in my first RV (A Chevy. Corvair van conversion in 1963). I snow camped/skiied in it at Mammoth Mountain, CA. I didn't run the heater after I went to bed. I got lots of extra moisture.
 
Donald Tyson":17mcbktg said:
Those Corvair vans were cute.
Click to expand...

Terrible engine however. I threw a rod going up the Salome grade to Flagstaff. Had to buy a rebuilt engine....which cost more than I paid for the Van Conversion.
 
I guess the Grapevine would have been tough on it too.
thataway":rkqtfai8 said:
Donald Tyson":rkqtfai8 said:
Those Corvair vans were cute.
Click to expand...

Terrible engine however. I threw a rod going up the Salome grade to Flagstaff. Had to buy a rebuilt engine....which cost more than I paid for the Van Conversion.
Click to expand...
 
We bought the Wallas 802 (cooktop + heater) from the former Noro Lim for $200 when it was purchased by another Florida boater for us potentially cruising in the PNW. After a 2 week cruise from Ketchikan to Bellingham on the David B we learned a lot from Capt Jeffrey with only 2 other passengers and four crew, but decided we’d likely fly out and charter one instead. It would take up a lot of counter space on a 16, but if someone wants it they can have it free for the cost of shipping.

We’ve been using one of these (not both) when we anchor out. We have a heat strip in the rooftop AC, but the fan is so strong that the air doesn’t feel very warm.

The Lil Buddy puts out the kind of radiant heat with red glowing burner and no fan that Don is looking for. It has a low oxygen shutoff, but I’d advise at least two Carbon Monoxide detectors and only use it when awake. High quality CO alarms use a Time Weighted Average circuit which is much more expensive than Home Depot choices (not marine versions) but decreases false alarms.

https://www.westmarine.com/fireboy-xint ... 73809.html

https://www.northerntool.com/mr-heater- ... escription

The catalytic Coleman puts out less heat but lasts longer. I’m sure we didn’t pay $130 for it 20 years ago. Unlikely to get knocked over.

https://ibspot.com/products/coleman-cal ... gLdoPD_BwE

One morning anchored off the Tenn Tom it was a bit foggy and 55 with 88% humidity outside. After we made breakfast, percolator coffee and heated a pot of water for dishes on the propane stove, it was so wet inside that water was dripping off the ceiling. Got it up to 75 degrees and 99%. We had to wipe down windows etc with a hand towel every 10 minutes and wring it out in the sink even with a window open until the sun got high enough to burn it all off.

It’s good practice to store the 1# propane bottles in a PVC pipe with screw lid and hang it off the back so there’s no possibility of a leak getting in the boat. Also good practice to replace the useless little plastic covers with brass screw covers with a good seal. We use them on any we store in the garage as well.

https://www.temu.com/4pcs--brass--propa ... iuoq19m8ek

Dale (Multimediasmith) used an Extended Run plumbed cap on his Honda 2000 to plumb it into the engine fuel line (I assume after the fuel filter and primer bulb with a 3 way valve) so he doesn’t have to fool with a separate gas tank. I suppose you could connect that to your shore power and get dry electric heat inside, at least while anchored.

Credit to Bob for whichever of his ideas over the years I’ve plagiarized here…likely all.

Good luck in finding a solution that works for you. PM if you want the Wallas.

John
 
I put an Espar in my C-Dory 16. I also replaced a Webasto on my trawler when the motherboard went out and parts were no longer available. I put the old Webasto on Ebay and it quickly sold because it still had some parts that could be scavenged and Webasto and Espar parts are crazy expensive. The non-functioning Webasto sold for enough to buy a new Chinese heater kit.

I got a deal on the Espar (1/2 price), but it was still 3 times as much as a similar Chinese made diesel heater. In fact, a spare glow plug for the Espar costs about the same as the Chinese diesel heater kit. When installing the Chinese heater, many of the kit parts weren't usable, but it was still a bargain. I bought a spare glow plug and gasket kit for it, but then decided that the entire heater was so inexpensive that I bought another one as a spare. Quicker to replace the heater than tearing down to replace internal parts. Haven't needed it despite having thousands of hours of use. The motor in the Chinese heater now occasionally makes a little whistling sound, so something is probably wearing out. I've been putting off a prophylactic heater swap.

Installation in a 16 is a tight fit and you will need to install an access hatch. Even the smallest diesel heaters are oversized for this application, but it does heat up the cabin in about one minute and at full blast you could probably keep warm underway without any canvas. Never used it overnight when sleeping aboard. I was tempted at Yellowstone (see photo album), but instead had a short night and a toasty sunrise. At sub-freezing temps it takes maybe 5 minutes to heat the cabin up. The thermostat is easily reachable from the V berth and it is a little decadent to push a button and climb out of the sack into a warm cabin. Also works great for drying out wet coats.

No way would I have an open flame heater on a 16. There isn't enough room to scream and run in circles.

Mark
 
Someone had to ask...Can I expand this to include questions about sterno style or Vevor freestanding diesel heaters for these tiny boats? These are cheap and seem gimmicky but folks are using them. They're small and so are CD16's
 
We used a Coleman Black Cat catalytic propane heater on a previous sailboat. Because it uses cabin air, we'd run it before going to sleep, turn it off, then turn it on again first thing in the morning. It uses the small propane canisters. Small and portable, I would think it would work well on a 16 with a canvas enclosure.

Usual caveats apply regarding propane, CO, and proximity to anything flammable.
 
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