heated cuddy

[circle hook]

I have a 24 foot Grady White & would like to heat the cuddy for the kids & am not sure of the different ways to go, I do have a 225 Mercury outboard, so no engine in the boat, I have had the fuel tanks replaced & pressure tested as so no leaks at all, I do have (2) battries but don't know if their enough to use electric heaters can any one help THANKS Bob

 

[DJ]

Re: heated cuddy

I understand your quandry. Outboards offer no option for water heat.

Propane is risky as it is heavier than air and settles. It is also risky because it (heaters) can get very hot.

Your only choice is electric. Electric heaters draw tremendous amounts of power. Your engine may be up to the task of replenishing a battery but I would want that battery isolated, with a switch.

 

[circlehook]

Re: heated cuddy

thanks for the reply I thought the same way & I don't know how long it will take to recharge the battery & how long will it last, they draw so much power it like leaveing you car lights on a few hours and thats all she wrote. I wonder how many amps the chargeing system puts out with a 225 Mercury & if it can keep up with a electric heater if the motor is running. again Thanks Bob

 

[DJ]

Re: heated cuddy

Bob,

If your Merc. is of the DFI (Optimax) type, they have some high output alternators.

If it's a straight two stoke, alt. output is pretty low.

I'm not saying that the latter would not charge the batt's. But?

You need a seperate (switched) battery regardless. Go electric. It's safe.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: heated cuddy

For the same problem, I'm going to install a 1200 watt 12 volt electric heater.

When I rebuilt my engine, I installed a 100 amp alternator, and I'm setting up a second battery bank for the heater (and the other electronics). Although frankly I'm not planning on sleeping on the boat when it's so cold I'd need it, so I'm only going to run it when the engine runs.

I've also thought about using a heater core and drawing warm water off the engine, but I'm not thrilled about running piping the length of the boat for that, plus it would take time to heat up.

Erik

 

[Mark42]

Re: heated cuddy

I started this link in the "boat building and restoration" forum about adding heat. Some interesting info there:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=229356

If you do a search on boat heaters, you will find quite a few on the market. I like the ones that use the motors hot water. I think even your outboard will supply enough heat if plumbed correctly.

These are inexpensive, easy to install, and are salt water safe (stainless steel)

I personally would stay away from electric heat for safety reasons; no fire hazard with hot water heaters, and its hard to get a serious burn off a hot water heater when the water temp is only around 100 to 120*

 

[circlehook]

Re: heated cuddy

yea I have the 225 HP mercury offshore 2 stroke model, I will ask the mercury dealer on the amp out put on that motor oh and its a 1996 year.
Thanks for all the replys so far. Bob

 

[dingbat]

Re: heated cuddy

This heater is the standard around here for those that fish throughout the winter. I've got a 22' Grady and it will run you out on even the coldest days

http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=116

 

[Mark42]

Re: heated cuddy

Never mind....

 

[jeffnick]

Re: heated cuddy

 

[Chris1956]

Re: heated cuddy

Bob, Your outboard motor has a 40 amp charging system. In addition you should be able to tap into the hot water produced by cooling the motor.

On that v6 engine, there should be a recirculation hose from the top of a head to the bottom of the powerhead. Put your hand on it after running the motor and see if it gets warm. It should run about 143 degrees or so when the motor is warm. You could put in a couple of valves and circulate that water thru a automotive-style heater core. Blow some air over the heater core, and you will get heat.

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: heated cuddy

I agree with Jeffnick's photos.. a small generator and an electric heater plugged into it.. That little honda shown is expensive, but very quiet.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: heated cuddy

I like the generator/115VAC option too. I would not run it underway, though.

I also agree that Honda gen sets are expensive but they are very good ones that have something no other small generator that I know of has - advanced inverter technology that produces pure sine wave output. This is a very nice feature because the power that it produces is "clean enough" to run sensitive electronics.

 

[circlehook]

Re: heated cuddy

yes I went to the honda dealer & saw that 1,000 watt generator and I am thinking on that line because also you have the option of running lights, a hot plate, battery charger and so on. the biggest is I don't have to worry about blowing up. the hot water idea sounded good also but at 145 degrees buy the time it gets from the motor through 20 some feet of hose to the cuddy it will loose a lot of that heat also, so I the generator is the best buy for my problem thanks for all the feed back, and one day meet you all on the water.

"All have a safe & happy holiday season"

Bob (aka circle hook) FISH ON & TIGHT LINES

 

[jeffnick]

Re: heated cuddy

I agree with Jeffnick's photos.. a small generator and an electric heater plugged into it.. That little honda shown is expensive, but very quiet.

If you want to use the EU1000i (like mine), you'll need a heater with a 900Watt or less option. We use the 750 Watt setting on the Milkhouse heater shown. We got ours at Walmart, but some of them DO NOT have the 750 setting.

Generator from Wise Sales 800.916.9473

 

[stevens]

Re: heated cuddy

It gets cold up here in Scandinavia, often even during the summer, so a lot of us have heaters permanently installed. These are usually run on diesel, kerosene or lamp oil. Consumption is so low that many get by with just a small 1.3 gallon can of fuel, if they can't bleed it off from the main diesel tank (or if they have a gasoline driven engine).

They'll produce plenty of heat (2-5 kW), are regulated by a thermostat, and draw little electrical power, meaning they won't excessively drain your battery or require a generator. They can then also be used overnight or when your engine is not running.

Google Webasto, Eberspacher, Wallas or Mikuni - these are the most common makes.