Do boats have heat?

[bruceb58]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Umm, take a politician with you and let him start talking....

Or take Bubba along and let him start talking.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Do boats have heat?

LOL...you use your stove in your kitchen to heat your house?

Probably not, but I do use the alcohol burner stove in the boat sometimes to warm the cabin. Works well. Or just drink more alcohol.

 

[sasto]

Re: Do boats have heat?

The economy of the #20 tank and the convenience of the #1 bottle can be had by refilling the #1 bottles from the #20 tank.

A Propane Tank Refill Adapter is available from many sources.

Never knew anything like this existed. Thanks UncleWillie!!

Or just buy them for $3.
1 Dead, 1 Injured In Polk County Garage Explosion ? CBS Minnesota

Now what do I do? Sometimes I think too much.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Now what do I do? Sometimes I think too much.

Less than $3 at Walmart. Or you can risk blowing yourself up...your choice.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Do boats have heat?

I highly recommend Gerbings heated jackets. Put the heat right on your core and use 12 volts that you already have to power it. I have has one for years for motorcycling and it's awesome. Very well made and reliable. The jacket also has outlets for heated pants and heated gloves and the pants have outlets for heated socks if you want to go nuts.

Gerbing's Motorcycle Heated Clothing - CoreHeat 12 - The Warming Store

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Do boats have heat?

having boated in Northern Wisconsin in December, January, and as early as March (water is usually too hard to boat in late January and Feb). I can tell you that you need a snowmobile suit, gloves, and a good ski hat/mask. I was always the first on the water the weekend of ice out, and we were usually cutting ice to get the last bit of boating in.

the problem with the portable propane heater as shown prior is that they work on radiant heat. Also, picture hitting a wake, heater tips over, carpet goes up in flames, now you have two people in freezing water.

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do boats have heat?

having boated in Northern Wisconsin in December, January, and as early as March (water is usually too hard to boat in late January and Feb). I can tell you that you need a snowmobile suit, gloves, and a good ski hat/mask. I was always the first on the water the weekend of ice out, and we were usually cutting ice to get the last bit of boating in.

the problem with the portable propane heater as shown prior is that they work on radiant heat. Also, picture hitting a wake, heater tips over, carpet goes up in flames, now you have two people in freezing water.

I have all KLIM gear. I want something to dry & warm my hands and give the girl something to stay cozy by while the boat is at rest. Def wouldnt use it moving.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Have no idea what the guy is saying about the propane spilling, its in compressed cylinders, no liquid to spill and the heater I posted will shut off if tipped over.

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Ya I'm not too worried about burning the boat down. Just would like a heat source to dry my hands and the gf a retreat when it gets too cold for her.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Have no idea what the guy is saying about the propane spilling, its in compressed cylinders, no liquid to spill and the heater I posted will shut off if tipped over.

most of the heaters shut off if tipped over. However that little "tip over switch" has failed on me on two different heaters

 

[JoLin]

Re: Do boats have heat?

most of the heaters shut off if tipped over. However that little "tip over switch" has failed on me on two different heaters

I wouldn't rely on the tip-over switch, either, and I don't think it'd be hard to build a solid mount for the heater.

It's mostly a matter of thinking through and minimizing the risks. There are essentially 3...

First, accidental release of propane gas (explosion risk). 20-lb tanks sound great, but I wouldn't have one on the boat unless the tank was marine-rated and properly installed in a vapor proof locker with overboard venting and automatic solenoid shut-off. 20 lbs is a LOT of propane. Risk goes way down when you use 1-lb tanks stored in the cockpit. You should only need to keep a couple aboard at any one time.

Second, CO risk. You need proper ventilation and should install CO detector(s) if you're gonna use this thing in an enclosed cabin.

Third, fire risk. Mount it solidly so it can't tip over, away from flammable stuff, and you should be golden.


My .02

 

[limitout]

Re: Do boats have heat?

LOL...you use your stove in your kitchen to heat your house?

we do at the camp and it keeps us nice and warm, we aren't talking about warming a house just a boat interior so its a small confined space but our camp is 20ft x 20ft and after an hour it goes from the 30's to nice and warm but granted we don't get as cold as up north

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Never knew anything like this existed. Thanks UncleWillie!!

Now what do I do? Sometimes I think too much.

There is too much of that story that is missing.
Why was he in a garage? Some leakage will be a given!
Was he smoking?
Was there a Water Heater in the garage?
Did he drop it off the workbench and break off the valve?
Did he over fill it?

People are Killed/Injured refilling auto gas tanks at filling stations.
Few people recommend buying a new car when the tank goes empty.
Everything in life has risks, that is what makes it exciting.
-----------------------------

It is not hard to DO it yourself.

First, never refill inside the garage. Outside in the breeze is recommended.
And do it on the ground. Not on a table where you risk dropping the setup.

If the small bottle actually ruptured (Highly Unlikely) it was in very poor shape to begin with.
Propane pressure is a function of the temperature and has nothing to do with how full the bottle is.
To fill the smaller bottle it helps to place it in a freezer for 10-20 minutes to cool it off and LOWER the pressure.

The primary risk is if you actually manage to fill the smaller bottle 100% full (Not easy to do) with zero room for expansion when the bottle warms up. The over pressure will vent out the safety valve on the side of the bottle.
That is why your 1 pound bottle only has 14oz in it.

A kitchen scale can confirm the weight or if you shake it and hear sloshing it is not 100%.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Do boats have heat?

1) The bottles were designed to use once.
2) It says on the side of the bottle it is illegal to fill.
3) It's only $3.
4) Not worth the risk for less than $3 savings especially if you plan on using them on a boat where if the safety valve leaks, you have propane gas sitting in your bilge..

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Do boats have heat?

we do at the camp and it keeps us nice and warm, we aren't talking about warming a house just a boat interior so its a small confined space but our camp is 20ft x 20ft and after an hour it goes from the 30's to nice and warm but granted we don't get as cold as up north

I sure hope you don't have a GAS stove "at camp"... using a cooking stove for heat in an enclosed space is always a bad idea but a fuel burning stove is worse yet LOTS of people die every year from CO poisoning


Also guys, be VERY careful using your alcohol stove in the cabin for heat... Preferably don't do it but at a minimum CO monitors and open hatches are mandatory (but then how can you get warm without closing off the needed air circulation?) and certainly NEVER go to sleep with the stove burning.

I must admit that last winter I lit my alcohol stove in the boat while working on it and even with a hatch open, after an hour or two I started noticing symptoms of CO poisoning.... I decided it wasn't worth the risk and stopped

CDC - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Frequently Asked Questions


I realize that this doesn't apply much to the O/P but since the conversation has gone this way already.......

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Do boats have heat?

1) The bottles were designed to use once.
2) It says on the side of the bottle it is illegal to fill.

Common misconception, but that is absolutely NOT true. So what the label on the side actually says is that it is illegal to transport after refilling. What the law actually says is that it is illegal for a DOT registered hazmat hauler to cross state lines with the tank once it has been refilled. (note, it is LEGAL for a private individual to transport it after refilling) The printed message is a nice summary by coleman to scare people away from refillling. They aren't lying, they just left out some key details.

Also, they are surprisingly NOT designed for single use. It would be fairly easy to incorporate a 1 way valve in them. Obviously that isn't done, and refilling them safely is fairly easy to do.

Great article on how to do it safely, and how to make up a better adapter to do it than the 1 piece commercial ones.

http://www.navagear.com/2009/08/27/how-to-refill-disposable-propane-cylinders/

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Do boats have heat?

DRESS WARM- you sound like you already have the gear!

 

[marapoint]

Re: Do boats have heat?

I have a 17' Princecraft Alum - dual consoles - enclosed (high) canopy. Built-in 20 gal fuel tank. Before I setup the Buddy, I purchased one of these: MARINE TECHNOLOGIES
Surface-Mount Gasoline Fume Detector
Model # 172176 | Manuf. # SA1XL
..............for peace of mind. (It will detect propane along with a myriad of other fumes.)
The Big Buddy Heater works like a charm.
I run a 20lb tank secured in the Bow - a 10 foot propane rated Hose and an IN-LINE Filter before the gas hits the Buddy. The Filter is a must if your running anything larger than 1lb tanks (I found that out the Hard Way $$). The filter was approx 12 bucks.
The Buddy sits between the 2 consoles and is secured with an alum strap.

If you end up with the Buddy make certain its secure - constant falling over may end damaging the ceramic plate - Duh, found that out 2.
Someone mentioned ice fishing earlier in this thread - once the boat is asleep, I use the same setup for my Clam. The good part is the tank is outside the hut - and I can run for what seems like days on that 20lber.

Good Luck with whatever way you go,

bobby (marapoint)

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Hey guys thanks for all the advice. I ended up at Bass pro last night to get some trailer bunk carpet and grabbed The Mr. Heater Hunting Buddy. Tested it out and this should do the trick perfectly.
Mr. Heater? Hunting Buddy Propane Heater | Bass Pro Shops

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do boats have heat?

Went out all day and got to test the heater. When it works its works very good, but it blows out fairly easy and on high freezes the tanks after about 3/4 of use. All in all it did the job just a little more of a pain to keep it going then I was hoping for. If you had a cabin on the boat it would work perfect.