Stay Toasty Warm With a Boat Heater
When the temperature begins to work its way downward you may gaze uneasily outside, wondering how long before your favorite pastime becomes a bit chilly, to the point of discomfort. As the days progress and the digits continue their downward trend, you realize that your last day on the water could arrive at any time, which is sad, because you really love boating (and maybe fishing as well). But frigid cold? Not so much. But with the right boat heater, it doesn't have to be that way.
When we say boat heater, we're not talking about one of those little electric space heaters you bring from home and plug into an outlet in your saloon or stateroom. In fact, this is highly dangerous and should never be done! Household heaters are not ignition-protected, so unless you want explosions, property damage, mayhem, and possibly much worse, avoid these like plague-ridden pirates.
A boat heater is just that--a heater that is designed to generate enough consistent warm air to heat an entire cabin on a boat, not a room in a house. And even an electric heater designed for a boat should never be used in an engine compartment or anywhere explosive fumes could be present, unless it's specifically designed for the job, like this Caframo Bilgesafe Heater.
Now that we've cleared that up, let's take a look at why you need a boat heater, other than the most obvious reason, warmth. If the broad subject of warmth is narrowed down a bit, there are all sorts of reasons for wanting a reliable source of heat on a boat other than simply being able to go boating or fishing well past summer or perhaps even year-round, although these reasons alone are excellent ones. For instance, a good, safe heating system can keep the engine and critical components from freezing and damage; some boaters even use heat in lieu of winterizing, although depending on where you live you may not want to try this at home!
Warmth during the colder months--especially for those hardy souls we call liveaboards--is not the only time a quality boat heater will be highly appreciated. Springtime can be cold too, particularly early in the season and even more so in the morning and at night. And in the north, even summer nights and the wee hours of the morning are known to be chilly; even more so when you're sitting in a giant tub with little to no insulation, floating on water cold enough to cause hypothermia (even in summer). Along with a chilly breeze occasionally swishing around you for good measure.
Then there's the sheer pleasure of swimming, especially in the north! Just because the waters in the northern reaches can cause hypothermia in mid-August is no reason to avoid swimming in them, as long as you don't mind cold water. Although if you or the kids have indulged a tad too long and climbed out of the water with blue lips, this would be yet another occasion when the benefits of onboard heat are appreciated. But if polar bear plunges and cavorting in cold water like a family of seals isn't your style, don't forget that even top-of-the-water sports will get you wet enough to get mighty chilly on some days.
And then there's the bane of many a boater--the dreaded and most emphatically uninvited and unwanted fungi guests, Mold and Mildew. But no matter, they'll crash your party anyway, the first chance they get. They're horrendously ugly and they smell. In fact, their odor is sometimes so awful that if they're not permanently given the boot and/or manage to hide for a long enough period of time, they can cause your entire boat, and everything aboard, to reek like a rotted old pirate ship filled with rat nests.
But unlike in the days of Blackbeard, we now have the modern marine cabin heater to dry out the dampness and help keep the toxic Mold and Mildew cousins at bay. There are many types and styles to choose from that work well for either power or sailboats due to the wide variety of sizes, shapes, and heat output. These boat heaters generally heat via electricity, diesel, propane, forced air, or solid fuel and yes, they all have their pros and cons, which we'll discuss below.
Regardless of what type of heating system is chosen, they all require interior real estate. This can be painful to think about because in a small boat space is a precious commodity, but sacrificing some of it will be worth it in the long run. There is no quick and easy boat heater installation other than an electric heater (one designed for boats) that is plugged in while docked, or used if the vessel has an onboard generator. All others require holes through bulkheads, cabin tops, cabinets, or somewhere else. Then there is either ducting, piping, or wiring to contend with.
This sounds expensive and depending on what type of heat source you choose it can be, but if you are the DIY sort of person and can do at least some of the work yourself, or have skilled friends who will work for pizza and beer, you can save a lot of money. But once the installation is done the efforts are rewarding. Let's look at some of these boat heating methods and their attributes, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
Hydronic Heater: A couple of advantages of a hydronic heating system are its toasty heat and its simplicity--it utilizes heater hoses running from a freshwater-cooled engine (with a heat exchanger) to a Heater Craft heater or Red Dot heater, and then a switch for a fan is installed. That's pretty much all there is to it if your boat is small and there is only one cabin area to heat. For more than one, there would be a radiator in each cabin, through which hot water passes through. A Heater Craft heater kit such as the 200 Elite or 300 Pro would be a great setup for multiple cabins. This heat is not as rapid as in the forced air system, but once the water has reached temperature the hydronic unit is often quieter. The disadvantage is that the engine must be running and warmed up for it to work.
Dickinson Heater: Another very popular option--for good reason--is installing a diesel, propane, or even solid fuel heater such as a Dickinson heater (which also doubles as a cozy fireplace), or their forced air boat heater. Every Dickinson heater we carry is popular, as they are high-quality and do their job well. The benefits of a Dickinson diesel heater are economical, dry heat that doesn't require a diesel engine as long as you can mount a separate diesel tank somewhere aboard. The drawback may be the smell when the heater first starts. Propane heats quickly and has many fans, plus it doesn't smell bad. But some boaters point out what they sometimes call the "boom factor" as the reason they refuse to use propane. The good news is, Dickinson also makes a boat cabin heater that burns solid fuel like wood, charcoal, or coal. Perhaps the only drawback here--if it is a drawback--is that it is a very small stove designed to heat a very small space, for boats 20-25 feet, or tiny fishing huts.
There is no "One system fits all", as virtually every installation is somewhat customized to meet the needs of the individual boat owner and the boat itself; plus there's the cruising climate to consider. We not only have many different electric, propane, diesel, hydronic, and forced air boat heaters available to choose from, but also the various hardware, spare parts, and accessories you need to install and enjoy your new heating system. If you are considering raising your comfort level and extending your cruising by a few months or even year-round, or you're a very chilly liveaboard, see how Go2marine can help keep you toasty warm on your boat no matter the season.
