Cozy cabin diesel heater

[Steve Laume]

So it is has once again gotten rather cold outside and I would love to be able to enjoy a warm cabin aboard Raven. I installed a Cozy Cabin heater a few years ago. Since that time I have pretty much had the same experience as the guy in this video, with the exceptions of the girls running for fresh air. Actually I did try to fire it up once and Liz did exactly the same thing, so yea, just like the video.

I have changed the burner and messed with the pressure all with the same results. These must have worked at least a little better than this at one time but I have had no luck at all.

Anybody have any idea weather these things have ever worked and how to make it happen. I am thinking the answer might be to tear it out and find something better to replace it with. If that is the only recourse then what should I be looking for? I really don't want to introduce propane to the boat but need something more than candles or a flower pot on the stove, Steve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RKYx-0alGw

[Jim Walsh]

In the early 70's I installed a Taylor's Paraffin cabin heater in my 26 footer. In American terms it burned kerosene. The burner had to be primed with alcohol first. It worked well if the burner was sufficiently warmed to allow the kerosene to vaporize properly. It had a 1" flue. The only diesel units available at that time were very expensive, very large, very heavy, and had a flue which was 2" or larger. The YouTube video seems to show a unit with a 1" flue. I'll bet insufficient draft is the issue.

[Loren]

I've used a Force 10 kerosene heater for many years. Looks to me that it was not preheated enough. It takes considerably more preheating with a kerosene stove as compared to an alcohol stove. When properly heated the flame looks nearly like propane. The smoke is from raw fuel burning. I also feel it pays to use kerosene as compared to deisel.

Loren

[pete faga]

Steve
How about a mr.heater Big Buddy for the time being.
I know your not a fan of propane but they put out a lot of heat for the $
Plus you can use it off the boat also.

[Paul D.]

Steve,

If you are just using it for heating up your evenings aboard consider the Dickinson Newport Solid fuel heater. I have loved ours over the last dozen seasons. We've never had issues with smoking up the cabin and the fan mounted outboard of the heater up under side deck keeps the flue pipe heat circulated nicely it seems. Only downside is it will not burn overnight, But if you have good chunks of wood cut short, it will only need tending every 30 minutes or so. Get's a little messy if you are not careful too.

http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/dickins ... eater.html

I fitted one under-the-settee locker for wood storage. If you get decent wood it heats the whole cabin nicely and we get down to freezing up here during the beginning and end of the season. Maybe I am old fashioned but there is nothing better to me than sipping a nice scotch or bourbon with the fire crackling below while the cold north wind howls on deck. My son, pictured, even suggested we go "old school" one night aboard by not using any electrics, only the oil lamp and wood stove. Man after my own heart that kid.

[David van den Burgh]

Paul,

What does the the chimney do to the boom, main, and the deck of the boat? We've got a solid fuel Dickinson that I haven't installed yet because I worry about the mess above decks. Does it make a mess up there?

Looks nice, though!

[sharkbait]

Sure glad we don't have those kind of problems down in Texas. Just the heat of an oil lamp will drive you out of a 30' boat. If you want to light the lamp you have to open the ports and maybe the hatch.

[Russell]

I cant express enough how much I love the Espar, a bit more money and more difficult to install then many other options, but so simple to use (press a button and boat is warm), low power and fuel use. No deck soot and very low maintenance.

Debating now if I want to install it on the new boat (its a bit undersized for 42) or go with an Espar hydronic heater for the new boat and leave the forced air one on the old boat.

[Jim Davis]

On the Dickensen Solid Fuel heater (fireplace)

Unless you put a long stack above the cabin top they have no problem with the sail or boom. However if you let the sail fall on a hot Charley Nobel, well it makes no difference what fuel you are using.

As to soot and ashes on the deck - this depends on your fuel. If you are using wood or charcoal it isn't a problem. If you are using slices of "Presto Log" you will get quite a bit.

I have several winters of use with one of these and have tried a variety of fuels.
Dry hardwood scraps and drift wood, while cost effective burn too fast and often too hot. If it is too hot you can warp the firebox and door.
"Presto Log slices" give good heat but are messy burners. The make a lot of soot, not only on the deck but in about two weeks can clog the Charley Nobel resulting in some nasty smoke filling the cabin. One inch slices burn about a half hour and mor can be added as needed.
Charcoal briquettes weren't satisfactory to me. They don't produce a lot of heat and tend to smother themselves because of the ash buildup. They are easy to carry and handle.
Enviro Log slices give good heat but because of the small firebox can be hard to keep lit.
Chunk Charcoal gives good heat with minimal ash. It is easy to light and handle. You can easily add more to the fire with bare hands.
I have not tried Corn, Wood Pellets or Coal.

I have settled on the brand "Cowboy Charcoal" as my fire wood of choice.

It must be noted that these fireplaces aren't really a solution to all night heat because they need refueling every 30 to 45 minutes. We use ours in the evening and morning, letting it burn out at night. Lighting it isn't bad nor does it take long. I remove the ash from the previous burn, then put a fire starter on the bottom and a couple handfuls of chunk charcoal on top. I will often put a crumpled sheet of paper in the get the draft started.

We also use a Den Hahn Trawler Lamp for heat. On a cold morning my routine is:
Light the Trawler Lamp
Light the stove for coffee
Light the fireplace
By the time the coffee has perked the cabin is warm and others start crawling out of bed.

[Paul D.]

David,

I second much of Jim's comments on use of the Dickinson Newport though I seem to remember getting more black ash on deck using charcoal briquettes. I don't have too much ash using chunks of the red oak or silver maple I have in my yard and trim every few years. I usually gather a little birch bark or paper, a few shop scraps to start and lay in the chunks.

In the interior photo you can see the deck hole is offset a little from directly above the stove. In the deck photo below you can see the bronze stack and charlie noble. I've only got a trickle of rain in there on the curliest of gales. I offset it from directly above the stove to get it away from the mast to maintain strength and allow better footing. You can see the heavy bronze through deck and flue I used. It's removable and screws into the deck plate. There is a separate flat cover if you want it sealed.



Since it exits the deck just aft of the dorade, it seems to be less in the way for me. A downside is that if I forget to leave the cowl vent in place and make a fire, it will get black from the exhaust unless at anchor with a bit of wind blowing aft. My procedure is to always take the jib halyard coil to the other side of the mast and remove the cowl vent (Venting the Head) off and stow it before making a fire. The first time I made a fire I forgot the halyard with no trouble, it's about a foot or more away, but I thought it wise to just move it.

So with wood I have not gotten a big mess on deck, the charcoal briquettes however had me cleaning for a good hour. Even with those I never have had to clean the boom and sail cover. I imagine good charcoal like the stuff used for the Big Green Egg BBQ or ecologs Jim mentions could be really good low soot fuel. I would probably use that if I didm't have a good supply of wood already.

Hope this helps,

[Evergreen]

Following Russell's and other's recommendations, we installed an Espar heater on our CD36. And we have no regrets. We love it. Takes up no space and is VERY efficient. Lots of good information in the thread that resulted when we did research on what to get.

[Steve Laume]

Sorry I kind of let this thread drop on my end. As always you guys are a wealth of information and ideas.

I looked at the Mr Buddy heaters a couple of years ago and don't think they would serve well in my situation. The lack of a vent for gasses and moisture is a big draw back. I want the heater for drying as much as heat. I have an electric heater that I use at the dock. I don't think I would trust the Buddy for general heating because of the fuel and the chance of tipping.

The solid fuel has a great deal of appeal and may be a good way to go. Maybe not so good for truly cold nights but I do have a sleeping bag. Nice dry heat and no dangerous fuel are major pluses. Hauling large amounts of dry wood could be challenging on a 30' Cape Dory. The biggest draw back is that the stove would probably still reside on the bulkhead directly over the settee and I know from home how much of a mess wood can make.

The Espar is a beautiful system but is probably out of my price range for this project. I was once invited over to a Valiant on a very cold blustery evening at Block Island in Oct. I stayed and drank a lot of wine just because I knew how cold my boat was going to be when I got back. Well not just because of that but the heater did do a beautiful job of making things warm and cozy.

It seems like there may be hope for the heater I have. I have only tried lighting it a couple of times for fear of the smoke show. Preheating seems to be the issue as it has never burned a clean flame. I might try taking off the flue cap and preheating it with a torch. I used to use a backpacking stove that operated on the same principal but it was white gas. The tank is now has kerosene in it so that should work better than diesel. I would be very happy if I could get the thing to work.

I have also been investigating buss heaters. This would only work when the engine is running but there have been times when it has been foggy and or raining and everything is sodden when I need to charge batteries anyway. It would be wonderful to be able to charge the batteries and dry things out at the same time. I am planning to go north this coming summer and I know there will be times when I have to motor for lack of wind as well. In cases like this, it would be free heat and a chance to dry out the boat.

The next time I am down to Raven I will try a serious pre heat and see what happens, Steve.

[Paul D.]

Steve,

I've had the wood stove going on below freezing nights. It does keep the cabin toasty. Again, it just won't go all night so you either need to get up and feed it or wake up in the cold, old school, and light a fire. If you a re looking for dry heat though. It is the best.

[Tom Keevil]

We've been sailing in Alaska the last two years, where heating is a very important topic. Here's our setup for various situations:

At anchor, a bit cool: Oil trawler lamp with battery powered portable electric fan to circulate the air.

At anchor, rather cold: Newport solid fuel stove; Ecofan on stove to circulate air.

Tied to a dock with power: Electric heater.

Motoring underway: A heater core using engine heat.

Sailing underway: Warm clothing - we're not down below - we're sailing.

Asleep at night: Down comforters.

At anchor, cold morning with imminent early departure: Mr Buddy, for 30 minutes max.

As for fuel, we carry a small supply of dry oak shop scraps, but mostly burn driftwood. The best fuel for us are knots. I don't know if these are common in other parts of the country, but up here, large logs get ground up in the surf, leaving the knots behind on the beach. They burn a long time and provide a lot of heat. Normal driftwood needs to be tended more frequently. We do get some soot on the deck, but have no problem with the sail or with halyards on the mast. Artificial logs produce huge amounts of soot - avoid those for sure.

[John Stone]

This past week we finally fired up the M-66MK Refleks 5500 BTU heater on our boat for the first tie. Most Refleks heaters are diesel but we run kerosene through ours (the regulator was adjusted for it). Though we have not used it underway (since the boat is still in the shed), the heater gets high marks for heat output and especially for reliability, simplicity, and ease of maintenance in all the reviews I have read. I took the stove apart to include the regulator and it seems pretty simple to me. There is no electricity (no blower motor) required to operated it. Made in Denmark for the North Sea Fishing fleet ours is the smallest model. On setting 1 of 9, the heater top is about 350F. On setting 3 of 9, the top is about 450F. I don't want to run it on a higher setting till I install some heat shielding to protect the surrounding wood. With a little experimentation I figured out how to start it in a simple manner and without drama. I checked the inside surfaces of the heater yesterday and there is no soot. Seems to burn perfectly clean. When installed with the regulator in a fore and aft line with the heater unit it supposed to operate while sailing heeled on either tack. We ordered an Eco Fan 810 and should have it in a few days. The eco fan sits on the heater cast iron top surface and generates it's own power through what's called the peltier effect. It is reported to move air at 125 CFM. We will document the fan on the website once we have used it.

We insulated the overhead and the hull above the waterline on the Far Reach. I can't say how the heater will work on an non-insulated 36' boat. But I am optimistic it will keep our boat quite comfortable when the outside temps down to 32F and perhaps even colder. We will know more this winter as we experiment further.

We documented the Refleks installation and current operational testing on our website. If you are interested you can read it here.
http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... eater.html We will document more as we use it under various conditions.