J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum Cruising Discussions Heater Options

I have been informed by the boss (wife) that our boat needs to be more comfortable for cruising (we primarily race). The first priority is to add heat. It must be available underway (sail or power) and at the dock. I have been researching various fuel options including Propane/LPG, Diesel, and solid fuel. I'm not really interested in installing propane for various reasons. Solid fuel is simpler but dirtier. Diesel has some promise since the fuel is already on board.

I'm interested in hearing the solutions that worked for others. What did you do and how well did it work? What are the issues that should be taken into account?

Thanks in advance....

My boat, Mondial (hull 215), was originally delivered to the Puget Sound area. The first owners installed a diesel heater mounted on the main bulkhead. The unit works by natural convection only, so they swapped the port bulkhead lamp for a small fan to stir up the air. A 3" diameter chimney pipe is cut through the cabin top between the shrouds and the mast. We normally keep it covered and stow the "Charley Noble" chimney top fitting under the sink. The installation has a small pump mounted in the engine compartment which sends fuel from the main tank to a pressure reducing valve and then to the heater. We've used the unit quite a bit to extend the cruising season in the Chesapeake. It can put out enough heat to make the cabin a sauna, if that's what you want. The lighting process is a bit of a pain, but it's tolerable. What I like about it is that it doesn't require carrying a second fuel, that it's a reasonable safe fuel, and that the unit doesn't weight much. The last parameter is now moot, since my crew made me remove it for the racing season! ;-)

Let me know if you have any other questions.

I installed a Force 10 cabin heater - Diesel or Kerosene model this year. I acquired it used, and after eventually getting the burners tuned up by Force 10 find it works pretty well. The stovepipe is just a piece of 1" od stainless tubing, which makes for a fairly neat installation. There is a deckcap and rain guard which is permanently installed on the cabin top. I did have to put a kink in the pipe to lead it out onto the deck in an out of the way location. It is quite unobtrusive, and has not fouled any deck lines yet. I mounted the heater on the main bulkhead, port side, about 5" to the left of the forward cabin door.

We find that kerosene burns cleaner in the heater than diesel - there is a bit of an odour with both fuels when they are operating, burning, but less so with kerosene.

The installation required a pressure tank for the fuel which I installed in the hanging locker. The fuel line is 1/4 inch copper tubing, which I led to the other side of the boat by attaching it to the bottom edge of the doorway to the forward cabin, then up and through a hole in the bulkhead to the heater. The fuel tank is pressurized with a bicycle tire pump.

The heat output is not as much as some other models on the market, but its not bad. For next season I will have to place some heat shield material immediately behind the unit - it did get hot enough once to start to lift the varnish!

If you have any questions, email me at roulton@smss.com

We love to sail in the winter (Tennessee River, North Alabama) I installed a small propane heater sold at a local propane dealer that used the disposable canisters that are available at walmart.I think the name of the device is "my-buddy" and I've seen them in catalogues for hunting and fishing equipment. they were designed to go into tents and work like a convection heater. we love it and I can take it off during the summer, mounted it on the cabin bulkhead near the floor, the mounting screws just stay there year around. I carry spare propane canisters outside in the cockpit lockers. weight is about 2 1/2 pounds.