The Admiral Wants Heat

[Russ]

Alright, I'm impressed on 2 counts. That hatch/heater looks amazing.

The trailer deployment system is way cool, especially that custom dolly rig.

[Jimmyt]

Thanks, Russ.

The dolly is a re-purposed pressure washer base. I welded a pipe on for steering. I cut the original nose wheel off of the tongue jack and just used the rotating part - which I welded to the power washer base. It wasn’t meant to be permanent - just a quick proof of concept. But, it hasn’t broken yet - so I’ve just kept using it.

The winch idea came from some of my car buddies who put pulling points in their floor to move non-running car projects in. That corner of my shop, right next to the wall, is mostly useless, so a permanent winch mount made more sense for my application.

[Jimmyt]

Hi JimmyT!

Looks neat up there on the hatch!
The Admiral is gonna be warm!

Like how you sized it to match the cabin deck height.
The smooth lines and radii should readily allow the jib slip over it when you’re out sailing!

Great arrangement on moving your boat and trailer in/out of your garage bow first.
Much nicer and safer than having to manhandle it, especially with taking advantage of the positive outward bound down slope to the garage and driveway! ( I only wish the people who built our home could have followed the instructions and done the same here… we have a dead level floor in the garage and driveway which I’ve compensated for with a slight shallow trough at the outer side entry to channel rain to the side… the land here in SC is pretty flat… )
The off-to-the-side guide handle is also a nicely thought out feature!
Kudos to you!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Thanks for the kind words, Over Easy!

My wife and I designed our house. One of my best buddies and I built it (he was licensed as a home builder for awhile). We were both mechanical engineers and my wife is an electrical engineer. We had real jobs, but built a few houses in our spare time. My dad (mechanical and civil engineer), my buddy’s dad (mechanical engineer, Air Force pilot, and could do anything), and my father-in-law (licensed electrician, could do carpentry, and lay brick beautifully), all helped in the build. We had some subcontractors, but did a lot of the work ourselves. All of that to say, there were a lot of smarter people than me involved, so things like pitching slabs, to prevent rain entry, were taken care of. My buddy and my wife are the only ones still here. Sure do miss all of the help! But, it was a blessing to get to learn from all of them!

[ris]

That heater looks great. Know I would NOT attempt that project. Great Job.

[Jimmyt]

Thanks for the kind words RIS!

You have plenty of game to pull off this project. You’re smart enough to figure out a better way, too.

As my friends will tell you, if there is a harder way to do anything, I can find it. But I do love a project.

Looking forward to seeing your next project.

[Jimmyt]

This is where I’m leaving the interior work for now. The thermostat will snap out of its base, and I can unplug the 12 volt line, undo two 5/16 bolts and remove the unit from the boat. I’ll coil the 12 volt supply line under the v-berth. I used adhesive wire clips, so I could revise to a hidden wire if I want in the future. I took a quick look, but decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze right now. The wire clips snap open easily, though.

It’s to the point where I need to stop and use it some to see how it works.

[Russ]

Very nice. Yes, time for some sea trials.

Then......make an A/C version of it.

[Jimmyt]

Yes. The gears are turning…

Here’s a different install I found.

[OverEasy]

Hi JimmyT!

While the guy in the video did a nice job of sorts I’d prefer your approach!

Yes the guy in the video did an ok job of it and he does have heat and an easy refueling but personally I’d be very hesitant to be taking in combustion air (or any air for that matter) from the gasoline fuel tank area even if it were open cubbies. For me the risk of feeding potentially fuel vapor laden air into a combustion device would be way too much of a risk on multiple levels. I “assume” that the heater has a combustion sensor of some sort in its little computer brain but doubt it has the capability of a flash back restrict or or the capability of sustaining or holding back even the pressure of a back fire through the air inductance piping leading to the fuel tank cubby…

Naw, I think that your on a much more secure and safe footing with your externally mounted forward hatch approach. Compact, external, easily installed/deinstalled and sleek!

Again, Kudos on a really nicely thought out project!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Jimmyt]

Thanks Over Easy! I also prefer my approach.

That intake near the fuel tanks kinda rubbed me, too. The intake is a flimsy aluminum tube with a plastic-bodied intake screen. No flame-arrestor, that I noticed.

But, some good ideas in his video.

Since I had never installed one of these, and the instructions were clearly translated to English using a very bad App, I watched several videos to try to understand what I was dealing with. Some were instructional, some were comical, and some were downright dangerous. But, you can learn something from almost anybody, if you are careful.

My education is Mechanical Engineering, and I’m trained in HVAC, refrigeration, fire suppression, control systems, and plumbing. I spent my career designing HVAC, dust control, fume control, plumbing, and fire suppression for military, medical, maintenance, and R&D facilities. So, I’ve been around lots of different combustion heating systems. All of that to say, I wasn’t starting from scratch. I just really like to understand what I’m doing when I’m building something.

An on-board install could be done. I just couldn’t think of an easy way to do it - that I felt comfortable with. The exhaust piping is rather flimsy and clamped - not welded. The muffler has a weep hole for condensation drainage. So there are potential and actual leak points for combustion products from the exhaust port to the point of discharge. So, the exhaust presented a real problem for me when trying to mount the unit inside. I could have welded up a base-plate that had a secondary duct around the exhaust that could be sealed better. But then, you have to work out several constructability challenges.

Plus, I wasn’t sure how close I could get the exhaust to painted/combustible surfaces. In fact, the first time I actually had confidence in my design was the first test run.

There was also the chance of a diesel leak in the occupied space - which was a no-go for me. I didn’t want any fuel tubing in the occupied space. It’s a personal issue.

Modifying the boat would accomplish what I wanted - building in a mechanical space for the heater with a safe outside exposure. But, I opted to make it removable instead. I’ll cut a 2” hole for a bilge pump discharge, but a big enough hole to do this project…. wasn’t an attractive alternative.

The fuel cubbies in the cockpit would be the easiest spot, but then you’re getting close to your gasoline tanks. Gasoline is not something to be trifled with. Seal it on the inside then vent through the hull side. I’d build it with an airtight machine level/plenum and vented area below. A watertight access plate/hatch in the seat for the upper level, and louvered panel in the hull for the lower level would get it done.

You might be able to put it high in the head (26M), or in the v-berth area by building an exhaust/intake plenum box to the outside of the hull, and mounting the heater inside, atop said plenum. Again, a good bit of very visible fiberglass work.

Lots of ways it could be done safely. Having trouble figuring out easy ways to do it. But, such is my nature. I’m sure somebody will find a better way. Lots of smart people in our group - including you.

[Jimmyt]

I’ve been watching it close for several days now. I’m getting a drop or two every 24 hours from the filter.

I didn’t like the look of the factory filter, but thought I’d try it and see. So, I installed it anyway and ordered some that I liked better. Sure enough, it leaks.

What I didn’t like about it was, it’s cleanable. The two sides unscrew so you can clean the element. Two very flimsy plastic parts that screw together, filled with diesel fuel. What could possibly go wrong?


Filter that came with the kit


New filter with paper element and magnet

Anyway, I swapped the filter out today and test fired it on the boat. I have an exhaust fan set up so I can spray paint in my garage, and mix polyester resin, so I just ran the heater inside.

It heats the boat nicely, and in short order. A fan might be needed to help equalize the space temperature. As the thermostat gets satisfied, the fan speed reduces. The v-berth and head get toasty while the galley and aft berth stay cooler. However, I left the companionway open to run in and out (checking inside conditions, then going out to check for leaks, fires, etc). We’ll have to see how it works when things are closed up.

The factory fuel pump mount does an excellent job of transmitting the pump’s heartbeat to the enclosure - so it’s definitely audible inside. There may be a future alteration to this. If I make it loud enough, I won’t be able to hear my dagger board clunking.

OverEasy said I had to put a CO detector in or he would never speak to me again. So, I did. It didn’t make a sound during the test run today.

Very happy with the project so far.