The Admiral Wants Heat

[NiceAft]

Turn it into a cup holder, with its own (liquid of your choice) supply,

[Jimmyt]

Turn it into a cup holder, with its own (liquid of your choice) supply,

I’ll take that under advisement.

[OverEasy]

Hi JimmyT!

A Great looking project!
Really nice!

One thought… especially being in the south with lots of warm sunny days to enjoy (even if the nights can sometimes be a tad cool… have you given any thought to address thermal expansion of the fuel in that nice looking fuel tank?

I’ve seen instances of where a sun heated tank without a vent have pressurized the fuel lines and led to fuel leakage issues.
Wouldn’t want you to have a mess to contend with if avoidable…
Diesel can be hard to get out of gelcoat and cushions….. and


Best Regards
Over Easy

[Jimmyt]

Thanks!
Good thought. I’ll check to make sure there is a vent in the cap. There isn’t one anywhere on the tank. The original plastic tank was vented through the cap.

It also helps if the tank doesn’t go into a vacuum as the fuel is used.

I don’t care for the smell of diesel. That’s the main reason I built the project (well, the extremely hot exhaust system was a big concern, too). Anyway, there is no way for fuel to leak into the cabin or airstream - by design. It could leak on the deck if the tank over-pressured and parted a line or popped the cheap plastic filter.

I finished getting all of the big pieces together this morning. Now, I’ve got to set up a test rig out in the driveway; and fire it for a few hours to see if I’ve got the exhaust insulated/shielded adequately. I’ll probably need to replace my house battery in the final install, too. It’s not very sporty any more - well beyond its warranty period.

[Jimmyt]

Test fired the unit today. In spite of the VERY poor instructions, I was able to get it up and running after one false start.

I ran it for about an hour total. Started and stopped it 4 times. No fuel leaks, no fires, no peeling paint. I was amazed.

One thing that I’ll have to work around is, the unit does not cycle off in temperature control mode. It modulates to its lowest rate of fire, but stays on. So, if the cabin heating load is lower, it’s going to get very warm. Will have to get some data in actual use to see what, if anything, needs to be done. I think it will heat the boat easily. Used 3amp hours on the starts and about a bit over an hour of running. Starts and shut downs use 8-10amps for a couple of minutes. Running at the lowest fire uses about 1 amp.

Test 1 is at high fire (startup condition).
Test 2 is at low fire. Gives you an idea of the sound level.
The ticking/heartbeat you hear is the fuel pump.

[Jimmyt]

Some additional pics to geek out on. I can put my hand on the radiation shield around the muffler. I can’t hold my hand on the wrapped exhaust, but I can stay within 1/2 inch of it easily. Surface temps around the exhaust are not going to ruin the paint. The exhaust outlet will have to be respected, though.


Supply air temp at high fire/ high airflow





Supply air temp at low fire/low airflow

Exhaust outlet

[kurz]

It modulates to its lowest rate of fire, but stays on.


this is normal, my china heater does the same. there are heater that turn completely off and start again depending on temperature. I have the 2kw heater so the heat is not so high anyway. Maybe the 12V-consumption could be higher becouse the 10A at starting and shutting off....

https://nord-kapp.com/de/products/air-b ... cp7KSl5TI5 this heater could turn on/off for stable temperature, even it also can just fan only without heating.
For me not worth the price actually, but we will see...

[Jimmyt]

Maybe the 12V-consumption could be higher becouse the 10A at starting and shutting off....

this heater could turn on/off for stable temperature, even it also can just fan only without heating.
For me not worth the price actually, but we will see...

Yes. There would be an energy penalty for cycling on and off. It may not be necessary, but it is a different operating sequence than what I’m used to.

Nord-Kapp won’t ship to the U.S., so I won’t have that in the back of my mind…

Does your heater get the cabin too hot on low fire?

Did you seal the gap at the top of your washboard?

[OverEasy]

Hi JimmyT!

What a BOSS PROJECT!!!
It looks GREAT!!!
Congratulations!
Your gonna have a very happy Admiral!


Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Jimmyt]

Trying to get it wrapped up so I can clean up the mess I made. Tossed it up on deck to see how it looks. Not perfect, but I’m satisfied with it. Just a few wiring details to work out and I can call it done.

And when I say “tossed it on deck”, I’m being sarcastic. I took the lifeline down, and moved the trailer over as far as I could. I had to go 3 or 4 steps up the ladder in close quarters holding the silly thing, then lean out over the deck to set it in the hatch opening. I’m thinking this is a two person job, to do it safely.

Well, here’s the look. I’ll try to get some outside when I splash her again.

[NiceAft]

TOTALLY OFF SUBJECT REPLY.

Jimmy,

I have always been jealous of you being able to store your Mac in your own garage (no apology for that. It is what it is), but how are you able to bring it in bow first? How do you bring her out?

[Jimmyt]

I have an electric winch mounted on the floor. It’s about a 5-10 minute process to get it in or out. I have to winch it out and in. My parking apron has some slope to it, so I use the winch to control it when taking her out. It’s uphill going in. Plus, I’ve got a rain slope right at the door. One of my buddies helped me push her in the first time and we both swore we’d never do it again.

I built a rubber tired nose dolly so I can easily steer it and roll on grass if required.

It won’t fit stern first without moving my wood shop to another part of the garage. So I put the winch in and go in bow first. Also, the winch brings it in slow enough to be done safely and damage free.

[NiceAft]

Still jealous

[Jimmyt]

Thanks Ray.

[OverEasy]

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