Warming Up

Hi folks, this is Chris.  More than a few of our neighbors heat their boats not with electricity like us, but little diesel-fueled furnaces.  For two years I've been thinking about installing one of these.  We may be nudging closer to actually doing it.  On Sunday Al, Kevin and I visited our friend Mike on his sailboat.  This is his second winter using it, and he loves the thing.  There are very popular brands like Webasto, Espar and Dickinson.  But those tend to come with a lot of complex features and high price tags. 

We're thinking of getting what Mike has, a Planar.  Its from Russia, and they know something about staying warm.

With the heater itself, plus all the extra parts, for a boat my size it will probably cost about $2,800.  If Al, Kevin and I, with the help of some of our more experienced friends, do the work, it would pay for itself in about 1.5 winters.   Installing the exhaust, furnace, ducting and electrical controls will be a pretty big job.

That said, thanks to new foam insulation and some new remote temperature sensors, our heating costs are down a good amount from last year.  Stay tuned...