[alberg30] Cabin heater-Bag of Coal, plus much more

[Forhan, Thomas]

From: "Forhan, Thomas" <Thomas.Forhan at mail.house.gov>

Bob, I have one of the  Raelco "Kole Stoves" mounted on the port bulkhead,
it came with the boat.

 I routinely use charcoal brickettes, which of course you can buy in a bag.
I've had no luck trying to buy coal, but my Alexandria friends suggest that
if I go walk the railroad tracks leading up to the powerplant on the
northside of the city on the river, I'll find all I want on the ground-just
have to pick it up bit by bit.

Anyway, the solid fuel stove works great, with a bulkhead fan to move the
air around there is little stratification, it definately is a season
extender for cruising when the days are tolerable but the nights would
otherwise drive you into a sleeping bag at dusk.

For the record, I had a Taylor kerosene heater on a prior boat, with a
primus type burner. It kept the boat warm, but you definately need an
auxiliary tank, and I don't like the fickleness of the burners-always
needing cleaning, tinkering. I'd never go that route again. 

For a really great installation if diesel is already onboard, I'd consider
the smallest Espar forced air diesel furnace-those will give you use of the
boat year round, or at least until the ice in the water restricts your
travel. Expensive, though.

Finally, if an Alberger is thinking about a heater, and already has propane
on board, I'd strongly recommend looking at a British product, the P4 by
Carver. For $700 you get a 5000 btu forced air furnace that is smaller than
a loaf of bread, very safe, quiet, and uses just a smidgen of propane and
electricity. I have one installed in my VW Camper, and it is just fantastic.
While marketed here for campers, the manufacturer also sells the same units
for boats in the UK. Check it out at http://www.eurocampers.com/Carver.html



> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Robert Kirk [SMTP:kirk at neptune.gsfc.nasa.gov]
> Sent:	Wednesday, November 03, 1999 9:44 AM
> To:	alberg30 at onelist.com
> Subject:	RE: [alberg30] Cabin heater
> 
> From: Robert Kirk <kirk at neptune.gsfc.nasa.gov>
> 
> 
> >From: "Charles Haggart" <chaggart at sympatico.ca>
> >
> >There was a wood stove/heater in the boat years ago and it was mounted to
> >starboard on the hanging locker bulkhead. The flue vent hole has been
> sealed
> >over with a Plexiglas blank.
> 
> 
> When I bought  Isobar, it came with  what sounds like that same
> pot-bellied 
> stove/heater together with the necessary flues and insulation amongst its 
> supplies.  The cabin top has a blank which could easily replaced by
> Charlie 
> Noble. The rig sits in my garage never used.  I never installed it since 
> I'm a fair weather sailor (getting time to haul now), and frostbite and I 
> don't get along.   But I'm wondering if anyone has used one successfully. 
> It seems like it and a bag of coal might be just the thing to extend the 
> season a little. (Can one still buy a bag of coal?)
> 
> Bob Kirk
> Isobar #181
> 
> 
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