Cabin heating options

D

Dwasson

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
9
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Am perplexed with cabin heating options. I think I've read of four. 1. Engine heat. 2. Reverse cycle. 3. Cooktop diesel. 4. Forced air. Which is going to serve us better while cruising in Prince William Sound in Alaska where daytime temps might reach 60 and night temps will drop to 45? Will the forced air system drain batteries? Thanks. Maybe by this time next year we will have made the purchase.
 
You will get lots of good help on this forum, better than I can give (since we are still waiting for completion of our first Ranger Tug). But from what I have learned about the Rangers, and what I know from our last boat (which had a Wallas cooktop/heat combination unit), you are likely to want forced air (#4). The engine heat works only when underway, and does not provide heat throughout the boat like the forced air does. Cooktop diesel is effective, and we liked our unit, but it seemed like a better solution for a smaller boat (and some people have not found the Wallas units to be as reliable, but ours was). I know little about reverse cycle, except that it is in combination with air conditioning, which it seems you don't need, and it is both spendy and a power drain. So from all I know, #4 is the way for you to go.
 
If I'm correct I see you are from Kansas? After your Prince William Sound trip will the boat be taken to Kansas or left for usage in Alaska? In addition will you be staying exclusively at marina's, anchoring out or a combination of the two? Basically your heat choice boils down to how ou plan on using the boat most of the time, personal choice and pocket book. If I had a boat in Alaska 100% of the time I personally don't feel reverse air/heat would be needed and would go with the Wallas diesel heater, which can be used without a genset, at anchor or at dock. On the other hand if the Alaska trip is just a one time thing and the boat will be used in Kansas I would think a reverse air/heat unit would be more suitable. If you always stay at a marina you would not necessarily need a generator however keep in mind you would not be able to use your reverse unit when not tethered to shore power. If you anchor out a lot you might want to consider a generator to power your reverse air/heat unit and for recharging your batteries. The generator could be a factory installed unit and would power a bit more then a portable unit you could buy after the fact. A lot of RT owners use a portable Honda generator and they might highlight their advantages.

Let us know what other questions you have or how you plan to use your boat full time.

Jim
 
Re: your questions. We plan on leaving the boat in Alaska. There are essentially no marinas in PWS, so we will be on the hook a lot. The generator is a link in the "chain" that answers a lot of questions. Thanks!!
 
Here are my observations. I had a wallas stove on my last boat and was happy with it, but keep in mind it will not provide to much heat to the v-berth. The Wabasto is great, but it is a bit noisy. Economically speaking the Wallas will give you a two burner stove and heat at probably less than half the price of a stove unit and Wabasto. We use our stove more for storage than a stove. Reverse cycle is only good with shore power or a generator and that will be real noisy and an expensive installation. Dollar for Dollar a Wallas stove supplemented with a ceramic heater while on shore power isn't a bad combination. So many choices and it boils down to personal preferences and use.
 
I agree with knotflying (Mike)'s assessment of the Wallas stove. It does a good job for heating the cabin but will be marginal for the V-berth. However, if in the V-berth while sleeping a good White Goose down cover will more than likely keep you toasty... it does for me.

Here's a link to my temperature measurements for the Wallas stove I made in June 2009.

http://www.tugnuts.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=635&p=4321&hilit=wallas+stove#p4321
 
Barry,
If you ever get a chance it would be nice to get statistics on the Wallas when there is an outside temperature of about 40 degrees and what the inside temperature is in the v-berth, galley and the head. I thought it was a great stove when I had it on my C-Dory. The only peculiar thing was that the entire bottom electronics were exposed, which often resulted in me accidentally knocking the power connection off. Other than that I thought it worked great.
 
I love how wonky everyone is on this site. From taking decibel levels and temperature readings, to having inventories of spare parts and tools, to pictures of just about anything inside or outside the boat, the collective can answer just about any question anyone can come up with in any situation. What an amazing resource! I love it! As soon as I take possession of our tug, I'll be sure to contribute to the wonkiness and knowledge base. Keep it up everyone!
Doug
 
knotflying":2gcjpb89 said:
Barry,
If you ever get a chance it would be nice to get statistics on the Wallas when there is an outside temperature of about 40 degrees and what the inside temperature is in the v-berth, galley and the head. I thought it was a great stove when I had it on my C-Dory. The only peculiar thing was that the entire bottom electronics were exposed, which often resulted in me accidentally knocking the power connection off. Other than that I thought it worked great.
Click to expand...

Mike:
Today I was at the boat with outside temperature sitting at 45ºF. I cranked up the Wallas stove and placed it in cabin heating mode with its lid closed. I set the temperature control knob to high and after 1 hour I took temperature measurements at two places.

The cabin temperature at the dinette table was 68ºF and the V-berth temperature at bed level was 59ºF. I forgot about the head as the door was closed any rate so its temperature would be considerably lower than the cabin temperature.
 
Pretty good temperatures. Definitely enough to keep someone comfortable while on the hook. A nice blanket while sleeping and you are all set. In retrospect I may have eliminated the stove and Wabasto. Pretty advantageous when you think about it, added storage in the stove area, added storage where the propane locker goes and probably 1/3 the price.
 
Seems like the majority of postings that involve the word Wallas, are not made by happy campers.
 
HI all,
We are having the air conditioning as it rarely gets below 8c 🙂 here during the winter and nice warm summers 😀 But when we get the boat I 'm sure there will be lots more to learn .
Hope the build is going great 😉 as its a long way from here to get a chance to see the progress 🙁 .But the excitement is building,had a meeting with our fantastic helpful local agent Michelle and Craig 😀 discussed the electronic package to be fitted when we get the boat here 😀 😀

Cheers
Peter & Ronie B
 
I have the Gen Set and Heat pump/reverse Air. We need the AC during the Day and not much heat. We use a Small Radiant Oil Heater in the cabin when needed on those chilly nights at the marina. The Gen Set is NOISY.....but to me the 12v refer is noisy too. Wallas will do the best for you for your PNW/Alaska application. Save the storage space, Skip the Gen Set and heat/air system....go with a quite Honda 2000 for recharging. Solar panels that far North will not give you much return for space and dollar spent. That being said the panel will keep the battery up for the Bilge pumps to continue to operate. For sure add the 110v inverter. For other added items you can check out my photo album for ideas.....that i stole from other tugnuters.

Good Luck with the New Boat.
 
Levitation":1d848w20 said:
Seems like the majority of postings that involve the word Wallas, are not made by happy campers.
Click to expand...

:lol: Absolutely...
This is a typical phenomenon you see for online forums such as this. More than likely the majority of Wallas owners are happy with their product and have no reason to post. So, what you see posted here is very much skewed in favor of those who are unhappy or are having issues of some sort. It's human nature to raise questions if you're unhappy and not so if you're happy.

Bad news always trumps good news, right ?
 
Denny-o said:
Seems like the majority of postings that involve the word Wallas, are not made by happy campers.
Click to expand...

Denny,

I had a Wallas on the C-Dory and it did me well. I have the Wabasto on my Ranger and it works great for the heat. However, my recent problem which was relatively easy to repair, having to clean up the burner unit, made me investigate getting a few spare parts such as, glow plug, burner unit and gasket. It appears you can only buy a gasket kit and that costs about $52.00. The glow plug is $213.00 and the burner is $243.00. OUCH! I will wait for them to break before I get any of them. The other thing is parts suppliers in the US seem to be few and far between. Sure Marine Service in Seattle has a fairly good supply http://www.suremarineservice.com/air-top-evo-3900-figure-2.aspx

I spoke with a Wabasto supplier when in Florida and he said to avoid the build up issue you should run the unit on high. He said that the 3900 is a bit overkill for an R-27 and that people tend to run it on low and hence the build up. My unit had the other issue of the mount releasing so I am not sure if laying on an angle aggravated my problem. Hopefully my issues are over.

Mike Rizzo
 
I love my Wallas. We use the boat year round in the PNW. I even use the Wallas while under way instead of the engine heat. The wallas heats the cabin evenly while the engine heat pretty much cooks the helmsman.

Joe
 
We love our Wallis as well. No problems. Effective, simple.
 
Love my Wallas too. Hands down, the best way to heat the cabin while on the hook.
 
Our Wallas works very well also. We are boating off Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska in 40 degree weather most of the year. The Wallas keeps us more than warm. While running the engine heater fan vent under captains chair will get too warm.

One caution while on the hook, just be sure no bumpers are near the vent, the exhausts from the Wallas is very hot.

Don
 
knotflying":3bmybop6 said:
Pretty good temperatures. Definitely enough to keep someone comfortable while on the hook. A nice blanket while sleeping and you are all set. In retrospect I may have eliminated the stove and Wabasto. Pretty advantageous when you think about it, added storage in the stove area, added storage where the propane locker goes and probably 1/3 the price.
Click to expand...

Yes Mike... One of the benefits of the Wallas stove is that it takes up little room. It provides excellent cooking, provides economical heating with little noise level, allows storage of non-meltable(sp?) items underneath it, it's easy to operate, looks modern, is unobtrusive, can place things on top of it with lid closed and its 2.5 gal diesel fuel container can serve as a last ditch fuel reserve to avoid those 'embarrassing' moments you were so kind to mention elsewhere. :lol:
 
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