Diesel heater

[Irish Mist]

Just a note for anyone on the fence about getting a diesel heater If you are towing your boat and camping aboard in transit the heater works great on land or sea.. Last night I was in TN and it dropped down to 32 and I was snug as a bug in the boat... As I am tonight just west of London Ontario .. Also if you have gas stove ( I do not ) you can cook .. If I could find a diesel hotwater heater it would be perfect... Although a portable generator would fix that 🙂
Had a great time in the south.. Although in 30 days I had a ton of growth on the bottom of the boat. And barnicals..I am going to make sure I have bottom coat for the return visit ..
Mark

 

[coreychamness]

Mark,
my tug did not come from the factory with a diesel heater but after experiencing the cold of the river and having witnessed seeing a wabasto in action - I am sold for next winter. I am pretty sure next fall I will be installing one. I am interested in investigating the two major competing brands (minus the wallas stove).

 

[Irish Mist]

Check out Planar heaters I couldn't be happier and very helpful like we are used to with Ranger
They are a fraction of the price. You do need to add a thru hull fitting and make you own mounting bracket.. And then duct work and fittings .. Still worked out to big savings. Sergey is quick to reply takes about a day to install everything.
Sergey Reger
1 (604) 719-4663
Planar Marine & Truck Air Heaters Ltd.
1625A Foreshore Walk
Granville Island
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6H 3S4
planarheaters@gmail.com
www.planarheaters.com

 

[knotflying]

I have the Wabasto and agree, it is a great heater. If it is drawing off the fuel tank just figure out how much fuel you need in the tank before the pickup won't work. My level is 36 gallons. I learned this the hard way on a cold night. I also carry a small ceramic heater to use in the campgrounds and it also does a nice job and a bit quieter than the Wabasto.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Mark:

We also have a portable ceramic heater, which came in handy on our return trip from Florida...boy was it cold. Great idea on the aftermarket install of the Planar heater. Mark if you have any problems removing those stubborn barnacles from your boat bottoms gelcoat pick up a gallon of On-Off from West Marine or another marine store, it does a great job removing the tough crustacean.

 

[JamesTXSD]

We have the Wallas heater/stove on our boat (not a Ranger), and it does a great job. When we have electricity (marina or campground), we use an electric heater. One thing to watch for when using your diesel heater: where the exhaust exits the hull. When we picked up our boat, one of the side bunks was covering the exhaust exit (lowering the bunk took care of that). Others have had issues with fenders covering the exhaust exit... and melting.

The diesel heater is great when on the hook, but we prefer to use electric when available. Nice to have both and have the options.

Warm wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Irish Mist]

Just another camping on boat observation.... The TV works great near big city's even with the mast down .. Never seen so many channels on the TV before.. I agree with everyone on the electric heaters as a prefrance just on the road it's hard running a cord around all the transport trucks.🙂 . And BTW I never realized the truck stops totally fill up at night with transports.... Don't park for the night in front of the washrooms at rest stops.. Trucks are always coming and going there ( no pun intended ) . Common sense I'm sure to most of you but I'm a slow learner 🙂
Bottom line I found the towing experiance an enjoyable part of the trip and can't wait for my next adventure.

 

[RProffer]

When I am catching 40 winks at a rest stop, I like to park at the end, away from all the foot and vehicle traffic, and away from the lights. My dogs will alert me to anyone who approaches.

 

[JamesTXSD]

When towing and staying on the boat, we don't stay in rest areas. Having been RVers for several decades, we learned long ago that rest areas are noisy and not always safe. Unlike in a motorhome, where if you have a "security issue," you can start up and pull away... with your boat and truck, if there is a problem, you have to climb out of your boat to get to the truck. Plenty of drunk and obnoxious people at rest areas in the middle of the night.

Our preference: pull into an RV park. Most of them are welcoming, occasionally you have to explain that the boat is just another kind of RV. We have, on rare occasions, been turned away from RV parks with the boat. You buy an adapter to connect your 30 amp cord to the RV pedestal - you have power for your microwave, electric heater, TV, etc, etc. RV parks will NOT allow you to dump your water over the side (not even gray water), so you use their shower facilities. We put a dishpan in the sink for dishes, hand washing, etc, and dump that into the sewer connection. We have had some interesting conversations with the RVers we meet.

We have been doing this for over a decade with boats (still have an RV, too). Buy a membership in Passport America, and you can often find parks along your route for 1/2 price. Price is generally from $15 to $30 per night - for a secure place to sleep, decent facilities including electricity, and no trucks rumbling all night long.

We really don't like motels - even the nice places can be sketchy as far as cleanliness. Better to have your own bed, potty, galley... even on land.

Happy traveling,
Jim B.

 

[Boont Boater]

We had a Wallas heater and now have a reverse air heater/air conditioner which I am getting used to. Both seem to be great at warming up a cold boat at night or in the morning. But at night, as long as there is power, I like a quiet electric heater. What we ended up with is one of those oil-filled radiator style heaters. The high setting makes the boat comfortable for sleeping even when it's freezing. Do the ceramic heaters make any noise? I wouldn't mind an alternative since the radiator style is bulky and not exactly boat friendly.

 

[knotflying]

I would say the noise that the fan makes on the ceramic heater is marginal. Kind of like white noise. Definitely better than the A/C kicking in and the fan and ticking of the Wabasto pump. We have been in 35 degree temperatures and it does a good job and once you are awake you can always go Wabasto or reverse cycle to pump things up if you want it warmer.

 

[coreychamness]

Yesterday we were onboard our new R-31 for sea trials/delivery and it was mid to high 30's outside. We turned on the generator and reverse cycle heat and I was pleased and surprised that it heated the cabin up very easily to about 70. I really didn't think it would raise it that much.

Corey