Some people might regard central heating on a yacht as an outrageous extravagance. Certainly, the best systems don't come cheap. But they do extend the sailing season, enabling you to get a lot more use out the ultimate extravagance, the yacht itself.
They also extend your cruising range. Our insurer friend tells us that more and more clients are asking for extended cover to go to Norway, the Faeroes or even beyond, and he is sure that this is because heating has made such destinations more realistic.
And of course warm air, which banishes condensation, rather than creating it as many other forms of heating do, is good for the boat itself, keeping damp out of bunk cushions and mould out of lockers, and generally protecting your investment.
We never had heating before our present boat, as we were obsessed with the racing philosophy of saving weight (no hot water, fridge, or spray hood either, for the same reason!) But after two seasons with hot air at the touch of a button, thanks to our new friend the Eberspacher, we are completely converted to its advantages.
We certainly wouldn't want to go back to the old salts' system of two terracotta flower pots heated up on the rings of the gas stove we were once driven to use. (This is actually surprisingly effective for heating a small cabin on a cold evening, but generates a lot of damp, and also a lot of carbon monoxide: don't leave it running when you go to sleep!)
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| Heater unit and exhaust system out of the way in a stern locker |
The Eberspacher is diesel-powered, fed from the main tank, and sends hot air, via ducting, to outlets in the two cabins, saloon and heads/shower compartment. It not only heats the living spaces, but also gently warms the lockers etc the ducting runs through, helping to keep the whole boat fresh and sweet. The exhaust fumes go safely overboard.
The heater unit itself, with the fan that drives the hot air through the ducting, is tucked out of the way in the stern locker. It is controlled via a neat push button panel, complete with timer, at the chart table. You can simply press a button to start the heating system on demand, or programme it to come on at a set time (so that it takes the chill off the air before you emerge from your sleeping bag or duvet on a cool morning!)
One slight drawback is that it takes a lot of power to start the Eberspacher, but this does not matter if you are plugged into shore power in a marina, as many boat owners choose to be during the cooler parts of the year. Alternatively, if you do not have huge banks of domestic batteries, you can arrange to start the heating while the engine is running.
The other likely criticism is that it's a bit noisy. You can hear the fan running, and so can your marina neighbours. But that's a small price to pay for keeping warm. And this is a form of heating that you can use while under way. It makes long passages feasible at the beginning and end of the season, as you warm up quickly when you come off watch.
All right, we're getting softer as we get older, but there's no doubt that the Eberspacher enables us to get a lot more fun out of the boat, both in extending the sailing season and also providing creature comforts when the boat does “bed and breakfast” duty after yacht club functions like the laying up supper and New Year's Eve party.
For more information visit www.eberspacher.com
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Once you've experienced Eberspacher warm air heating you'll never want to be without it again. It's a worthwhile investment that will add to your enjoyment of your yacht and also its resale value.
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