Cuddy Cabin heater recommendations
 

I am sure this is not an issue for most of you, but someone must have a good recommendation for a 12 volt cuddy cabin or cockpit heater? Looking for something to use in the early spring or late summer nights to keep the cuddy warm and thus the wifey happy. Any ideas?

Google boat heater 12v there are some pretty neat ones but be careful.

I have been doing that, but its hard to know which ones would work well, and what ones wouldn't. I was hoping someone already had one that they know works well, and would then be able to recommend.

Heaters like that scare me. Maybe try a 12V electric blanket or heated clothing like we wear on our motorcycles.

Say a 12v plug in is rated at 10 amps, thats only 120watts or 400 btu's...not that much heat plus a really fast way to discharge battery power unless connected to shore power.

You'd have to pull a lot of amps to make good heat at 12v, and don't tell you insurance carrier.

I'd suggest "lighting the fire" with wifey in the cuddy, problem solved.

They make heated insert pads (like heated car seats) for around $150 a sheet. Two of those should keep you pretty warm. Definitely enough to take the chill off. I was thinking about installing two on the sun pad in the back. The gf likes to lay back there under the stars and whatnot... I prefer the whatnot :coolcowboy:...

Should definitely help in the cabin though, especially with some decent insulated blankets.

I have a Red Dot unit in my boat. It will make a fair amount of heat for over an hour after the engine is shut down. Those cast iron blocks hold a lot of heat.

another idea is an alcohol heater. No open flame and if a problem arises you can use water to put it out. Around chi town I have an inverter and use a ceramic 1500 watt fan type deal when needed and run my ac fan to circulate the "heat". I have to upgrade my ac to reverse heat.....

As others mention, a 12v heater will not produce enough heat to significnatly heat a cuddy and battery drain will be an issue.

Are you trying to heat just the cuddy or entire enclosure?
Under way or at the dock?

At the dock, some type of ceramic or coil heater would be your best bet. There is still a slight explosion risk if gas fumes would be present due to the electric spark when switched or the t-stat kicks on.
I have done it but............

Also used a Mr Buddy propane heater couple times to knock the chill off while playing cards BUT explosion, hot element contact and carbon monoxide are big risks that I would not use unless VERY careful and awake with the door cracked a couple inches.

Underway; will not be as cheap, $1000 ish but hey if it extends your season, $1000 one time might be worth it.
Heater Craft units pull from the hot engine block, much like a car radiator. They are an option on many wakeboard boats and do put out plenty of heat to warm an entire enclosure.
http://www.heatercraft.com/category.aspx?categoryID=4

I use a Hot Blonde with big TiTs... Keeps me warm..

Chris

Seattle boat show has shoe box sized diesel heaters for about a grand. I thought about mounting one under the dash. Don't tell CG.

Hey Rob, I'd you're at the show at all next week come find me and say hello. I'll be on the boats a float dock off and on all week at the
Northern Lights booth

webasto is the company that makes diesel heaters, they have air and water heaters. water heaters like in cars won't work, unless you have closed cooling system. the engine won't heat up unless under load. using battery for those electric heaters will kill batteries. i have found that putting those small fleece blankets underneath will keep grandkids warm. plain and simple.

+2 on the 120VAC Ceramic heater. I boat in the Mackinac Straits and it's chilly at night even in August. I added shore power to my boat and plug in the heater if needed. The ceramic style don't have any hot spots and are much safer than anything else that's portable.

If you had a fresh water cooled engine in your boat ie antifreeze, it would not be too big of a deal to run a few hoses up to the cabin and build a box around a car heater core, 12 volt fan blowing through it and it should heat up your cabin very nicely, at least while the engines are running, and for a little bit after.

Fresh water cooling does work best, but raw water cooled systems work just fine.

Fixx
 

A Big Fat Woman and some heavy breathin audda warm it up in their..:lolhit:

We're going Saturday afternoon. Is Hooters gone?

As Macjazzy said, if you run hoses to the cabin, they sell a remote heater that has its own box with ducts. You could mount it under a seat & have ducts coming out somewhere. They even have extra ducts that you could run to the under dash area. I have one in my rock buggies & it works great! Only a couple hundo. Check 4WD hardware.

I dont know about keeping the wife happy...but this will definitly keep the cuddy warm......





http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.co...ey-sweater.jpg

like prev mentioned, unless hooked up to shore power, any heater that actually heats will suck batts dry in no time. if hooked up to shore, might as well use 110v heater. i used a hair dryer one winter.

Camping gear
 

Check a good camping gear store. There's a number of heaters made for use in a tent that just may work well in your boat and be safe in the enclosed space.

This is the way to go....I know Mirage installed them in almost every boat they sold and since they only work with the engine running (just like a car) they wont drain your battery and they put off ALOT of heat!! Anytime I have my daughter on board or any other females they want the heater running all the time--its a NW thing!! Lol!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boat-Marine-...item3a6d8211eb


Now the question is--are you ok with cutting a hole in your boat? These are typically mounted under the rear bench seat but could be mounted in a cabin as well (of course you have to plumb the hot water lines from the motor alot farther if you install in the cabin). The nice thing here is that all your wife has to do is sit on the rear bench with a blanket on her legs and the heater will fill the blanket with warm air! She will never complain again about being cold! Trust me its worth the $250!

The 12 volt heaters and coffee makers DON'T work. I have a big inverter and have a 120 volt cube heater, microwave and coffee maker. They all work great. OH and my wife brings her hair drier. Keeps her happy when she can do her hair instead of looking like a wind blown boater.

I bought a 110v heater at Target a few years ago. It is small and works very well. Heats up the cabin in our 35' boat very well. I turn it off before we go to bed just to be safe. There is a lot of insulation in a boat hull. Of course the nights we are on the boat don't get colder than 45-50 degrees.

Sorry, just realized you are looking for a 12v.