Boat Heating Install | Sailing Florence Refit Ep.177

Heating will be crucial to enjoying our voyage to the Arctic, in this episode we decide upon and install a new boat heater for Florence and explain our reasons for choosing it.
Get 5% off of anything at www.autoterm.store by using the discount code: florence5.
We have been sailing around the world for 8 years after setting off from England in 2016 on board our 37ft sail boat Florence. Join us as we share the highs, lows, and challenges of travelling around the world by boat, Sailing offshore across the Oceans and exploring remote locations with our own little tiny house. Boat life out at sea on the ocean and off the grid.
You can also follow us via our blog at www.sailwiththeflo.wordpress.com
#Sailing #circumnavigation #SailingYachtFlorence #BoatLife #boatlifestyle #yachtlifestyle #boatyard #boatrepair #yachtrepair #SYFlorence #boatheater
Music in order as played:
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Time Slow Down - www.hooksounds.com - Licenced
Woodstock Times - www.hooksounds.com - Licenced
Epic Motivation - www.hooksounds.com - Licenced

[@allynonderdonk7577]

Danger there is a problem with your heater install. It's super well done visually and otherwise. The problem is there is a dip in the exhaust pipe out. What happens is the exhaust condenses moisture in the exhaust and that condensation pools in the dip. Eberspacher sells a fix. Look for Eberspacher exhaust pipe 90 deg with condensate drain. It is a little coil of pipe on an in line fitting to be placed in the dip. I think it is available on uk eBay and other places. The coil fills with water and drains it into the bilge. Since it is a coil it traps some water in the coil preventing exhaust fumes from coming out the coil. Otherwise this dip will begin to collect soot and water until it chokes off the exhaust and then starts a fire.

[@artsmith103]

If their install is difficult, they could also install manual valve to drain occasionally. That big plastic hose is only the shield. Exhaust line is much smaller. Look at hull thruhole.

[@OutdoorTraveler]

Yeah, when I installed mine on my van I'm pretty sure I remember it needed a continuous downward slope.

[@philgray1023]

Thanks for writing this comment. I had no idea what the coil was for on ours. I figured it wasn't just there for fun.

[@samcarrs]

Been running my 2k Plannar for 3.5 years and never had that problem. The unit did get clogged and throw a code a few months ago, so I cleaned it. You need to do this every couple years anyways if you use it daily. Not sure how you think a fire will start. It’s got sensors in the unit. Also if you use the unit it’s not collecting moisture anyways. I don’t see how this is some 911 emergency in your eyes.

[@samcarrs]

Put your hand in front of the exhaust when it’s running and tell me more about pools of water collecting. Your burn you hand. Water will evaporate or be blown from the unit as soon as it’s fired up if there even is any. It only takes an inch or two of angle to keep rainwater or boat washing water from running in. No problem here after over 3 years live aboard in the Pacific Northwest San Juan Islands. Very rainy and moist.

[@MikeSantis]

A good tip. Buy another heater to carry with you as extra. The day when you gonna have a problem with this one, and it is not if but when, and you will probably be at a remote place in Norway or somewhere north without any quick access to spare parts or to be able to buy a new one, you gonna be freezing in the meantime. A friend of mine sailing around north Norway experienced exactly that and he had a second one. All he had to do was to replace it. And ever better, install a refleks so you always have two sources of heating. Yes, I know that the refleks takes space and you talked about that you will probably return south again. Never mind. If you want to have a good, warm and prolonged experience sailing north, you need to think of installing two different heaters. Don't be just depending on only one!

[@pnwcruiser]

Sounds like you made a logical choice of heater type but in case anyone else is in the process of deciding I'll note that, here in the Pacific Northwest US, I installed a simple pot burner type diesel heater (Dickinson Alaska) with a gravity feed fuel tank drawing cabin air for combustion and it works beautifully, keeping the cabin warm and dry. It operates silently while requiring negligible electricity. I also very much enjoy the warm glow of the flame in the cabin during dark winter evenings and mornings. When the fuel air ratio is adjusted correctly the heater produced zero smoke and soot. The heater is remarkably clean, efficient and simple. The fuel metering valve will need an overhaul someday and I must clean carbon buildup from the pot on occasion but there really isn't much to go wrong or maintain. However there are issues. Firing the heater up until it is burning efficiently is about a 20 minute process, though not too difficult once you've grown accustomed. Initially I had trouble heating the ends of the boat (36' LOA sailboat) and with vertical stratification of the heat (overhead would be 90F and sole 60F). A small DC fan installed to circulate air through a bulkhead and another to blow air over the heater solved both issues reasonably well, though not perfectly. I am going to add another fan to ventilate the engine compartment where condensation remains a problem. Issues noted in this video are on point, locating the heater in the cabin has drawbacks and, since I intend to sail in warmer climes ultimately, it will be something of an obstruction when not in use. Also, installation of the fuel supply and flue was a time consuming project (I'm a slow builder) and the exterior flue is a bit of an obstacle on the cabin top. However, overall, I'm delighted with the heater. Regarding your installation, nice work!

[@hectorcyre7664]

I should have also mentioned other essential aspects of staying warm in cold climates. #1: buy artic grade clothing and experiment with layering. Highly recommend New Zealand Merino wool/possum underfur blend (AKA possum down) available in soxs, watch caps, and sweaters. Very warm, no itch. Nothing else compares. We also have merino and Heat shells, tops and bottoms. Far better than old tech long johns. #2: have bedding fit for purpose. We bought prime down comforters (pricey duvets) in Copenhagen in 1978. They are still the best bedding we have ever had and keep us toasty warm in our bunks on board regardless of the temperatures. And they aren't uncomfortable in normal or warmer conditions. We made up flannel sheets for the comforters - much better than standard cotton sheets. We also have mountaineering grade inflatable sleeping pads that have soft, closed-cell foam enclosing an inflatable inner bag. They are about two inches thick when fully inflated. No cold spots, even after laying on them for hours. I forget where we found them, but recall they were expensive and worth every penny. I recall one morning when our old Espar decided it needed to take a break. Woke up to find the water in the galley sink FROZEN! It was about -10C outside, and sort of same in the boat. We had hardly noticed when we were in our bunks - just pulled the comforters up over our ears. Those prime down comforters are that warm. But when we got up the question of whether we needed the Dickenson was answered. It was installed within a couple months, and we have never regretted putting it in. There are good reasons why so many folks have mentioned them in their comments. Now we usually shut down the Espar at night and fire up the Dickenson. It is VERY efficient and reliable. It primarily heats the salon, but our fans move some air into the forward cabin. You do have to maintain a Dickenson stove, but that should be expected and is a small price to pay for their overall reliability when properly maintained. They are also miserly on fuel use. HINT: run them on highest setting for about a half hour every 60 to 80 hours of use. It cleans the soot out. It is sort of like running your diesel engine up to peak recommended exhaust gas temp for 30 minutes every ten hours. Have fun out there. We are going cruising for a couple days next week. It is about 10 degrees C here (near Victoria B.C.) right now, but the interior will be a toasty 20 to 22 if the Espar is working right. If not, the Dickenson will solve the problem.

[@jamesgraham6122]

Here's a tip for anyone likely to be in need of heating, and Florence could find space enough as a back-up in the event of a failure of the new equipment.. In my early days as a yacht delivery skipper (late 60s) yacht heating was almost unknown..Chatting in a pub with an ageing Thames Waterman I learned a good trick which still today I employ on my modest little cruiser.. Take along a flowerpot.... yes, a traditional terracotta flowerpot complete with a hole in the bottom.. Light a section of your cooking stove, invert the flowerpot over the flame.. secure it, now wait a few minutes.. you'll be amazed at how much warmth it will give in the cabin. :>)

[@greenwave819]

awesome

[@markleyg]

Good in a pinch but produces moisture and carbon monoxide . And of course doesn't work on electric stoves.

[@artsmith103]

​@markleyg If the pot gets hot enough, will help reduce CO. Still a moisture problem.

[@SuperDirk1965]

Done that and suffice it to say I was very underwelmed. Didn't do much.

[@soggybottom3463]

Interesting solution. For the engineering illiterates also commenting, burning lpg on a properly functioning stove ( blue flame, no lazy yellow) produces carbon DIOXIDE and water as products of combustion. Not ideal (because of condensation) but will help out in a pitch. I'd need to be able to see the flame colour, so maybe skip the flower pot. Carbon MONOXIDE (almost always present if a lazy yellow flame is present, like when cardboard is burning, or say bbq charcoal is burnt indoors ) is a killer. Colourless, odourless gas that will kill you in your sleep. Alarms recommended. "Woke" children who dispute these facts are welcome to "experiment" on themselves.

[@ScotChef]

Theres a lot to be said for drip oil heaters like paraffin, way more simple and they dont break.

[@svhulda6157]

Living in Norway, I installed a 4 kW Eberspächer about 20 years ago. It still runs without any problems. I have never had any 'condesation' problems in the exhaust. The very important issue with this type of heaters, it will fill your boat with dry, hot air. In my boat the humidity is around RF 45 %, regardless of weather on the outside.

[@RobertCuschieri]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the air intake ( the air that is getting heated not the air used for combustion) is being sucked from the locker itself and therefore cold. You are losing a lot of heat like that. If you could re-cycle the already warmed cabin air and have it re-heated, that would greatly increase efficiency and reduce diesel use.

[@davidwright6950]

Taking the air from outside cabin keeps condensation down, it’s the standard way to install

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

True but then we would be recycling moist air and it won't dry the cabin out as well. It is something we can experiment with though.

[@RobertCuschieri]

@@SailingYachtFlorence True, I am sure you have your reasons. From an energy point of view, recycling makes more sense. From the moisture point of view, I suppose it depends on the moisture content of the outside air which you are pumping in. Good luck with your ventures.

[@hectorcyre7664]

Matt and Amy; Hi. Interesting episode (at least to some of us who live/cruise in cooler climates like the Inside Passage and Southeast Alaska). You can never have too many heating sources or too much redundancy. We have owned our 37' trawler for over 40 years. It originally had an Espar (Eberspacher) forced air furnace, which worked great for years but finally wore out. We took the easiest option, which was to replace the Espar. But that wasn't really the end of it. The Espar worked fine underway, at anchor, and at the dock, though the draw on the batteries wasn't ideal. AND the exhaust was a bit noisy, and didn't make us any friends with boats nearby, especially in marinas. So we installed 3 110v wall heaters of the residential type, in the forward cabin, head, and salon. They work great at the dock when we can hook up to shore power. Then we installed a Dickenson diesel stove in the salon, along with three fans. We use it primarily on anchor. Just a thought here - you might want to back up the forced air furnace with a Dickenson diesel heater. They have been in production for years, just sip fuel, and provide a nice heat. And when you are in remote locations, nothing is more frustrating than a forced air heater that just refuses to fire off. Help is a LONG way away if it is anything more than dirty fuel. The Dickenson heaters are not nearly as sensitive to dirty fuel as the forced air units. Looking forward to your adventures in the northern latitudes.

[@johnmcanulty7341]

Insufficient: I would suggest that a full brick fireplace, some large polar bear skin rugs and, a grand piano would be the proper specification. These amenities are critical for the morality of both for the capt. and, Admiral.

[@zoidberg444]

Have a lot of experience with the Chinese versions of these. When you go sailing make sure you have a spare glow plug and igniter and a spare fuel pump. Those are not uncommon failures.

[@JulieMorriss-cr5zp]

Buy a second heater and use it for spares or just swap it out when the working one fails.

[@SailingSteelSapphire]

+1 for putting an outlet in the heads - has transformed my winter experience and great for drying clothes 🙂

[@william6526]

I loved watching your videos for years now . But I really miss seeing you two sailing and all the adventures . When you sail north it's going to be an adventure that's worth waiting for. God bless stay safe and love each other unconditionally.

[@icewolfen6360]

Hi! I just wanna share my experience with forced air heaters and equivalent water heaters. During my period as a fisherman in Norway for more than 20years, I tried 3 different brands, they all failed after not too long. My impressions are that they are not made for running continuously but more intended for heating cars and for occasional weekend trips. What I ended up using was diesel stoves from Refleks and Pyro, they was insanely reliable and never had any issues that could not be fixed easily on the spot. Now I live in a Sailboat, wood stove is my primary source of heat. It works amazingly well, but it does require a lot of wood and constant attention/refueling. I have a 2 year old diesel forced water heater for running over night and when I'm away from the boat but it keeps failing after 6-10hours of running. My plan is to remove it and mount a diesel stove in addition to the wood stove. Even if my boat is only 31feet I would sacrifice the space for reliability during the winter due to living off grid in a cold climate. You have very good arguments and I understand the choice in your situation. But if you enjoy the Northern latitudes and intend to spend some time there I would highly recommend a diesel stove. You make awesome videos, keep up the good work! Fair winds.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Thanks, we will see how things go with Florence, we do like the diesel stove option if we decide more cold weather cruising is the way we want to go.

[@IceglacierArnar]

you know what works, and you give good advises ....agree about the diesel stove

[@MikeSantis]

I absolutely agree. A refleks is the way to go I believe. Like I wrote in a comment further up, a friend sailing around North Norway and over to Russia some years ago, he carried an extra diesel heater. And sure enough, his heater failed. All he had to do, was to replace it with the new one he was carrying. And I also believe in redundancy. I still have my Taylor lamp oil heater, the one you prime with alcohol. I don't like it and don't use it cause it builds moisture, it smells and it is also a bit noisy. But I still have it there as redundancy.

[@michaelcuthbert3022]

I live aboard my 10 metre sailboat on the coast of Ireland. I installed an Autoterm Air 2D heater in the winter of 2021/2. It heats the saloon, heads and forepeak. It also has a closeable vent in the aft cabin. I used Armacell duct insulation throughout. The heater gets a lot of use and has never failed. I have no commercial relationship with Autoterm. I found their advice and after-sales service very good.

[@mattthewanderer5029]

When you write your biography, I'll buy it! 🥂To nomads everywhere 🍻

[@dirkdevries888]

You have made a good choice, we are living a board of our 46ft sailing vessel and are now in Sweden. The autoterm 4d kept us very warm during the last three Winters 😊 Besides of the autoterm we are using a Dickinson Newport stove, which is really nice When it is very cold we use both for a start in the morning.

[@mattthewanderer5029]

I had a propex heater in my self converted Mercedes sprinter for the first 5 years, brilliant bit of kit but 5 years ago I added a small wood burner, complete game changer, it's been static over the winter in the north of England and I've been nice and cosy, add to that the comfort you get from watching the fire! I've gone from 50 quid on gas every 9 weeks to every 14 and I just collect wood for free 🍻To nomads everywhere🥂

[@Coyotehello]

Yes, insulating the ducks... There is another consideration and that is not having big difference of temperature between the different areas of the boat to avoid condensation. So having sections of docks that are not insulated make sense. Solid fuel stove, well they win on a few point the heat is very dry and will dry the cabin of your boat like no other heating source (including hanging wet clothes), the fuel is also often free (at least here in the PNW) no fuel and no electricity, finally it is very unlikely to break and those forced air diesel heater do break. As a side bonus you can boil a kettle or make a quick hot meal on them! We have one forced air and I intend to install a small "Sardine" solid fuel stove (or similar).

[@stephensidaras7416]

As a live aboard in Alaska I have some experience with heaters. You need two good heaters for redundancy. Yes. They go down. Electric power will be higher than you think. Fit a dehumidifier under your bunk and pipe water to bilge. Even with insulation you will find mold behind walls. Think about a bus heater that works with hot water from running main engine. Fit a flap over the exhaust so a following sea does not slap and fill exhaust hose. Just know water from the diesel burning process will fill exhaust w water.

[@bjrnlvjomas8083]

My advise for you, in the cold weather up north, is to mount a heater outlet into the bathroom right away. In freezing temperatures, the visit in that room will be much more comfortable. This winter we experienced almost 20 degrees below zero. You can also use the bathroom to dry your clothes if you mount an outlet there.

[@johnblaiklock702]

They are heading to northern latitudes in summer where it will be cool and damp, not 20 degrees below.

[@bjrnlvjomas8083]

@johnblaiklock702 many times in summer, it's just a little bit over 5 degrees. In the Northern part of mainland Norway. But if they want to follow sailing Uma and go to Svalbard, it's likely to be some days with freezing cold temperatures. 🙂 my advise would be to try a little bit of real winter too. It's an outstanding experience 🙂 then hurry down to tropics, to get warm again😅

[@samcarrs]

Matt & Amy, hi I’m running a 2D Plannar. My boat is fully insulated with closed cell foam. 2D is plenty of btu for my Erickson 29. You can get the ducting eyeballs which help to direct air and close off areas you don’t want to heat, I use three, main salon stays open and head and v birth can close. The nice thing about 2D is it can be turned down lower and be more efficient than the low settings on 4d. I rarely run it at full power, mainly to clean and burn out any buildup. I used regular pink house insulation around my 60mm heater hose, it’s cut into strips and taped with shiny ducting tape to the heater line and that keeps from wasting heat in useless spaces. My line runs through the boat where the deck and hull meet, behind the panels. I also run my intake in the stern locker compartment for air flow and to bring not as cold air into the heater, and there is a dorade cowl close by for a little fresh air too. I mainly use an oil filled heater at the dock with a 12v computer fans wired to the top to circulate. It’s nice to blast the diesel in the morning or on real cold winter days. The 2D is very efficient and not as loud as 4D. That 4d is gonna cook you out of the boat. If I remember your boat is a 32 so you are on the edge of needing the 4d. You’ll be warm that’s for sure! Cheers!

[@whispersailing3488]

Just a heads up, our surveyor said that plastic fuel pipe to the heater is not permitted on boats, so we had to change ours for copper.

[@KaptainKastle]

I would inststall a second one also and they have a tendency to fail after continuous usage. If it fails and you're without heat you will be glad of the reserve. You could make the reserve heater a £99 chinese one as (in my opinion) they are just as good. Also fit some flexible rubber behind the fuel pump as the clicks from that thing are fairly noisy.

[@krcb197]

You are proper KZbinrs now, sponsorships and a discount code. Next step is merch, I would buy a Florence T-shirt.

[@SailingYachtFlorence]

Thanks. We did try Florence t-shirts once, designed and ordered test samples, however the quality was terrible and put us off, then we went back out to sea and far away from a delivery address to try another t-shirt company...

[@charleskirchofer3862]

It's no problem endorsing things you selected and like. I've seen some channels turn into infomercials for green drinks and all kinds of things only tangentially related to sailing. I'd understand if you went that route to help support your lifestyle, but it would be a pity for me. You're my favorite KZbin sailors because you're NOT trying to sell us things!

[@charleskirchofer3862]

(To reiterate: this was fine because you researched it first. Florence t-shirts also ok because they'd be about you! Weird health drinks, supplements, and items you have only because manufacturers gave them to you for free... happy for you, but personally hoping not 😊)

[@johnhayford5946]

Did the same instal as you, then later added an extension to the inlet as the smell from the after locker was not good. Next we added a re-cycle line (like with AC) and we can take some or most of the inlet air from the cabin, using a Y valve to control the amount of re-cycle air. Made a massive difference to the fuel consumption as the inlet air is no longer very cold.

[@artsmith103]

Did you have the downward bend in your exhaust hose? Any condensation problems?

[@johnhayford5946]

@@artsmith103 The heater is mounted low down in the aft locker, and the exhaust points up, with a bend as it comes out the heater. However, it's been like this for 20 years, and never had a problem. The ducting was badly fitted and we re fitted it 5 years back with insulation, a few more outlets, and the re-cycle line. Been great ever since, in fact it's now over powered most of the time.

[@artsmith103]

@@johnhayford5946 pointed up with a bend is better than down with a bend.

[@soggybottom3463]

Interesting. So long as all the products of combustion go to exhaust, (out of the boat, ) if it is possible to reheat the already warm air in the boat without contaminating it with exhaust, that is a smart call.

[@JulieMorriss-cr5zp]

Have spent many winters on board off grid and you need 2 heaters. The second should be a Refeks or equivalent. The types you are fitting are not reliable, are noisy and consume 5 amps at 12 volts so draining your battery very quickly. FIT A REFLEKS (you can cook and boil water on it too). Love the drone shots of Chichester marshes.

[@TheAncientMarinersBlog]

"consume 5 amps at 12 volts " I can confirm this

[@MikeSantis]

Exactly! My exact thoughts as well.

[@peterasacker5948]

Nice job installing and redoing the duct work. Good idea adding vent in Head to dry out. Well done kids..

[@marktahu2932]

I remember the old naval patrol boats from the 1930's used a stove that was basically a drip fed diesel nozzle that was ignited and then had a small air blower. That was highly effective as a stove and a heater though it was a heavy beast due to its solid cast iron construction, but you could never fault its reliability and effectiveness - there were still a few around in 1990. The beauty of old "tech".

[@eddieseachord4985]

Great fun! Thanks for taking us for the ride! 😊

[@alisonlaw1977]

Def put one in bathroom before you go. Excellent video. ❤❤❤❤

[@christophermelo7889]

The advantage of a mid priced bus heater is it works right out of the box. The advantage of a very low priced Asian knock off is you will acquire with it an advanced education and new hobby before you get one of several units to fully function. But you have enough to do now. If you can afford it and want redundancy, buy a second identical Autoterm and disassemble it to it's smallest parts and reassemble it and test it. They are actually quite simple and really have only a dozen or so plug and play components. Then you will not fear a failure so much. I know space is at a premium, but not nearly so much as are happy sailor wives. The comments about the exhaust dip are correct - these are meant for installation in a road vehicle where the outlet runs only down. However, the newer electronics do a better job at the cool down cycle and this has probably lessened the degree of vapor condensation build up. Additionally, you have good freeboard on Florence and thus little chance of seawater backing up in the exhaust. Your logic is sound on the heater type choice. I have lived for 35 years on a 35' sloop, mostly in northern latitudes. I've used Wallas forced hot air (excellent though not user repairable to any extent,) a woodstove (and excellent trash disposal), gas heaters, and a bus heater built into an "overland" style portable toolbox and of course simple plug in electric heaters where possible. All have had advantages and negatives. Stove types are reliably simple, but good chimney draft on a sailboat can be elusive with the mast always in the way from one angle or another. Hydronic units can be versatile and offer side benefits like engine heating and hot water if you are starting an installation from scratch, but many don't consider that unlike the air units which ignite then stay burning at varying speed, hydronics have to reignite each time the thermostat calls on them. All of these use most power during ignition. Hydronics use more power in general due to the need for a circulating pump and individual radiator fans. Lastly, I think you will find much to love in high latitudes. The tropics are fine for youthful idyllic dreams but there is an attraction to what Shakespeare called "unpathed waters" once you've enjoyed the beaches long enough.

[@lentongrovetrust5201]

Great to see you back, happy Easter, wishing you speedy progress.

[@nooneanybodyknows7912]

Interesting installation. Thanks for sharing.

[@davidhorsey7164]

I'd instal duct to bathroom if I was you to dry wet weather gear n warm air showers just a suggestion but a valuable one in cold climate and deisel heater is way to go as it consumes far less fuel some one said else where about terracotta flower pot on stove burner I'd add a heat powered fan used on log burning heaters to that or 12v fan to spread the heat through the boat but it's a great idea for a back up heat source along with a spare deisel heater same as you have now same brand n model etc so electronics etc are interchangeable best of luck after north pole trip what about south pole ? Trip just a idea if you both enjoy the cold n you could warm up on way in tropics love your show thanks for sharing

[@hippitydippity3331]

Great informative video!!! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!! 😊

[@robtoujours]

Cool, you have installed the same unit I have. Mine has been flawless so far and it’s nice to see you’ve installed a fuel filter and generally followed the manual. Only things I would note; The fresh air intake (at the back of the unit) is ideally taken from outside. This ensures fresh air is piped into the cabin. This then dries the boat out. My inlet is mounted on the inside of the cockpit coaming. But, If your lazerette is well ventilated from outside it should be fine. I am not 100% sure about your exhaust outlet. Ideally it goes in a straight line from heater unit sloping slightly down toward the hull fitting. Yours makes I think >270 degree route over the heater. This may lead to condensation in pipe issues that would be rectified by a condensate drain at the heater unit. Autoterm sell one. Best if you contact them directly; bit of a grey area. Oh yeah, where the fuel line passes through partial bulkheads or anywhere with chafe potential, use old outboard fuel line or similar to protect it. Dampens vibrations too. Finally, take spares - glow plugs, fuel pump, gaskets, etc. I recommend a Tilley lamp as an emergency backup. I agree with your reasoning about solid fuel stoves. Romantic, but far too much space and hassle needed for the fuel.

[@artsmith103]

Great insight into other people's concerns and comments.

[@christopherblack3102]

I drive 18 wheelers in the USA and I had a truck with a diesel powered heater like that. It worked really well. Shut the main motor off and power that heater up and it would keep me toasty in the bunk all night long. Hope it works well for you Matt and Amy.

[@capttommie]

Lots of hard work! Glad you guys are getting it all done. I am excited to see what kind of adventures that are heading your way.

[@davidfisher268]

Excellent video- content, image quality and of coarse you guys!

[@georgehockaday7584]

and so very happy ya'll are keeping a monohull.

[@vaughansamuelson6552]

For someone largely ignorant of these matters, this is very interesting. Thank you.

[@julianbatcheler9970]

Fantastic video. You make the mundane interesting. Can’t wait for your adventures North. As ever you are my inspiration to get back into sailing.

[@beasawade6032]

It looks like all the work keeps going I admire your courage but the new adventure is waiting and will be exciting Good luck

[@cutaway7405]

You guys did a Fantastic job on the caprail, insulation, and heating install! It's nice to see you work well as a team and bounce ideas off each other! You're charging through all the renos! Looking forward to seeing your high lattitude videos! Your videos are exceptionnal and could easily be made into a full length Movie🎉❤

[@WavedancerWesterlyfulmar]

Just installed a Eberspracher D2 on Wave Dancer. She previously had one installed but it was removed by previous owners who installed it on their new boat. John just has to drill larger holes to run ductwork as old setup was narrower. We’re looking forward to being snug at anchor and longer sailing season. Oh the joy of thawing out on a night sail

[@mattofalltrades2516]

Hello Matt and Amy. I have been following you on KZbin for over 5 years now and I am a huge fan. I live in Alaska as full time live aboard on my 1978 baba 30. I would caution you against the heater you picked out. They are not reliable! I have a business fixing boats and those heaters are very temperamental. If you must have a forced air go with Webasto. The price is worth it, the one on my boat has over 2500 hours and works great. You don’t want to take risks going in cold and remote areas compromising heat. Also I advise you have a second heating solution. On my boat I have a Dickinson Newport and webasto. Sometimes run both for a few hours when it’s really cold. The Dickinson uses no electricity and makes nice dry heat at about 1 gallon per 24 hours

[@georgehockaday7584]

nice neat job guys

[@andersnilsson6625]

Great to see how the work is progressing. Speaking of the heater, my recommendation is not to wait for the outlet in the toilet. Once I had done that, it was the one that got the most use, well almost solely because our Stelton kerosene lamp heated the rest. But the toilet is used to dry constantly wet clothes. 💕😀😄🇸🇪

[@bernardlawson665]

AHOY FLORENCE!! THUMBS UP & TRUE AUTHENTIC & CONTENT COUPLE BLUE WATER SAILERS!! BRAVO ZULU (WELL DONE [USN]👍👍

[@NZL50505]

Strongly suggest you add a vent to bathroom. In colder weather it’s a huge bonus to have hot air vent blowing in there. You can shower with the hatch open to allow moisture to escape and the wet shower will dry out in minutes. Plus of course you can hang wet clothes in there to dry out. You’re missing a trick if you don’t do this!

[@richardayres2949]

I fitted the same make a couple of years ago. All worked great from the start. Efficient and effective choice for keeping your cosy and drying wet gear. Have fun

[@robertlaird6746]

Love your video's!

[@Mikesay.]

Yeah. I see the sense in seeing whether forced air will be enough before a stove, which, as you say needs much chopping of the boat. Exciting. Look forward to the new adventures.

[@kimphilley621]

Interesting. Looked pretty easy to install. The Heater hose system presently aboard will be harder to uninstall.I do regret the commercial embedded in your video tho it was short. You guys are as real as it gets with cruising videos. It will be good to see your travails in the northern climes.

[@johnhanson5943]

Insulation is one of the few things which makes sense whether in the hot or cold. Hope you go back to the hot again - afterwards. I intend to do the same soon - for good.

[@jaywinters2483]

That device is complicated & has a lot of things that can go wrong. Its hard to beat simplicity. Like something they used years ago would be my choice. I use to be a heating technician. Replacing hot surface ignigters made us a lot of $ on cold nights. stove back up are so reliable.

[@brownnoise357]

High guys, just a follow up thought on Cold Weather/ Water Sailing- if you have any Lifepo4 lithium batteries onboard, charging them when they get cold can destroy them. So having a method of warming them up pre charging would be a good idea? A system that automatically switches the battery warmers on would probably be a good idea? Inside the boat at head height may be ok, but internal temperatures below the Waterline can get surprisingly cold dry fast. I think you can get a Victron device, or similar that can stop the Solar Panels from charging, if the destination of the power is too cold? 🤔Best Wishes. Bob.🙂👍🌟🌟🌟⛵️

[@alistairbaird3711]

No fuss with you two - you just crack on and fit everything professionally. Great work! I wondered what happened to that Russian brand - now Latvian.

[@martyjones1413]

documentary quality content ❤

[@MikeBanks2003]

Like your choice of heating. I have the Chinese knock-off one--pretty much identical, but I find it works best on power level 2, Anything less, it tends to shut down once it has warmed the place up and not re-start. I have mine in a camper though. On my boat I had electric fan heaters which blew air to the far portions of the hull through PVC ducting--which is OK for WARM but not hot air.

[@garywinch843]

We left Kirkenes yesterday (5th April). About as far North as you can go in Norway. Even with bright sunshine it was still -13C so don't be tempted to think you can compromise on the heating.

[@mikevv4850]

Guess you would need to have a bigger diesel tanks to account for heating & lots more motoring.

[@danielprince7228]

My Eberspacher D2 heater stopped working. It took a while to diagnose the problem and I eventually fixed it. All good. However my learning point was to buy a cheap copy (£80) which provided all the spares i might need while I figured out what was wrong.

[@Voilier-Horus]

Just a quick suggestion : if you can put your diesel pump for your heater in a clear container, with just holes for the lines to go in and out, you'll be able to both see and contain any diesel leaks that may occur, instead of having diesel drip down the bilge.

[@ragnarevensen7772]

The forced air heating system is by fare the best solution for you. I have a similar installation in my boat, which I have sailed to Svalbard with and lived in for several years in Oslo if you take in fresh air from outside that will help you to keep the boat dry.

[@secretsquirrel6124]

When i was nighting out on the lorries i used the night heater to make hot water i just put a clear 5ltr water bottle infront of the outlet works very well

[@maurizioferrario1949]

I had an Autoterm Heater installed on my boat a year ago. After a winter of struggling with the heater which was never working well, I have decided to throw it awsy and replace with a much more reliable Webasto o Eberspacher. I survived the winter thanks to my wonderful Dickinsons diesel stove. If you ho up north, where the cold is real, I strongly recommend a stove, it foes not take much space, and it eorks eonders. A forced air heater, even if working well, which mine did not, may not be enough to heat the boat in the northern latitudes. Maurizio Ferrario

[@mikefetterman6782]

I just noticed that dude looks like he has already been up north. Looks like a bit of snow on top your head is starting to form...........lol . Great episode........again..

[@IceglacierArnar]

how cold are you expecting? This is a summer trip or you want to go to iceberg area? Personally, I can sleep outside here in Iceland over the summertime and the summer here is lousy and with low temperature. There are some sailing channels for the arctic, they know, what will work...good luck my friends

[@BillAttwood-ey3ie]

Really surprised that you didn't go for a diesel drip-feed stove. I replaced the worn out Eberspacher on my Rustler 36 with a Refleks stove. Uses no electricity, is very simple, and stays free of rust. Also has a hot plate which is great for cooking or boiling a kettle. I would not want to rely on an Eberspacher or klone when sailing "off piste". They are not really designed for boats. OK for marina caravans and the summer cruise.

[@alexmacleod6732]

Yes you have good points. In the depths of winter you need heat. These forced air heaters have many failure points. I would recommend a gravity fed diesel Dickenson stove the reliability is 100% I've never seen one fail. Electronically controlled forced air.... Ive seen failures.

[@tomsteggles4489]

One more check off your list. You’re getting it done nicely.

[@heiltvilt]

Install in the bathroom, low as possible (along the floor) itˋs just a good advice from Norway Nothing is better than having a arm and dry floor in the bath room. 😉 Love your videoen.

[@petercaras3696]

Nice install but the ducting robs a lot of storage space, The hydronic systems, though way more costly, work great and allow more room for your stuff. I've delivered boats to BC and Alaska with hydronic systems and loved them.

[@icholash]

Good luck though !.

[@johnwalker6711]

You can get good mini wood stoves in UK UMA has a mini cube wood stove from Canada about 12"x12"x12" also Sailing Cadoah has same

[@earlmiller5242]

Admire you two.

[@sailingopheliacompass2997]

I had one of the 5kW units - output hot air in the cabin about 1.5m from the heater was at 100 deg C.

[@ianbell5611]

Looking flash.

[@brionyhall4250]

Yessss I’ve been checking the last couple days for the next upload!

[@andrewthompson2380]

Make sure you get a load of spares for heater

[@johnblaiklock702]

That is not the correct way to protect the exhaust pipe. You need exhaust pipe lagging, 22-30mm. H Bower sell it by the metre.

[@syntaxs4342]

Be sure to test how warm the exhaust heat shield gets as fuel line is located quite close to it and is from material that can melt. Melted fuel line dumping diesel on hot exhaust is probably easiest way to turn boat into fireball.

[@lpdirv]

Buy two, good to have a spare and a few critical components like fuel pumps.

[@willmv4139]

Funny thumbnail :))

[@paulfitzgerald1466]

You should fit an air inlet hose from the cabin to the heater…

[@patriciathorp4911]

Good look with the heater ....like another comment, I'd suggest a spare, yours does looks a bit flimsy for a heavy duty use. Gosh, you really overhauling Florence....she'll be brilliant once on the water.

[@mattijalkanen4903]

HI; Good Job, however I strongly stress isolate all the the heat ducting, you are loosing a lot of heat in a very uncontrolled manner the longer the ducting is. And it's good to heat areas of importance by adjusting and controlling the necessary duct end vents. Over 40 years of experience sailing in quite cold weather conditions.

[@jonathanscott550]

That heater will surely make a huge difference. And you've insured that the diesel fuel will be clean .Do you think maybe putting a small diesel tank in that is separate than the main tank just for the purpose of fueling the heater, Yes I know still a lot to do on the list. Looking forward to next video

[@billycosta3203]

Please be aware of power consumption. Since it works on a spark plug to ingnite the diesel you need a battery bank fit to pourpouse. Regards Billy

[@artsmith103]

On land, pellet stove ignitors use shocking amount of electricity.

[@TheAncientMarinersBlog]

v true - mine draw about 8A at startup and about 2A when running

[@theislandpackrat]

I have two diesel heaters one a floor mount and the other is a dickinson newport. they both have there own gravity tanks one is eight gallons the other is six. they burn around one gallon an hour. Gravity will always work! You said the other one wouldn't work but you think this one will? I also have a Kobola boiler, look up the price of those! It doesn't work now and haven't figured that out yet maybe wiring. If your going north I'd get a diesel heater that will always work! I've always had these gravity feed ones on my boats the first one I had a elec.pulse pump and that packed it in and was a cold night!

[@wrap-itsolutions2387]

Nice installation! .... Im actually installing an AC system on a boat at the moment. The insulation material I have is big and bulky and hard to get through the boat. Where did you get those insulation sleeves from? they look like exactly what I need!

[@janaferreira8882]

❤

[@speedfinder1]

Woo Hoo! First here!

[@SailingOfka]

Did you think about woodstove fireplace?

[@johnweyman4611]

Do you have any plans to fit an air heat exchanger? You have to breath so a lot of heat is lost by refreshing the air inside. In that case, good draught seals are important.

[@danielwheeler5883]

Been build boats 30 years plus pleasure and commercial, the best heaters on the market by a mile are Kabola boilers there isn't anything that comes close to them

[@hans-wernermayer1312]

😊

[@eivindlindefjell5602]

Pump coperpipe for brakes and some water. And you have hot air and water, for radiators and hold engine hot

[@jginmt]

When you are plugged into shore power will you have an electric heater too?

[@william6526]

When you go north you should consider a wood stove ,it's a good cheap source of heat plus you can cook on the top of the stove. It's a different type of heat and there's nothing like the heat from a wood stove. I know you are limited to space ,but they have come out with some small compact wood heaters in the last few years and most the boats that are sailing in cold northern climates have went to wood heat. Woods readily available on just about any northern shores . It would be a great backup heat source and there's nothing like a wood fire when you are anchored up relaxing.

[@artsmith103]

I heat my house with wood. The problem is a firebox the size that would fit on a boat would only burn for about 1hr. Makes for a cold night and morning.

[@william6526]

@artsmith103 actually if you watch videos from the some of the artic blogs the small stoves they use can hold a fire for up to three hours ,so you may need to resupply the stove a few times but if it's your only heat source if your oil stove or furnace stop working it will keep you warm or keep things like your water supply from freezing.