[Rhodes22-list] Winter Sailing

[Rik Sandberg]

Al,

Roger is right of course about the ventilation for any heat source used 
in an enclosed space, especially a small one. I should have mentioned 
that. We have found that, with 2 in our cabin, the humidity will climb 
pretty dramatically no matter if we are heating it or not, or what we 
are using to heat it. I have found that the most effective way to vent 
the cabin of our boat is to just crack one of the deck hatches in the 
cabin top.  Since these are at the highest point of your heated space, 
opening them will let the hot air, which is concentrated at the highest 
point in the space anyway, rise out through the hatch and create a 
draft. This will, in turn, draw fresh air into the cabin through any 
other opening there may be. Once you get this draft going, your cabin 
will dry right out. But the whole secret is more about where you let the 
hot air out than about letting the fresh air in. Ideally the fresh air 
inlet would be as low as possible.

Rik

Roger Pihlaja wrote:

>Hi Al & Michelle,
>
>Setting aside the issues of possible fire & explosion.  Even when operating
>properly, the trouble with unvented heaters inside a closed space is
>two-fold, carbon monoxide (CO) & moisture.  All combustion heat sources have
>the potential to produce deadly CO gas under the right conditions.  Operated
>properly, the alcohol space heaters, such as the Origo Heat Pal, don't
>usually produce much CO, UNLESS YOU DEPRIVE THEM OF OXYGEN.  So, you need to
>ventilate the cabin while they are operating to assure that the oxygen
>concentration inside the cabin does not drop.  Lowered oxygen concentration
>is also deadly for the cabin occupants, which is another reason for the
>ventilation.  All combustion heat sources produce some water vapor in their
>exhaust gases. (Unless you are burning pure carbon, in which case you will
>get lots of CO!)   Add this combustion water vapor to the water vapor given
>off by the cabin occupants plus any other sources like evaporation from wet
>clothing and the humidity inside the cabin can soar.  Not only will this
>make the cabin feel clammy; but, it will also lead to other problems like
>condensation, mold, and mildew.  Again, the solution is to keep the cabin
>space well ventilated while the heater is operating.  This requirement for
>ventilation limits the usefulness of the unventilated type of cabin heaters.
>Permanent cabin heater installations solve this problem by venting the
>combustion products outside the cabin
>
>Does your Rhodes 22 have a cooking stove on board?  If so; then, you can get
>a little supplemental heat for the cabin by placing a terra cotta flower pot
>upside down over one of the burners.  Terra cotta flower pots are the brown
>unglazed ones.  Try to get a flower pot with a drain hole in the bottom, or
>you will have to drill a hole.  Otherwise, you will snuff out the flame in
>your burner &/or generate CO.  The heavy ceramic pot will absorb quite a bit
>of heat.  Then, you can turn off the burner, close up your cabin, & the
>thermal mass in the hot flower pot will safely warm your cabin for a couple
>of hours without adding a lot of CO or water vapor.  This will also work
>with the Origo Heat Pal units.  But, if you already have a cook stove; then
>why bother with another piece of gear plus fuel?
>
>In port, we use an Arvin M/N 29H40 electrical space heater hooked up to 120
>VAC shore power.  This unit has 1500 watt, 800 watt, & fan only settings.
>Usually, the 800 watt setting is plenty of heat to warm the cabin of a
>Rhodes 22.  The fan only setting is nice in the summer to circulate some
>air.  We like this particular model space heater because of its low profile,
>which fits out of the way under the cabin step.  You just need to be careful
>not to drop stuff down there by the space heater that would block the
>airflow.
>
>With proper clothing & a good sleeping bag, the low 40's is not
>uncomfortable.  My family always used to stay zipped up inside their
>sleeping bags while I lit the stove & warmed up the flower pot on cold damp
>mornings.  Then, once the cabin was nice & toasty, they would emerge.  I was
>surprised the other day when one of my sons told me it was one of his
>fondest memories of cruising.
>
>As far as hanging the gas cans over the side, I would worry about some idiot
>dragging anchor & hitting them during the night.  If you are not using your
>boom room; then, leave them under the cockpit seats.  If the boom room is
>up; then, lash them on the foredeck.  That way, they are ventilated, not
>vulnerable in a collision, and no where near any ignition sources.
>
>Good luck!
>
>Roger Pihlaja
>S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Al Miller" <al.shell at verizon.net>
>To: "Rhodes List" <rhodes-list at sailnet.net>
>Cc: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 11:47 PM
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Winter Sailing
>
>
>Hi All,
>Michelle and I did not have time to sail this summer.  Work and hurricanes!
>We plan to sail long weekends over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
>The temp will probably drop to  the low 40's during the evening, maybe more.
>We do have the boom-room.
>
>My question is this.  Is there a safe heat source for when it is really cold
>out?  We know how to layer our clothing and such, but we're curious about
>SAFE heat sources.  We will be carrying 12-15 gallons of gasoline in two
>regulation 6.5 outboard containers.  Should we hang them over the side at
>night?  Does Coleman make a SAFE (read- not explosive!) heater.  Any
>experienced answers appreciated.  We don't care to be a "Pan Pan Pan, Be
>advised that there is a reported 22 foot sailboat afire 5 miles off
>Clearwater Beach on channel 16.  Any vessels with further information please
>contact the Coast Guard!!  :-)
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Al & Michelle-Tampa, FL
>S/V Mishka
>
>
>
>
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