Keeping Warm At Night

[Broads01]

When I was on the Broads week before last it wasn't especially cold for the time of year and yet I found myself shivering in bed.  I've always been taught to switch the heating off at night,  but I find the temperature on board drops like a stone as soon as I do so.  I was wearing thermals,  socks and sometimes a jumper in bed but never really reached the point of feeling completely comfortable. 

I know there are many of you on the forum who go boating outside summer and I've been enjoying reading the 'Christmas afloat' thread - how do you do the night time thing? 

[MauriceMynah]

A duvet over the sleeping bag does it for me.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Simon,

Our routine for the colder months is to do the following.

Cut down the amount of the boat you heat, so when we do not have guests we close the modesty curtains of the forward berth/seating area.

When on shore power we have two fan heaters, so we put one in the galley and one in the aft cabin. Or we use the heating.

We take four hot water bottles with us as part of our boat kit. We put all  four hot water bottles into the bed a couple of hours before we go to bed, this airs the bed and takes any chill of. We refill these just before turning in.

We always have a king sized fleece that we put on top of the duvet, this keeps us toasty warm and if there is any condensation this will form on the fleece rather than the bedding. The fleece can be dried if required during the day.

We always have hats, gloves and the thermals if needed for cruising in the open air. Have a good supply of warm socks and change of shoes, after saying that I mostly just use m deck shoes, the main thing is not to get your feet or hands to wet.

Regards

Alan

 

 

[Timbo]

I've only just bought heating for RT Simon, so winter boating done with no heating at all. The trick is in how you make your bed and what you wear to bed and the key to that trick is layers and not being afraid to look a complete twonk! 

First the bed. The trick to keeping warm is making sure you are warm below you. Leather and leatherette is cold, so the first thing I had done is to make fleece bags that cover the mattress or paliass. I then bought cheap duvet's at £10 each from Tesco and stitched elastic straps to them so they stay on the bed and don't move. Flannelette sheets or another fleece blanket go on top of these. Followed by another loose duvet and finally a fleece blanket.

Clothing for bed...ah...well...thermal underwear and a wooly hat. Keeping your head warm is a key element.

Make sure you air you bed linen as well as you can during the day and I slip a hot water bottle in to warm the bed before getting in. Last but not least I have my beagle hot water bottles. Dylan always sleeps in the crook of my knees and Toby sleeps between my back and the side of the boat.

[Wildfuzz]

as Timbo says layers is the answer, call in at Lathams they have a great range of cheap micro fleece throws and stuff, works a treat when Mrs WILDFUZZ kicks me out to the sofa for snoring!!!!!!

[StillCruising]

Ditto for us on Miss Lisa. Fleeces hot water bottles in the bed etc. If only the two of us close the door to the front cabin and heat the centre cabin (living area) and the rear cabin (beadroom) either with the Ebber  or two fan heaters if on hook up. We never run the Ebber all night but occasionally run the fan heater overnight. We use the Ceramic Core type of fan heaters which are usually more compact and incorporate a thermostat and a cut-out system in case they get knocked over etc. If using fan heaters you have to watch the total electrical loading especially if you are on the standard 16amp set up don't forget other items that you may have connected at the same time.

[TheQ]

I used to use a swedish 4 season sleeping bag , it kept me nice and warm....

 

 

 

 

 

NO not that sort of Swedish...

[Wildfuzz]

Swedish candles also work, I make them out of logs not suitable for milling......

[BroadScot]

Failing all of those excellent suggestions, you can of course book into our local sponsers hotel at Wayford Bridge for the night! 

Iain

[tjg1677]

47 minutes ago, StillCruising said:

Ditto for us on Miss Lisa. Fleeces hot water bottles in the bed etc. If only the two of us close the door to the front cabin and heat the centre cabin (living area) and the rear cabin (beadroom) either with the Ebber  or two fan heaters if on hook up. We never run the Ebber all night but occasionally run the fan heater overnight. We use the Ceramic Core type of fan heaters which are usually more compact and incorporate a thermostat and a cut-out system in case they get knocked over etc. If using fan heaters you have to watch the total electrical loading especially if you are on the standard 16amp set up don't forget other items that you may have connected at the same time.

Just bought one of them off e bay, it is brilliant, has 2 heat settings of 750 and 1500 watts and oscilates too, highly recommend one! It was only 23 quid  

Trev

 

[ExSurveyor]

I find a menopausal lady handy 

[LondonRascal]

On Broad Ambition is is not a rare thing in the cold months to turn the heating down but leave it on over night - at this rate it sips fuel like a fine Brandy instead of wolfing it down like Shandy and the the ducting runs, though insulated enable a gentle background heat to permeate not just into he main cabin spaces.

Modern heating units have a variety of safety systems to enable them to shut down so I have no issues whatever about using the heating in this manner, though others would roll their eyes and tell you how bad doing such could be.  I believe the true risk is not the heating unit somehow developing a fault whereby it bursts into flames but that CO from the exhaust somehow finds its way into the cabin space.  This too is very unlikely because of the original installation, but should this ever happen we have two separate combined fir and CO detectors forward and aft which would alert you if something were amiss.

Now, on hire boats it is not so common to find heating systems thermostat - not that these really are thermostats (unless digital) they generally just have a Thermistor and this calls the heater to be in high output mode or low output mode and is not going to be as sensitive to air temperature fluctuations as a an actual separate thermostat neither can you actually set a temperature to maintain (sorry to get bogged down here)

Generally even on modern systems the boatyard will bypass the control module and just have the system be on or off - easy and means the heater will run at high output regardless, causing less issues with coking too.  The downside is unless very cold the heater will cause the cabin space to heat up too much - then you turn it off - it cools down rapidly and 20 minutes later you are turning back on again - either that or start opening windows.

This is why have a look on board some hire boats - even different boats within the same class - can reap rewards.  When I hired San Selino in March I knew this had a heating system with some control, a relatively new engine and the nice Osram lighting (unlike the single strip lights some boats have). 

Of course you might find a free electric post and then be able to plug in a trusty fan heater - on Broad Ambition we now have a Ceramic element type fan heater  - which are a bit more robust than the thin wire elements found on most fan heaters. (and allegedly more efficient). Another option is an oil filled small radiator but these take longer to heat up.

If you play it safe then and have no heating look to what you have to lay on - is it vinyl covered foam? If so ask the boatyard for another blanket - use this over the mattress and then the bottom sheet over the blanket, that will help insulate you from underneath. Layer up - a second duvet makes all the difference and then of course the trusty hot water bottle will be your friend.

 

[Timbo]

49 minutes ago, psychicsurveyor said:

I find a menopausal lady handy 

There's a Goon Show script in there somewhere...

"Come in young Neddy and pull up a woman!"

1 hour ago, Wildfuzz said:

Swedish candles also work, I make them out of logs not suitable for milling......

OK I'll bite Stuart...what's a Swiss candle?

[Gracie]

A candle from Switzerland would be my guess 

Grace

[LondonRascal]

Always mix up some Thermite - sure get a good heat output rapidly

[SueH]

During our winter trips on Shadow we take a convector heater.

We use the stern cabin which can be totally closed off from the rest of the boat.  A spare heated blanket under the quilted 'under blanket' with sleeping bags on top works a treat.

Needless  to say we stick to moorings next to 240v sockets during the winter.

Rarely have the boat heater on as I find it rather noisy.

[Matt]

Shore power with small oil radiators in the cabins, left on low over night and then you reach over and turn them up in the morning

we also have a 2kw convector heater in the saloon.

 

[andyfish]

Baraclava and a drop of single malt 

works for me

[JawsOrca]

ahh you landlubbers 

Tis not cold lol... 

We just got back from a brilliant weekend on the broads.. (apparently it was cold?!)..( Gracie I've got a ton of pics and I'll do a tale promise).. but it was amazing! 

Ok so we obviously live aboard, a liveaboard boat is slightly different, you do stuff to it to make it nicer, including using double glazing film etc etc etc...Our one at the moment hasn't been modified and does leak heat like a sieve but she will have lovely wet heating soon (Tomorrow hopefully) which will keep the boat lovely and warm.. can't wait!

Orca this weekend was toasty! her heating is amazing and she was warm in seconds I want to stay on her really..  

The main tip I offer really is to dress for it.. I live in jumpers in the winter and although it may sound simple when you are in bed still dress for it.. have a good thick duvet and throws over the top.. also don't skimp on the heating, if it's cold have the heaters on, it will cost but you do need to be warm, Oil filled radiators are good, they don't use too much juice, they get warm and stay warm, they are safe to use in confirmed spaces too so use these instead of open flame heaters.. But yes dress for it, use layers, I do invest in marine clothing and it is worth it as it's designed for it.. a decent boating jacket is a must.  

I really feel the cold but I'm rarely cold... we will be out all winter so happy to offer more suggestions and will be doing pics to erm rub salt into the wounds! 

[CheshireCat]

Well a good quality 4 season sleeping bag is a must if you wish to enjoy winter boating lairs definitely a great way of keeping warm but our wood burning is definitely the dogs doo doss , went out Friday night lit our stove that was it , it did not go out until I came home to night at 7pm so it was running for 72 I used a bag and a half of bricks , coast £6 and let me tell you , you are as warm as toast not only that no condensation anywhere just a lovely dry warm boat ...

[JennyMorgan]

Us anglers have got it sussed!

http://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/trakker-elite-2-piece-undersuit

I have a forty five year old Helly Hansen Polar suit, similar to the above. seemingly indestructible, which I wear as an undersuit and pyjamas, If anything I overheat rather than freeze!

Cheshire, one of my daughters is living aboard & I know that she'd agree with your comments about a woodburner.

[grendel]

as an astronomer and being out in the cold clear nights of winter gazing at the stars, my solution is layers, thermal long johns and vest, followed by generally normal clothing, then on top a pair of lined golfing jumpers, these have a windproof lining. a thermal cap to top it off, then I generally end up feeling too hot, even down to well sub zero temperatures. if it gets cold in bed anything goes, but its usually the thermal undies for a start.

[Wildfuzz]

16 hours ago, Timbo said:

There's a Goon Show script in there somewhere...

"Come in young Neddy and pull up a woman!"

OK I'll bite Stuart...what's a Swiss candle?

Quite simply, the Swedish log candle is a large upright log with three downward cuts that run almost the entire length of the log. The only things you have to consider are: wood selection, its purpose, and how big you want to make it.

 

After half an hour of burning, the flat, circular top is ideally suited for a kettle or skillet.

The reason it is so unique lies in its simplicity. It is a self-feeding, one-piece fire unit, perhaps a little impractical for the trail, but excellent for a base camp. The way in which it burns gives rise to four practical uses: to begin with you have an excellent light source. After half an hour of burning (or even before), the flat, circular top is ideally suited for a kettle or skillet. After an hour, the log candle starts churning out a fair bit of heat; then, when you get into the third hour of burning, you are ready to drop down a kebab of your favorite meat for a 360° F slow roasting.

Creating a Swedish long candle couldn’t be simpler: all you need is a good length of seasoned wood, a chainsaw (although you can use a normal saw if you feel your guns are up to it), and some sort of lighter fluid, such as kerosene, to get it going

[Broads01]

Thanks to all those who've posted,  there's some really good stuff here. As a regular hirer I'm familiar with the drawback Robin raises about hire boat heating - it's hot or off!  Alas also hire boats with shore power have so far been outside my budget. The theme of layers keeps coming through in the posts above and that makes a lot of sense.  In the past I've asked the boatyard for extra duvets as the ones supplied are always summer-weight and I should have done so on the recent trip. 

[SteveO]

We have a 500W Cold Watcher convector heater, kept on a low setting, 10.5 tog duvets, with a fleece blanket on top to keep head and shoulders warm and an opened - out nylon sleeping bag tucked across the bottom to stop tootsies from getting cold. When it is really cold, we each take a hot water bottle to bed as well. Sleeping attire is typically minimal. In this manner, we stay warm and cosy even when it has been frosty outside.

The only thing you have to watch is condensation and for this, we use a Kaercher window vac thingy, which works very well indeed.

Steve