Carver Owners Forum

Hello all,

I purchased my 3607 about 3 months ago. This is my first purchase of a cruiser. I am doing the live aboard thing and I am loving it. However, the weather is turning and keeping the cabin heated is more of an issue than I anticipated. The previous owner said that the space heater they used was sufficient, but I am not finding that to be the case. I tried using additional space heaters, but that keeps tripping the breakers. Anyone have a suggestion. Thanks, in advance.

Mike

Welcome aboard.
I don't see a space heater keeping the boat warm.
The only safe way that I know of to heat a boat that big is installed reverse cycle ac.

If you must use space heaters you need to plug them into circuits that are on separate breakers, If you have a single 30 amp for your house power and are running 2 1500 watt heaters that only leaves you about 5 amps for other loads. So if you try to use the stove or microwave you will most likely trip your main.

Welcome aboard.

Do you spend the winter in the water?

Those who winter aboard here in Michigan where I live all wrap their boats in clear plastic much like shrinkwrap to help in the heating of their boats. If I get a chance I will go to my marina and get a pic for you to give you an idea.

RGrew176 wrote:Source of the post Those who winter aboard here in Michigan where I live all wrap their boats in clear plastic much like shrinkwrap to help in the heating of their boats. If I get a chance I will go to my marina and get a pic for you to give you an idea.

+1

Much the same for boats in all year here along lake Ontario, some are tarps, some plastic, some actually shrink.

Yea, I can't imagine a space heater working to make it comfortable. I have had a 3607 for about 25 years but never have tried living on it in the winter.

At the end and beginning of the season we also use an electric blanket. Only a couple hundred watts and makes sleeping very comfortable. Not as useful in the daytime though.

The difference between a space heater and a reverse-heat A/C... a good space heater on HIGH will provide about 5,000 BTUs of heat with 12 Amps of A/C. A reverse-heat A/C can deliver about 16,000 BTUs with that same 12 amp (but usually even less... more like 9 or 10). Since you're using space heaters I'm assuming you don't have A/C installed on the boat (like me) and you only have one 30 Amp power inlet (like me). You could add another 30A inlet just to power your heating and cooling needs. A 'proper' marine reverse-heat A/C would do OK, but you also need to make sure there is PLENTY of cooling water flowing, as it can freeze up if not flowing enough. If your water temp is below 40, it makes it harder to generate heat but you have a LOT of water surrounding you with heat... you just need to move enough of it through the system.

Tripping breakers might be caused when the water heater kicks in.... in that case, turn the water heater off until about an hour before you need it.

Now, instead of space heaters, think about the portable air conditioners that come with heat. I bought one last year so that the dog could be kept comfortable during hot summer days in the cabin. I bought it used for $200. I built a platform for it on the dinette bench so it would sit higher and plumbed the air discharge through the portlight above the dinette table. IT WORKS GREAT. I also noticed that it provides PLENTY of heat in the late season cool nights. Again, you could put it on a dedicated circuit to handle the continuous power, but we just have it plugged into an outlet and have to manage power when we want to use the coffeemaker or microwave. I have some pics somewhere that I can post. It generates about 16,000 BTU and has a much more powerful fan then the space heaters.

Oh, and second all the comments about shrink or tarp, especially if it's clear... you add a layer of insulation that way and you get a nice 'greenhouse' effect on sunny days too!!

Another type to consider is a propane fired cabin heater. Although there are a number of safety issues, when installed properly they are very safe to use and provide a lot of heat. Search for marine cabin heaters and you will see a lot of choices.
..Aaron

My 813007 has to built in electric heaters. One in the salon and one in the aft cabin. This past spring and into the fall those heaters did a pretty good job of keeping the salon or aft cabin warm and cozy. I was not exposed to winter type temps but they did work well down to 40*. Not sure how they would work in teens, twenties and thirties. I also have an aftermarket reverse cycle AC/heat system onboard.

The one advantage to the wall heaters is they are much quieter than the reverse cycle system. I keep a box fan onboard to move air. I like having 2 options for heat.

Here is a quick pic of what we did. You can't see the box below it, but it raises the unit so that the exiting air is higher in the cabin. I also added two straps...one for the hose going to the portlight and one to keep the unit stationary if we were hitting bumpy water.

I used an old portlight to cut the hole and cut the hinges off it. I put some aluminum brackets that hook under the existing hinges of the portlight to keep it tight to the top, then used the regular clamps to hold the bottom. You can remove it and just fasten down the proper one for watertight integrity. It cools and heat and has its own thermostat. It also has a "night mode" which slows the fan down so it's quieter.