During the season, we usually heat our boats with either diesel hot air or hot water heaters. However, if you also want to use your boat in winter, sooner or later you will be looking for alternatives or supplements. Some make sense, others don't. Here we show you some examples of how to keep your boat warm.
Fan heater
The electric fan heater is the classic for quick heating on the go. It is available in many different versions and performance classes. The advantages are obvious: the appliance is inexpensive, small, maintenance-free and can be used practically anywhere where shore power is available.
Disadvantage: Just like diesel air heaters, electric fan heaters generate warm air that heats up the room quickly. However, it also cools down just as quickly after the appliance is switched off. Continuous operation can also be very expensive. Depending on the electricity price in the harbour, the monthly energy bills can quickly add up. What's more, the fan generates noise that is annoying, at least at night. Therefore: Fan heaters are useful for quick, short-term heating, but not for continuous operation.
Oil radiator
In contrast to fan heaters, oil radiators heat the air more slowly, but are more sustainable and economical. With this type of appliance, the air is not heated directly, but an oil is heated, which then circulates in the radiator and releases the heat into the room air. Advantage: The appliance requires less electricity, works completely silently and is extremely safe to operate. For the cabin of a 10-metre boat, for example, a 600-watt appliance is completely sufficient to keep it at the right temperature. However, even such appliances cannot operate without shore power.
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