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Does anyone use a heater in the boat during the winter? I'm looking at the Coleman Cats, Mr. Heater Portable buddy etc. but I'm wondering if they are worth the trouble. I don't have an enclosure over the boat so I guess it would only be good to warm my hands and I guess hot hands and gloves could do that. Any thoughts or experiences?
Yes sir we fired one up today to warm our hands up lol
They are great for keeping hands warm; the only thing is that they can get knocked over without you noticing it, and burn your carpet. It happened to us last winter. They are nice to have on those cold winter days.
I bought a Reddy Heater infared propane top mounted heater from a guy on the forum and it works great. It will warm more than just your hands,,,,this baby kicks out the heat. [url]www.reddyheaters.com[/url]
The Mr. Heater portables are not a good option for the boat. They are made to be run indoors and are designed to burn up most of the gas and fumes. As such the design is not windproof. Any small amount of wind across the heater will blow it out. I tried using one last year and had to return it for that reason.
Next I got one the propane tower heaters and that worked pretty well. Without any type of enclosure all that heat goes straight up and out the boat. That heater was then recalled due to issues of it catching fire!!!!! Mine never did but a heater that catches fire is the last thing you want on the boat. I see that they are selling them again so that flaw must have been fixed.
This year I went with a propane catalytic heater that you attach to the 20lb propane tankes. That thing can really throw some heat and it is directed out the side instead of straight up. I had a tempory enclosure setup on 3 sides of the boat and it was burning us up in there on high. Even with my enclosure the wind would whip through every once and awhile and mess with the flame but it never went out like the Buddy heaters.
I have one of those Infared Propane heaters that attaches to the top of a 20 gallon propane tank. I have only played around with it inside my garage. I got it to put in my boat for winter fishing. But I want to get a milk crate (plastic square thing) to hold the propane tank upright. I don't want the thing to tip over in the boat. So far I have just not fished when it was that cold and have not used it yet. Once I find a plastic milk crate that will hold the propane tank I may give it a whirl. I do know that it puts out a lot of heat and will last for a good day. The one I have only has one burner and it puts heat out to the side. They make another model that has two burners. But the two burner one will go though the propane tank twice as fast. The box that the unit came in is sitting on a shelf in my garage and I can't get to it right now as the boat is in the way. So I can't tell you the BTU's that the thing puts out. I am guessing that it's something like 10,000 BTUS for the single burner. It will definately help warm your hands. I wish I had a bigger boat. It would be nice to be able to put it right behind your seat and have the heat come up around your seat while you are fishing. It won't work if there is a lot of wind though. But on a calmn cold day that might work good. Might want to buy a couple of extra fire extinguishers for the boat and keep them nearby. Just in case the thing tips over or catches something on fire.
I am glad that someone above talked about those coleman heaters. I was wondering if they could be used safely inside a tent in the winter? I have always used those ceramic electric heaters inside my tent or popup camper. With two of them I can put out 3000 BTU of electric heat. That will keep a popup camper toasty warm when it's 40 deg F outside.
Regards,
Moose1am
If you buy the type that attaches to a 20# propane tank (gas-grill size), find an square milk crate to set it in. This will keep it from tipping over while moving around. Could save you some serious damage and trouble. I think Wally World sells them as "stackable storage containers". The heaters definitely are worth having if you do a lot of winter fishing, with or without an enclosure.
Joe