Diesel Heater

I ordered the deck fitting and flue sections I'll need to remount my diesel heater yesterday, and it'll be here in around a week or so. The problem has always been that I didn't have an appropriate bulkhead where I could mount it low enough to give me a long enough flue, the top of which needs to stay well under the boom.

I'd decided to move it over to a small bulkhead on the starboard side that goes fore and aft, but that would require me to modify the regulator, since sailboats heel and the regulator requires gravity to work properly. However, when I measured everything, I realized that I wouldn't be able to squeeze by it to go forward without getting burned -- it just took up too much space. At that point, I decided to go ahead and add a small temporary side-to-side bulkhead in the same spot and not worry about modifying the regulator.

I have a load-bearing bulkhead in the center of the boat that sits under the deck step, i.e., the mast, and goes all the way down to the keel. The head is on the port side and the starboard side is open, allowing me to go forward to the forecastle. The new mini bulkhead I'm contemplating will essentially block the starboard passage, but luckily the head has a door on both sides and can be accessed from both the saloon and the forecastle.

So I don't see a problem with that, especially since this will only be used in the winter, and should be easy to remove. Actually, the only problem would be that access to the forecastle could be blocked if something fell against the door, but again, the heater is small and light and can be quickly removed -- at least if I design it right. I might even hinge one side for that very reason.

Cold watch:

I have 2 heaters now, so the boat is staying relatively warm. This is my second winter on the boat above 40°N, so that may make a difference as well. I grew up near Houston, so this is about 20° colder than I'm used to. The heaters help, but the cover will really make a difference. I'm also thinking about adding some insulation along the inner hull, but haven't figured out what I'll use or how I'll do it.

Insulation isn't my first priority, but it's certainly something I can work on while waiting for the cover. Since I can't do the engine, chainplates, or deck till I get her covered, I'll try to get a few little jobs like that out of the way while I'm waiting.

Cover watch:

I spoke to Tom at Coneys yesterday, and he said the frame for my cover is still where I left it and I could get it any time I wanted. Kieran offered to pick it up and bring it up here, so if it fits in his vehicle, and his schedule, I should have it in a week or two. All I'll have to do once it gets here is fix what's left of my cover and sew it up. It only has to last 3 or 4 months, and in fact, really only long enough to fix the engine, chainplates, and non-skid the deck, but keeping it on through March would be nice.

I'm not sure how I'll sew it back together, but I may just add grommets to each side and lash it -- sorta like a shelter half. That's what we did in the Corps. Each man carried half the tent, including half the poles and stakes, needed to put it up. They snapped together when I was in, but buttoned earlier. It's a pretty good system, and even if you're alone, you've still got a heavy piece of canvas you can use to cover yourself -- I've certainly done that on rainy nights in a ditch standing watch.