Cabin Heater for Small Boats

 

I love fall sailing.  Nice weather, good breezes, most of the crowds have gone home for the year.  The only problem is that staying overnight on Snickerdoodle can be uncomfortably chilly.  Many years ago though I found out a secret for keeping the cabin warm on cool evenings...  even if you have a small boat and there's no room for a Dickenson cabin heater that is fueled either by propane or solid fuel.

A thick clay flower pot that you tip upside-down over a burner on your stove works quite well.  Keep the heat control at low to medium and as the pot heats up it will radiate warmth throughout the cabin.  My Origo stove is alcohol fueled and each burner puts out around 5,000 BTU's.  The flower pot spreads the warmth.  Make sure your pot is clay not plastic.

If you are concerned that the open flame might break your flower pot, move the pot holders on the stove closer together and put the flower pot on top of the holders.  They will raise the flower pot up an inch or two so that some of the direct heat escapes.  
Don't forget that the pot will get hot.  So, use pot holders to move it after you turn off the burner.  Of course, a flower pot over both burners will double the heat.
This is a nice toasty solution for those of us with small boats that do not have wall mounted cabin heaters.  Try it out.  I think you will like the warm cabin results.

Barnacle Bill Holcomb
barnaclebillholcomb@gmail.com
509 993 3214