To me, early spring and late fall are some of the best times to go boating. In New England, and even the Mid-Atlantic states, no one is around during those times, so the mooring fields and anchorages are usually super quiet. But they can be chilly, something I became very aware of two seasons ago, when I left Newport, Rhode Island, in the fall and took my 1987 Grand Banks 32 Snow Goose to the Bahamas.
The stretches through the Chesapeake Bay and the Carolinas in October and November were at times quite cold, even putting a light frost on the deck in the mornings. The evenings also had a bite to them, which made me think I needed to add a little heat.
I am a big fan of anchoring out or picking up a mooring. I avoid marinas unless I need water, fuel or a pump out, so shore power is not an option for running my reverse cycle AC or space heater. Running the generator for the space heater is too noisy and thus also not an option. So, inspired by a long-ago experience, I went on the hunt for an alternative.
In 1981, when I did the Whitbread Round the World race aboard the 76-foot sloop Flyer, we had a small Webasto diesel heater aboard. As the ship’s engineer, I took care of that little unit. It was just big enough to heat the nav station and the foul weather gear locker, but boy was it nice to put on dry, warm gear at the beginning of every watch. That’s what made me look for a small diesel heater for Snow Goose.
During my research, I came across a California company called HeatSo, which sells Espar boat and camper heaters that are basically the same as the Webasto we had on Flyer. When I called them, I was expecting a full-on sales pitch and hard sell, but instead I got, Richard, a very tech-savvy salesman who was all about the tech. He answered all the questions on my list and the Espar checked all the boxes. Right then and there, I ordered the heater.
When I received it, I laid all the parts out on my shop bench. Everything was very clearly marked, and I saw no major issues. Even so, just to be 100 percent sure, I made a quick call to Richard to run through all the parts on the bench. I also laid out and familiarized myself with the wiring harness, which was important, as it helped me plan its installation.
The lazarette in the GB32 had an uncluttered bulkhead that would perfectly accommodate the heater’s small footprint. Not only was it relatively easy to access that spot, but it also kept the heater out of the hot engine room and made it easier to give it fresh air from the outside. It was also very close to the diesel tank for fuel access and with the exhaust from the main engine running right through the lazarette I could run the heater’s duct right alongside it and back to the salon. The final bonus of this location was that it was far from the salon and cabin so we wouldn’t hear the heater when it was running.
The first step I took was to do a test for installing the diesel fuel line pick up to the diesel tank. I did this by first fitting it onto a spare piece of aluminum plate in my shop. Because I would have to drill a 1-inch hole in the top of the boat’s diesel tank, I felt a test run on a spare piece of metal was a prudent thing to do. I’m glad I did it.
Once I had the fuel pick-up point installed on the boat’s tank and led the fuel line aft thru the bulkhead to the lazarette, I was ready to mount the heater to the plywood bulkhead on the supplied L bracket. The Espar comes with a nicely made stainless-steel exhaust fitting. The next step was to fit that. I cut a hole through the topsides, 12-inches above the water line, and made sure I put a swan’s neck in the exhaust pipe. I did this by going through a locker above the lazarette.
Next was the heat duct, which I ran from the heater, alongside the main engine exhaust, through the engine room and into a locker in the salon. There I cut a hole low by the floor and mounted the supplied louvred outlet fitting.
Last, but not least, was to run the electrical harness from the heater to the remote controller. I mounted that at eye level next to the fridge remote controller in the salon and then ran the 12-volt power line to the circuit breakers at the steering station.
To clarify a few points during the installation, I had two calls with Richard at HeatSo. His help was invaluable and made the job super easy. The unit started up the first time and ran like a champ. With an air temp of 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the cabin reached 70 degrees in about 20 minutes.
All in all, I was very impressed with the quality of the heater, all the supplied parts, including hose clamps, fasteners and marine grade fuel lines, and the service I received from Espar in California.
Now, bring on the cold boating weather. We are ready.
June 2025
