I'm looking for a portable lpg hot water system I can run sea water through dose any one have any recommendations??

And to deselinate too?? Or just to run hot water? Several options available to just run salty hot water (but none would really recommend it) but I would say the Coleman hot water system would be the best. I've used it in brackish water without issue.

Champion has a similar product. Not intended for salt but should work. Both systems around the $400 mark.

Hot tub

One chap, l can't remember where l heard it, tapped into his exhaust system and used the cooling water (saltwater of course) for showers.
Just run the engine and presto.

Ebay solar pool heater around $70 a piece add more or less panels and your own 12 volt circulation pump and a solar panel throw it on you cabin top
seeing your a banana bender

I've got a Colman gas hot water that has been used for one camping trip and have no further use for that I will sell cheap in Brisbane.

I hope to run the mat into that small 10 litre storage unit roll it out on the roof when I want warm water to wash and shower disconnect when sailing and store it

Perhaps we should agree on what we mean by "hot water"? Are we after skin blistering temperatures or more acceptable, pleasant 30-35 Celsius.
The latter is relatively easy to achieve by different means and for a limited outlay while the former is very energy consuming and mostly wasteful.

Landlubbers are notoriously wasteful of resources of all kind aboard. It needs discipline and patience to teach one's family, specially the wives, or crew, to husband resources on a small yacht.

What is wrong with unheated water?
In Oz, particularly in Qld. water is seldom 'cold' in the real sense of the word.

The Coleman and Champion products I referred to are not 'blistering hot' but damn hot enough. They can run off either their own rechargeable battery, or a gas canister and are instant heat. Not much waste and its not an issue if your pumping from the ocean.

For what its worth, I consider us a fairly inefficient boat. I am a little cautious with water at the moment as my water maker is being a bit temperamental. But when it worked, if the missus wanted to wash her hair.... go for it... If you felt particularly grubby or salty, have a longer shower. I didn't care. Lights on, now worries (as long as they were being used. I do hate lights on and know one in the room/cabin).

If you've got the comforts, use them. If you want the comforts, get them. I want my family to come sailing or camping with me. If that means providing some comfort or luxury, then so be it.

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sirgallivant said..

Landlubbers are notoriously wasteful of resources of all kind aboard. It needs discipline and patience to teach one's family, specially the wives, or crew, to husband resources on a small yacht.

What is wrong with unheated water?
In Oz, particularly in Qld. water is seldom 'cold' in the real sense of the word.

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Toph said..
The Coleman and Champion products I referred to are not 'blistering hot' but damn hot enough. They can run off either their own rechargeable battery, or a gas canister and are instant heat. Not much waste and its not an issue if your pumping from the ocean.

For what its worth, I consider us a fairly inefficient boat. I am a little cautious with water at the moment as my water maker is being a bit temperamental. But when it worked, if the missus wanted to wash her hair.... go for it... If you felt particularly grubby or salty, have a longer shower. I didn't care. Lights on, now worries (as long as they were being used. I do hate lights on and know one in the room/cabin).

If you've got the comforts, use them. If you want the comforts, get them. I want my family to come sailing or camping with me. If that means providing some comfort or luxury, then so be it.

sirgallivant said..

Landlubbers are notoriously wasteful of resources of all kind aboard. It needs discipline and patience to teach one's family, specially the wives, or crew, to husband resources on a small yacht.

What is wrong with unheated water?
In Oz, particularly in Qld. water is seldom 'cold' in the real sense of the word.

As they say " Happy wife, happy life"

I've been using the joolca instant water heater( www.joolca.com.au/ ) it can not be installed inside a boat but I hang mine on the pushpit when needed and have it plumbed back in to the boats hot water plumbing with quick connect fittings ,has no pilot light it uses a piezo igniter instead . once finished I disconnect it a store in its bag down below (takes less than a minute) it will heat as much hot water as you need instantly was cheaper than the coleman and no stuffing around pressing buttons to get hot water flowing, simply open the tap gas heater ignites hot water flows closes the tap the unit switches of easy as

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kurt88 said..
I've been using the joolca instant water heater( www.joolca.com.au/ ) it can not be installed inside a boat but I hang mine on the pushpit when needed and have it plumbed back in to the boats hot water plumbing with quick connect fittings ,has no pilot light it uses a piezo igniter instead . once finished I disconnect it a store in its bag down below (takes less than a minute) it will heat as much hot water as you need instantly was cheaper than the coleman and no stuffing around pressing buttons to get hot water flowing, simply open the tap gas heater ignites hot water flows closes the tap the unit switches of easy as

Hi Kurt88, just reviving this thread as we're thinking of augmenting our hot water supply with something like this for showers. While the little heat exchanger hot water cylinder does a pretty good job, it often struggles to hold the heat long enough to be completely functional. We will of course fire up the engine for a bit in the mornings if needed, but I frankly prefer the peace and quite.

Love to see a few pics of your set up and the quick connect fittings you mentioned? Do these kinds of units need to be hung/mounted in an upright orientation, or will they operate laying flat for example? Along with your recommendation, I'm also looking at this brand: www.countrycomfortlpggas.com.au/collections/frontpage/products/country-comfort-instantaneous-water-heater

Of course my preferred option would be to install one permanently in the head, but I still don't think there's anything available for safe/approved internal installation?

I installed an LPG system like the one above in my cat. It was because were cruising Tassie and with winter coming we wanted some more comfort. Otherwise I would have been tempted to leave the boat as co;d water only, to reduce water use when cruising. I don't mind people using water, only running out after a few days when we can usually last 3-4 weeks.

On cats LPG is less dangerous. Still the set up is not certified for interior use. I had to install the system vertically and I built a box around the base to collect any LPG gas and divert it overboard through a drain. I also bought a Carbon Monoxide detector and put it in the shower room. It works really well and means we stay clean in the cold.

Work out where the gas will go if there are any small leaks or the pilot takes a little while to turn on. I have a small gas bottle specially for the shower system. It is also in a vented locker - easy again in a cat's bridgedeck.

The system is not certified but I don't think any system can be inside a small compartment. We leave the door open when having showers and with the detector I think the system is okay. Outside is definitely safer and you could put the system outside and run a long shower hose into the interior. That would get you safe as well as warm.

Hi Kankama, thanks for the info. I heard back from the manufacturer I mentioned and it definitely is for external use only, and it must be mounted upright. I have a decent sized vented locker in the cockpit where the current gas bottle is located, so I'm hoping I might have enough space in there to mount a unit. It means I'll have a 3 meter run from the unit's outlet to the head though, but I guess if I heavily insulate the line it will mitigate heat loss. When showering, we won't be able to adjust heat and flow on the fly from the unit though. So I imagine that if I plumb the hot water from the on demand unit, directly into the current hot inlet on the existing shower, then I can set the unit to a slightly hotter setting and mix cold into the shower head just like to current setup.

Plumbing it into a mixer tap will work 2bish and you can buy hot water pipe insulation ready made
to slip over the pipe, so that side of things should be easy enough.

Hi guys.
Please take great care with the lpg systems on the boats. I've plumbed up and certified heaps of them and one of the biggest problems apart from safety, is the fact that diy work was done incorrectly and a certificate was needed at some stage. The work to rectify often outstrips the savings made by cutting corners.
Best advice I can give is to get it done right the first time.

Here is a solar powered alternative, although it will do 20 liters max in one hit it can become part of an installed system.
copperheadwater.com.au/

Thoughts on a postcard to...

Interesting alternative! It might be a good addition for summer, but wouldn't do much in our Tassy winter I'm afraid.

Just as well you didn't ask the original question then Bish.

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2bish said..
Hi Kankama, thanks for the info. I heard back from the manufacturer I mentioned and it definitely is for external use only, and it must be mounted upright. I have a decent sized vented locker in the cockpit where the current gas bottle is located, so I'm hoping I might have enough space in there to mount a unit. It means I'll have a 3 meter run from the unit's outlet to the head though, but I guess if I heavily insulate the line it will mitigate heat loss. When showering, we won't be able to adjust heat and flow on the fly from the unit though. So I imagine that if I plumb the hot water from the on demand unit, directly into the current hot inlet on the existing shower, then I can set the unit to a slightly hotter setting and mix cold into the shower head just like to current setup.

I hope you're not thinking of putting an open flame near a bottle.
Wether vented or not you might just qualify for a Darwin Award if you do.