ksanders
Moderator Emeritus
"If the shore power goes out, why not just start the generator."
Depending on weather the noisemaker intake is low enough in the hull to not be ice blocked, it might work , IF you have the fuel..
IN the NY area (not very cold) I have had 10 inches of ice some winters.
Where is your intake?
I live in Alaska and keep the boat in salt water.
We get sometimes a couple of inches of ice for short periods of time. Mostly rain that hasn't mixed yet.
While I agree with your previously posted concept that the best heating system does not require electricity, it is just not practical for most recreational boats. Many of the installations look for lack of a better word "jethro". .
The reality is that for most, no almost all of us, a permenantly mounted, functional diesel generator is part of our boat, and is always available if need be.
Fuel is the same issue. My generator burns something around 8-10 gallons of diesel per day if run 24x7. If you're on the boat keeping it warm you could run the generator less than 1/2 that time to avoid having to re-winterize it. Even at 10 GPD I could go a very long time with the fuel onboard. A week or two which is the Maximum you'll see a power outage and then only rarely would be a complete non issue to all but the most unprepared person who is staying on their boat.
Last edited: