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Dickinson Newport Heater

K

Kerry Kukucha

Member II
Hello All:

With Fall upon us, & hopes of extending our sailing season, I am looking at installing a heater. Having reviewed some recent & earlier posts on this topic, I am contemplating a mixed system that would include a Dickinson "Newport" propane heater (to be mounted on the stbd side bulkhead before entering the v-berth); will also look at adding near the galley/aft cabin, a fan coil that draws heat from the engine's hot water heating loop. In combination with 3 small circulating fans already existing, I think I should end up with aprox. 18,000 btu of heating & reasonable air circulation, at about one-quarter the cost of an Espar D5.

I would be very interested to know if anyone has a Dickinson Newport, & if so, would greatly appreciate any thoughts & comments on their experience?

many thanks,
 
R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
Okay, its like you read my mind! I was considering an Espar D4. Then I have taken a really close look at my E38. Thats a LOT of 4" holes to cut in bulkheads, etc. Those holes are also awfully close to the chainplate tie-ins if the duct is run all the way forward. Maybe a strength issue?

Then there is cost. I can get an Espar D4 on Ebay for $1400 but its a truck unit. Will need other boat hardware to get it going. Also can get the boat unit for $1800 on the internet, or $2600 locally. Not cheap.

Since I don't have propane on my boat the tank, regulator, control/sniffer setup, etc. will cost approx. $350 and then $700 for the heater itself. Cheaper than the Espar but not by much.

Fuel use:
Espar D4 on medium produces @6,000 btu's and uses 0.07 gallons of diesel per hour. At $4.50 per gallon for diesel that works out to 31 cents per hour.

The Newport P12000 on low produces @7,000 btu's on 1 lb of propane every 5.5hours. Locally propane is $3.50 per gallon and there are 2.3 gallons in a 10lb marine tank. That works out to $8.05 for 10lbs or 80 cents per pound, which works out to 15 cents per hour.

Check my math, I'm not that great at it.....

The Newport is considerably cheaper to operate, purchase and maintain. Less moving parts, etc. Sure it doesn't heat as evenly and propane is limited in quantity compared to your boats fuel tank. Also likely harder to find at remote marinas, etc.

I think Loren Beach gently suggested this in my previous post on this exact topic. I have done the research and the propane is a better deal unless you plan on extended cool climate cruising in remote areas.

I think I am getting the Newport!

ps, thanks Loren!

RT
 
K

Kerry Kukucha

Member II
Rob:

Great minds thinking alike!

Here in Vancouver, I figured the installed price for the Espar, after all the vents, hardware & labor would have been >C$4,500 & the install seemed pretty tough! By comparison, I could easily install the Dickinson myself & the P9000 (need the smaller unit due to clearances) is aprox. C$850 - the addition of the 2nd fan coil unit would only be about C$250. - the numbers are rather compelling!(& I like the fact that Dickinson is locally manufactured).

As for propane availability, here on the upper left coast, most marina/fuel stops seem to have propane available. We did a 3 week trip recently in the remote areas of the Broughton Islands & only used 5 lbs of propane (we have a 10lb tank) - we also carried an extra 5lb tank & a bunch of 1lb cylinders for the BBQ, so I'm not too worried about running out. Even if, we were typically only 1 day away from a refill station.

Turns out a friend with a Dufour 38 has installed the P12000 & swears by it - overall, I think the Dickinson route looks pretty good.

PS - how's the new rudder?
 
A

ACheeks

Junior Member
I have have been using the Dickinson P12000 for a few years now in our E38 and I can attest that it is well worth the installation. We sail year-round and do a lot of SCUBA diving, so a warm cabin is wonderful while the wind is howling. The key is to have auxillary fans throughout the cabin to distribute the heat. I find that it is quite miserly in the use of propane, but I rarely need to use anything other than the lowest setting here in Southern California. One complaint, though, is the integral fan: it makes way too much noise. Some time ago I called Dickenson Marine and asked if it was possible to retrofit or augment the integral fan to quiet the operation, but they were not helpful, suggesting that the fan was the best it could be.
 
J

John Butler

Member II
Rob and ACheeks,

What model E38 do each of you have? Does it have the shelf attached to the forward starboard bulkhead in the main salon as in the photo that Craig posted in post #7 on the link above from Loren (#3)? Follow that? :egrin: My interior (at least that part) is like Craig’s. He didn’t seem to think he could mount a bulkhead radiant heater. I’d like to install a P12000, but haven’t looked into the installation issues yet. I wonder what you’ve come up with if your interior is similar to mine (and Craig's).

Thanks,
John
1982 E38 Red Rover
 
R

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
I have the "open" layout E38. The only doors are the head and the V-berth. Those doors are always open, except the head when in use. Head is forward and on the Port side. The galley is Stbd and the nav station Port. The bulkhead that is the aft wall of the head is the perfect location for the P12000. The deck area above it is completely clear for the charlie noble. The hardest part of the install will be making a wood ring to support the fabric headliner around the vent pipe/trim ring. Taking measurements the heater will fit the area perfectly and will be in a space that wasn't used for anything anyway.

I had to add propane to the boat to do this so I now have a 10lb bottle and the gas system controls in my hands. The heater is shipped directly from Dickinson so it will not be here until 10/3. I still have to get to the boat and figure out what regulator I want to use, how long the hose needs to be, etc.

Looking forward to heat!

RT
 
A

ACheeks

Junior Member
John,

I have the same layout as the image you referred to in other thread on my 1983 E38. In fact, I had the exact same solid fuel heater installed in the same position as on Craig's boat.

The solid fuel heater, however, was difficult to control. One night, it grew so hot, it started to melt the varnish on the surrounding teak. Needless to say, I ripped it out the next day and after considerable research, I went with the Dickenson heater in the same location, but with a few modifications.

The Dickenson has a large, stainless heat shield built onto it which protects the bulkhead from heat. This works extremely well. I also installed a fan just to the starboard of the heater to make sure heat will not build up in this area and to help keep the chimney cool. To further aid in keeping the chimney cool and to help ensure adequate venting, I extended the top of the chimney at the deck by about 4 inches by building a circular extension out of wood, covered with fiberglass. This extension was stuffed with heat-proof insullation (the kind used on old auto mufflers) between the metal chimney and the extension. The deck cap supplied by Dickenson was then attached to the top of the extension. I stuffed the headliner above the chimney (and eventually throughout the cabin) with 1-inch fire-retardant 3M Thinsulate insullation sandwiched between 2 layers of aluminum Reflectix. This not only helps keep radient heat in the cabin, but works as an effective fire-stop should the vinyl cabin liner or the surrounding teak catch fire.

I also follow some simple rules of use:
1. Always check that the chimney vent is clear of lines, sails, etc. before lighting and that nothing is blocking the flow of air arround the vent.
2. Always run the integral fan during use (this keeps the top of the unit relatively cool)
3. When the heater is on low, run the fan next to the heater whenever the electrical interference caused by the fan will not affect VHF radio communications.
4. Always run all of the interior fans (including the one next to the heater) on high when the unit is turned up to anything greater than the lowest setting.

I hope this helps. If you need me to take some pictures of the installation, let me know.

Alan

Trojan Conquest
1983 Ericson 38
Redondo Beach, CA
 
J

John Butler

Member II
Alan,

Yes, your description helps. It sounds like you applied good creativity to come up with a satisfactory solution. The solid fuel heater was removed from Red Rover by a PO, but the exit for the chimney is still in place (although I haven’t checked if the screw in deck cap can be removed). Did you extend the chimney because of the height at which you needed to install the heater on the bulkhead? If you can post a picture of the installation (interior and chimney on the outside), that would be great. My range is CNG so I also have to look into what it will take to add LPG and maybe convert my range at the same time.

Thanks,
John
 
Last edited:
A

ACheeks

Junior Member
Images of Installation

I had the opportunity to take some pictures of the Dickinson Newport Heater installation this weekend.

In the interior view, the varnish that was melted by the original solid fuel heater can be seen just above and to the right of the heater. I plan to strip and re-varnish this winter, as I have not had this problem with the Dickenson heater in the two seasons I have used it. Notice the fan to the right of the heater and the propane supply line coming down from the intermediate headliner: not the prettiest installation, but I like the fact that the gas line is easy to inspect across the entire run. Besides, it is not as conspicuous as it looks in the image thanks to the flash of the camera.

The exterior view shows where I extended the chimney about 4 inches at the deck. I constructed a ring out of solid wood using a band saw. I glassed and painted the exterior of the extension to match the boat. The stainless chimney runs through the middle of the ring, which was packed with fire-proof insulation. The ring was screwed to the deck after caulking with clear LifeSeal and the Dickenson cap was screwed to the top of the ring. At first, I had some trouble with lines getting caught between the rings of the Dickenson cap, but I installed a stainless cap guard produced by Dickenson and that solved the problem. Still, during races, my nervous bow guy insists on protecting this area with a complicated web of sail ties and masking tape so that there is no way a line could foul on it (we don't use the heater, of course, during races).


Alan Cheeks
Trojan Conquest
1983 Ericson 38
Redondo Beach, CA
 

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M

Mike Tinder

Member II
Propane Use

Remember that there are 4.2 pounds of propane in a gallon of propane. When we had an E-32, we also had the P-12000 onboard. I carried 5 gallons of propane in our tank. Running the heater on low it would last us a little over 4 1/2 days if we did not turn the heater off. Had to do that a few times last winter.
 
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