Mark Tunnicliffe

Told by more than one informed source (including stove maker) it would cost more than £200 to get the Bubble qualified engineer to drive out and visit me in the wilds of Suffolk. This is not canal boat country! Then would cme the cost of inspecting / testing and any repairs (including potential need to replace unity entirely, according to Bubble. Don't fancy sitting on a potential timebomb stove)... Ohter makes of retro engineered eberspacher type heaters are a small fraction of cost of actual eberspacher. I know a fitter. Recommendations for these are easy to come by, so if they're happy, I;m happy! But aprreciate everyone's adice - it's been helpful ...

Great contribution! Appreciate it. Almost certainly going for a Eberspacher-type deisel unit, I know someone qualified to fit it to. And you're right, the convenience of sitting on a huge tank of deisel can't be ignored!

Cheers for this - v useful More useful stuff - thank you.

Thanks Brian. Hope I'm getting this right: electric is efficient as heating gets? But that even 2 X 2500W elec heaters won't hack it? (you don't need to convince me). So get more electric heaters or a c8KW eberspacher?! The table is v interesting, but uncosted (which realise fluctuates) ..... Are we basically going to settle on fact that a KW fo heat probably costs the same whatever the fuel? ... the makers talked about possible cracks in the unit from overheating (due to running disconnected from the backboiler and radiators .... I should talk to them again ....

Thought that might be the case! Might talk to Bubble again, get some idea of ££s to test / fix ... And look at Chinese 'eberspachers'!

I see a plan shaping up

Looked into getting it serviced after I bought boat last year- called manufacturer as finding it impossible to get a Bubble savvy engineer in my area to come out (Suffolk). Told Manufacturer it had been run for years disconnected from its backboiler and they had a fit! ("could be dangerous to run"). So gave up on it for now thinking would cost several hundreds to service and check (importing an engineer too), with no guarantee of a clean bill of health at end of it. So haven't dealt with it yet (with the idea electric would be better for the envirnonment too? But reading these replies see it may just not be viable on a full time ocuppied 45' boat!

Naughty Cal - would you be able to do me a massive favour? and find out exactly what they're using some time? Could you ask if they find them noisy? / smelly? How they tend to use them? Thanks Alan. Sound advice.

Ok I'm listening! Re Eberspacher - know anything about the smaller models? Good to know - thank you

I have a deisel fired Bubble (Trademark) stove, in need of complete overhaul possibly. Currently no budget for this, even if wanted this route?

Hi, yes I am - I have a 16 amp hookup socket on my boat though - not sure how this affects things (elecs really arent my thing). I ran 2 x 2500W oil radiators last winter (at lowest setting, so 2x1000W, and the bills nearly killed me!

I live aboard on a 45' widebeam and have chosen not to resurrect the old deisel Bubble stove my boat came with? (would need an overhaul - and not keen on the atmospheric emissions either!). Can anyone advise on efficient, portable (preferably) and inexpensive cabin heaters? (Stressing efficient!) Be grateful for some pointers. Many thanks

Now, this looks solid!

Thanks to everyone - I think, in my mind, I began to answer my own question as I wrote it! The boat is in UK, by the way. I would always have had my own full survey done, just didnt; want to waste time and money on one if it was likely to be a horror show. I'm skipping this barge - lovely as it is, as many thousands of pounds cropping the hull and replating seems imminent, especially after reading the wise counsel here. And I should stop telling people I'm new to boating. I've lived on a steel boat for 3 years now but count myself as a newbie compared with many of my salty neighbours. A Dutch barge has begun to appeal for a few reasons (though extreme agedness worries me) - a wheel house for vantage point and light, and I guess shear character. While a widebeam canal boat has been top of the list, I can't help feeling they're a bit featureless, inseide and out (Cue outraged feedback!) Anyway, eyes open for the next 'dreamboat' ....