Our Contessa 26, Red Dragon, has been in the family for 13 years this year, and installing a heater has been a recurring topic of conversation. Cost, as always, is a consideration, but we spent a long time wondering if the space taken by the unit and ducting was really practicable on such a small boat.
On the other hand, I’m married to a lady who can sense a cold draught an hour before it arrives and, in our maritime climate, a heater can really help extend your sailing season. Even my colleague Ben Meakins, a keen racer, says that his heater is one bit of weight he’s never considered removing from his boat Polly. Instead, the ability to switch it on after a race, thaw out the crew and…
