MacGregorSailors.com

Since there's not much else to do with the little free time I get over here, I've been checking out the net for gadgets for my new boat. I ran across a hot water system by Coleman called "Hot Water On Demand". At 179.00 it seems to be more practical than any of the marine hot water systems I've run across. It runs on propane (either 1 pound cans or larger tanks if you buy the adapter), and claims to produce hot water in 5 seconds. Not sure what the exact dimensions are, but it seems like it could fit in either a cockpit locker on an X, or the stern lazarette on a C. (Just remember to take the fuel tank out first!) Anyone used this system on their boat?

Check out the website Here

SPC Jared Paul
1-37 Armor
Baghdad, Iraq

SPC Paul

I first want to thank you and all your comrads for the spetactular job you all have been doing defending democracy over there in Iraq. We here at home concider all of you there to be heroes.

As for the coleman water heater, it looks like you have found a real winner. There is another brand that has been floating around but the Coleman walks all over it. The name escapes me but it starts with a "z". It started out as a tent heater and has a water heater attachment that comes as an option but only produces water at 100 degrees. It is nice that the Coleman temp is adjustable.

the other is a zodi at www.zodi.com I think

its temp is regulated by how high the burner is set and how much you allow the water to recirulate

Don't know how Coleman regulates its heat from warm to hot

I'm not sure how the Coleman unit regulates water temp, but I think it probably works like the zodi, by regulating water flow and the heat of the burner. What I like about the Coleman compared to other hot water systems is the fact that it doesn't produce hot water until it is needed. Seems to me that would save a lot of propane/electricity that would be wasted with other units by keeping the water in the storage tank hot, even if it was never used. I also like the bulk propane and water hose attachments. Most of my sailing will be done on Lake Superior and with a decent filter on the water intake, I'll have an unlimited supply of hot water for showers and washing dishes.

SPC Jared Paul
1-37 Armor
Baghdad, Iraq

Traditional Marine hotwater heaters are designed to be integrated into the freshwater cooling system of the motor. Of course, this won't work too well with an outboard setup like Mac's have. But my former O'day 272LE had an inboard diesel with hot water heater. The motor had both a sea water and freshwater cooling system (sea water cools the fresh water via heat exchanger). And then the hot water heater had another heat exchanger to heat the potable water with the engine freshwater. Pretty cool system as the water was always hot (for free) after running the engine for a while. When plugged into shore power, it had a very fast electrical heat option as well. I think it was about a 5 gal capacity. This was one feature that I decided to live without once I traded to a Mac26X. Certainly would come in handy if you planned to spend a lot of nights on the boat though.

I looked at Zodi's site and it is amazing all the shower products. But with limited space on the Mac, where would you put it?
I have been using the same method for years and it is very simple. I use a 2 and half gallon SunShower. Heat up on your campstove appox 1 gallon of water and add it to the cold water in the SunShower and the temp is just right. We shower in the cockpit using a SunShower curtain that I hang from the boom crutch. I also hang the SunShower there too. During the day I hang the SunShower from my boom pig tail that is on the back stay and rinse off from there.

http://66.161.146.46/ShowerMate.html

Looks interesting... stack temp is around 250 degrees, so you can vent it with plastic. Hmm...