Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Strip: Cold-weather build idea *PIC*
By:Darel
Date: 1/2/2011, 5:48 pm

Hey guys,
This is my first time building a kayak so don't take my word as gospel. Also, in a previous life i did a lot of electrical and control work so the content herein might not be comfortable for a few people out there. It's just basic electrical stuff though.

The kayak is my winter project and I only have a garage, unheated, and for the most part open to the elements - there's a noticeable gap under the garage door and open eaves, and no insulation, so on a given day the temperature inside the garage is a few degrees colder than outside. Also, I live in NE PA on the top of a mountain so it ain't exactly balmy. Temps are normally in the single digits at night.

What I did was wire some light fixtures between the stations of my strongback and use incandescent bulbs controlled by a remote thermostat to heat the kayak. Trying to heat the entire garage would be ridiculous given the fact that it's "open" and I didn't want a $700 electric bill, although I do have a kero heater I use when I'm working in there. I cover the kayak with as many old blankets as I could find. The temp controller keeps the kayak at a toasty 61-65 degrees (I have it set for a 4-degree differential) even when the rest of the garage is in the teens. Colder than that outside and it still holds in the high 50s. I'm using Titebond III b/c it buys me an extra 10 degrees of curing temp (45 vs. 55 degrees for normal TB according to the manufacturer's instructions).

I have 100-watt bulbs in the center, 60s further out and 40s in both of the last 2 end stations. Not all stations have a bulb, and the temp sensor is located inside an un-bulbed station so I can be sure the coldest stations are the ones calling for heat.

Disclaimer: Consult a licensed electrician. Potential fire hazard. Don't leave stuff on the lightbulbs (glue drips come to mind). If you burn your house down you didn't get this idea from me.

A suggested place to find the Johnson A419 controller I used is any online supply shop for homebrewing beer. These are commonly used for fermentation temp control.

Pics to follow.

Messages In This Thread

Strip: Cold-weather build idea *PIC*
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 5:48 pm
Re: Strip: Cold-weather build idea *NM* *PIC*
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 5:49 pm
Sssshhhhh...it's sleeping.... *NM* *PIC*
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 5:51 pm
Controller *PIC*
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 5:54 pm
Re: Controller
Kirk Fredericks -- 1/2/2011, 7:41 pm
Re: Controller
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 8:13 pm
Re: Controller
Kirk Fredericks -- 1/2/2011, 8:46 pm
Re: Controller
Darel -- 1/2/2011, 9:05 pm
Re: Bulbs for heat *PIC*
Paul G. Jacobson -- 1/3/2011, 1:22 am
Re: Bulbs for heat
Reg Lake -- 1/3/2011, 1:56 am
Re: Bulbs for heat
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 1/3/2011, 6:42 am
Re: Bulbs for heat
Darel -- 1/3/2011, 7:01 am
Re: Bulbs for heat
Darel -- 1/3/2011, 6:57 am
Re: Bulbs for heat
Darel -- 1/3/2011, 8:01 am
A hot subject
Paul G. Jacobson -- 1/3/2011, 6:09 pm
Re: Bulbs for heat
Mike Savage -- 1/3/2011, 8:13 am
thermostat
Will Clarke -- 1/3/2011, 9:51 pm
Re: thermostat
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2011, 12:55 am
Re: Bulbs for heat - cardbord for cover
Erez -- 1/3/2011, 10:31 pm
Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Jay Babina -- 1/3/2011, 9:51 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Darel -- 1/3/2011, 10:05 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/3/2011, 10:44 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Darel -- 1/3/2011, 10:47 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Les Cheeseman -- 1/3/2011, 10:55 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/3/2011, 3:30 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Jay Babina -- 1/3/2011, 10:46 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Dave Gentry -- 1/3/2011, 11:14 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/3/2011, 3:26 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Paul Montgomery -- 1/3/2011, 9:29 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Roy Martin (fadedred) -- 1/3/2011, 9:53 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
John Roberts -- 1/3/2011, 11:11 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2011, 12:58 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2011, 1:00 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Jay Babina -- 1/4/2011, 8:09 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Mike Savage -- 1/4/2011, 8:18 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2011, 9:29 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Mike Savage -- 1/4/2011, 4:23 pm
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/5/2011, 1:31 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
Bill Hamm -- 1/4/2011, 9:26 am
Re: Is that a bug-eyed sprite?
paul davies -- 1/5/2011, 5:19 am
Why the British drink warm beer
Paul G. Jacobson -- 1/4/2011, 1:22 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Mike Savage -- 1/4/2011, 4:06 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Robert N Pruden -- 1/7/2011, 9:14 am
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Bill Hamm -- 1/5/2011, 1:37 am
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Bill Hamm -- 1/5/2011, 1:39 am
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Robert N Pruden -- 1/7/2011, 9:18 am
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Bill Hamm -- 1/7/2011, 9:28 am
Re: Why the British drink warm beer *NM* *PIC*
Thomas Duncan -- 2/18/2011, 12:56 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Les Cheeseman -- 1/6/2011, 12:23 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Bill Hamm -- 1/6/2011, 1:02 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Les Cheeseman -- 1/6/2011, 2:08 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Bill Hamm -- 1/6/2011, 2:56 pm
Re: Why the British drink warm beer
Les Cheeseman -- 1/6/2011, 4:13 pm
Re: Strip: Cold-weather build idea
Ian Cummins -- 1/2/2011, 7:53 pm