Wood, Diesel or propane bulkhead heating stove? - Page 12

CrazyRu · #**111** 01-15-2012

JV, 14 lb bag lasts about 2 days of keeping stove running all the time. I work and I have some shore based social life, I spent only 3 nights on board so I rarely have a stove running 24 hours. One load burns for about 2-3 hours. I didn't have any additional weatherproofing or insulation on my boat. The boat has cored hull. The stove keeps boat comfortable when temperature outside is above 40 degrees F, tolerable at above 30. In really cold days only area immediately adjacent to stove is worm.
The stove is very small. If I was searching for a stove again, I'd get something bigger with ability to burn wood.

JVallely · #**112** 01-15-2012

Thanks for that info, CR.
I'm in upstate NY/New England and want to prep for local temps, which can get to around 30 or less. I've always heated my house with wood, all or part, and like using solid fuel. But on a boat, obviously fuel storage space, stove size and burn-time weigh differently than in a house.
The problem I could foresee with wood on a boat is that pound-for-pound, small pieces will burn a lot quicker than large ones. So a given volume of it won't last as long. And you still have to break big pieces up into stove-size. And species matters a lot. I can tell the difference in my woodstove output between dense hickory or oak, or less dense elm or birch or pine.
That's why hard coal appeals to me.
John

CrazyRu · #**113** 01-15-2012

John, are you going to live aboard? If so, I'd invest in diesel/kerosene burner. The are so much more convenient and cleaner to use. If you are going to spend just a few days through out a year on board then my Tiny Tot is pretty much adequate. Anyway, I'm moored on Staten Island, NY, if you want to check my stove you are welcome to visit me, just be ready for some hard core action - I paddle inflatable canoe to get to the boat. Today my boat was covered in ice.
Outside of boat market there are plenty of cheap liquid fuel heaters, there are some totally universal, burning about anything, including solid fuel, just search for military tent heaters. All of them can be adopted for boat use at surplus prices. just an idea.

MedSailor · #**114** 01-15-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyRu

JV, 14 lb bag lasts about 2 days of keeping stove running all the time. I work and I have some shore based social life, I spent only 3 nights on board so I rarely have a stove running 24 hours. One load burns for about 2-3 hours. I didn't have any additional weatherproofing or insulation on my boat. The boat has cored hull. The stove keeps boat comfortable when temperature outside is above 40 degrees F, tolerable at above 30. In really cold days only area immediately adjacent to stove is worm.
The stove is very small. If I was searching for a stove again, I'd get something bigger with ability to burn wood.

Have you tried the 2 or 3 hour "Firelogs"? I found that when cut into smaller pieces to fit in the stove, they were easy to light, provided consistent heat at about the right level for a small boat. Not to hot, not to cold and require zero tending. They also store well since they're impregnated with wax, they aren't bothered by the damp/wet conditions on a boat. I used to store mine in the bilge.

Another nice thing is that as long as they are not SPLIT lengthwise they burn for the listed amount of time. If you've got space in your stove you can alter the temperature output by choosing how long of a piece you cut. ie 1/3 of a 2hr log and 1/2 of a 2hr log will both burn 2 hrs but one will be hotter than the other.

If you haven't tried them, give them a shot. I used them for years with great results. The 2hr variety might be easier to fit into the top/loading Tiny Tot stove. They even make ones out of compressed, used coffee grounds for those sensitive to parafin wax or wanting to be more environmental.

MedSailor

CrazyRu · #**115** 01-15-2012

Hi, MedSailor. I didn't try java-logs yet, I have fire logs on board. I normally use them in sort of emergency, in case i need fire and heat fast. Somehow I don't like that first woof of stink out of those artificial logs.
Natural charcoals, you know, that chanks of charred wood work best, however they are messiest ones.
I guess I sounded sort of negative in my previous post. I'm not. I like my stove and it is pretty worm here now with smelly chunks of fatwood smoldering on top of charcoals and salmon stew brewing on my kerosine cooker.

JVallely · #**116** 01-15-2012

CR--Thanks for the invitation. If I'm ever down that way I may take you up on it. I'm in Cohoes, on the hard for the winter. I want to outfit my Alajuela 33 for longer-term cruising. I considered keeping it in the water in the NYC/NJ area this winter but for domestic commitments.
Deisel appeals to me, although Dickenson/SIG heaters require a longer flue than I want to use. I'm more tempted by propane, in spite of its various disadvantages. But I'm used to burning wood so the right solid fuel stove would appeal to me if I didn't have to tend it constantly.
Thanks for the lead on tent heaters. I'll follow it up.
John

mtboat · #**117** 01-15-2012

Long thread. I did see a couple of questions that I might like to respond to. I have been living on this boat (24 ft) since the day I got it 4 years ago. I have a medium sized wood stove in the quarter birth area just forward of the cockpit bulkhead. Too much ice, or too low water, either way I sit on my buddies property for the winter.. The stove is 1 ft around and 2 ft deep,flat on top for pans. I use approximately 3 cords of wood for winter.Winter is 5 months. Wood cost here is 125- 150 dollars a cord. Half a cord a month. Cord of stacked wood is 4x4x8 ft. That is the expense part. However we are surrounded by woods, so can be much cheaper if you go get it.(fun) Now, their are lots of good aspects to wood, but here are some negatives. The pile of bark and wood chips on the floor. The 1 gallon bucket of ash, per day (can't just dump it anywhere). Every single thing I own smells like a campfire. The splitting and chipping away at pieces to get just the right size in there, to fill it enough to last over night. On the matter of size and space, I don't see how those little stoves would ever hold a fire over night, so I do give up the space of a compact refrigerator, to have a bigger stove.
Different woods have different btu's, say between larch and doug fir, or lodgepole.
One of those store bought bundles would last me about a day and a half. The space required to store 3 cords of wood .The constsant shuffle of wood into the boat.
It was all good, anchoring out for three seasons, I didn't have to haul that much wood to the boat. However last season I was in a slip, and used electric on cold days, because I figure nobody with a nice boat wants a spark spittin',stinkpot right next to them. Can't have the main on the boom, for fear of sparks and smoke.
Just polite not to use it in the marina.
Lastly I have a 5 inch hole in the deck. 3 inch pipe needs a five inch hole and a sleeve of double wall to keep it from catching fire. When under way I remove the stove pipe and rotate a little cover and wing nut to close the hole.
All said, I will all ways have wood. Cookin' a burger on it right now

Maine Sail · #**118** 01-15-2012

Interesting story about wood. A classic boat owner had a friend replace all the canvas on his boat. He spent over $6000.00 dollars to get it just right. The job was beautiful and fit the lines and feel of the boat just perfectly.

In October of that same season it got a little chilly on a windy & cold Maine weekend. The owner fired up his trusty wood burning stove and proceeded to melt a number of holes in his brand new canvas with sparks. The smoke pipes on boats are short and often there is no spark screen, which there should be, as a result he ruined about 3k worth of new canvas... Please be careful with wood, charcoal etc.! I have also seen a sooty diesel fired heater soot up a brand new sail and essentially aesthetically ruin it..

JVallely · #**119** 01-15-2012

The thread seems to get longer in the winter.
Three cords is a lot of wood. Around here (northeast) the rule of thumb is 5 cords to heat a house over the winter in an airtight stove. That assumes deciduous wood, and it sounds like you're in the northwest where there's more conifer and that probably explains the quantity you have to go through.
Can't you just dump the wood ash overboard? I dump mine in the gardens and flowerbeds. Good source of potassium.
I've heated houses with it for 30+ years, but I've always had room to swing a maul and run a chainsaw. Wouldn't want to do it on a foredeck.
The point about hot sparks is a good one. A screen of galvanized hardware cloth should help. And watch out for chimney fires--keep the flue clean.
John V.

mtboat · #**120** 01-15-2012

Ya. The ash can go on the ground here, but I was thinking of some ,folks in the water that would have to haul it from marinas. This year it has been warm so not so much wood. Splitting wood on the deck? ha no.
Stove pipe must be poked clean every two days. I tried various spark arresting
Screens and rain caps, and they all just plug up with creosote in two days, then I really get smoked ! I love the wood. It is a totally dry heat and I get no condensation. But, someday I hope to live some where warm again.
cough,cough.