Having a Fireplace Onboard

[atoll]

ha ha thats me workshop,firmly anchored,about 300ft above sea level.

here is a going away shot of the old wood burner in the pilot house

[Dame.n.Jess]

Wow great responses guys.

Yes the boat is currently in Australia and hence does not have a huge need for a fireplace, however we are setting the boat up for extended cruising to high latitude locations in our home country of New Zealand. Plus having experienced a few Sydney winters so far, i'm sure it will get some use whilst still in this port.

My wife has some health conditions and oil/diesel heaters are not an option and neither is her getting to cold. With this in mind we are looking at a small wood heater/stove. My wife is not interested letting her (serious) health conditions stop her from her dream of cruising and alternative measures are sometimes whats needed.

We are thinking of locating this fireplace on the starboard 1/4 berth (and sacrifice that berth) and we don't want a massive heat source as our boat is small and we think it would make it a little too uncomfortable if that was the case.

I like the look and size of the little Sardine stove
SARDINE STOVE INFO & SPECS.
has anyone on here seen or used one of these stove's?

Damien

[foamcore]

I had one on a boat once. Called a "Midget" I think, from Benton Harbor foundry. It made dry heat and I liked it. What I didn't like was cleaning it and dealing with the wood.

[atoll]

sardine stove would be an ideal option,10 cm is sufficient gap from a bulkhead with an alloy sheet to protect wood work,flue needs to be aprox 60 cm from the deck level,in total about 1m50 to have a good draw.

the only issues as i said before are dust and mess from the fuel,also after time any white surface will yellow.

[HappySeagull]

Originally Posted by Dame.n.Jess

Wow great responses guys.

Yes the boat is currently in Australia and hence does not have a huge need for a fireplace, however we are setting the boat up for extended cruising to high latitude locations in our home country of New Zealand. Plus having experienced a few Sydney winters so far, i'm sure it will get some use whilst still in this port.

My wife has some health conditions and oil/diesel heaters are not an option and neither is her getting to cold. With this in mind we are looking at a small wood heater/stove. My wife is not interested letting her (serious) health conditions stop her from her dream of cruising and alternative measures are sometimes whats needed.

We are thinking of locating this fireplace on the starboard 1/4 berth (and sacrifice that berth) and we don't want a massive heat source as our boat is small and we think it would make it a little too uncomfortable if that was the case.

I like the look and size of the little Sardine stove
SARDINE STOVE INFO & SPECS.
has anyone on here seen or used one of these stove's?

Damien

I've used many similar small cast iron stoves.Most had removeable burner plates.Great for a fast kettle.Best placement for me was near the hatch,not the mast where sail will downdraft...also,at the hatch,if it gets too warm,easy to vent and easy to feed if you like to sit in the hatch keeping cozy lookout...
Cast Iron gives the best,fastest heat....a few sticks of wood and a rainy night is a different thing altogether...Mild steel is ok.But keep it greased .... iron or steel rusts out quick when not attended to...Stainless steel stoves are pathetic.Any heat off em comes from the cast iron top.
Woodstoves as was mentioned,are dirty.ash,wood detritus......it gets around but never hurt me-can't speak for someone a bit compromised though.
A feature of woodstoves are that they get you ashore looking for wood scraps,cocunut husks,whatever...there's always fuel,I think.

[Butler]

I just installed one of the new Shipmate wood burning stoves that are now being produced again in Pennsylvania... better pricing than the Navigator stoves and very well made. I love it, and burn untreated charcoal and chunks of cut up pallet, driftwood and scraps of this and that.
I used to have a Cole Stove as well and I think either that one or the Sardine might be a better size for you... fuel storage will be an issue so you might consider a diesel or kero as well just for that reason. Love the dry heat of wood though, and the glow of it.. a lot of pleasure sitting there tending the fire...

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Dame.n.Jess

My wife has some health conditions and oil/diesel heaters are not an option and neither is her getting to cold. With this in mind we are looking at a small wood heater/stove. My wife is not interested letting her (serious) health conditions stop her from her dream of cruising and alternative measures are sometimes whats needed.

What about a kerosene heater, is that also a problem?

I inspected a boat in Stockholm that had a kero heater which heated water (I guess) running through radiator pipes throughout the cabin.

[Dame.n.Jess]

Hi all

Yeah Kero is out as is Diesel. We were thinking of burning charcoal as I thought it would be easier to store than chunks of wood (ie kept in a bucket rather than needing to stack it) We dont have an internal engine so storage space is not terribly limited as we have a bog hole in the middle where an engine used to be. Again this had to go due to Jesses health conditions. We sail everywhere and have an outboard on the back if needed.

[Starbuck]

Of course your availability will vary, but you might be able to find tidier fuels…

Alternative Fuels | Adirondack Stoves Heat Systems | Gas, Pellet, Wood, Coal Stoves and Furnaces
The wood bricks look promising.

Or:
Ancit briquettes

Good luck.

[atoll]

the compressed wood bricks/logs are great and leave very little ash,also here in the uk we get compressed peat blocks,last for hours and smell lovely.

[Dame.n.Jess]

How do you start the fire using compressed wood blocks, is it still via kindling etc or can you just light the bricks with paper etc?

[atoll]

you need a bit of kindling but they get going pretty quick

[lorenzo b]

For a wood stove to heat efficiently the combustion air must have an outside source, otherwise the stove will burn warm air from inside the cabin and the vacuum will draw cold air in from the outside. Efficient wood stoves have a air chamber around the combustion chamber with a fan to circulate the heated air, but a small fan will do. Also, the quality of the firewood makes a hugh difference, and its hard to find dry rock maple anywhere near the ocean. The ambient moisture of a marine environment renders BBQ charcoal useless.
Basically, if your boat needs to be heated, it's in the wrong place and needs to be moved.

[Islandmike]

We have a 40 foot ketch and have a small fireplace, it can burn wood, wood pellets (they actually get too hot) and charcoal. Charcoal is our fuel of choice, nice red glow and plenty of heat. However, now that we are in Fl we rarely use it. But it came in handy in CT.

[sailorboy1]

How do you store enough wood/pellets/coal etc to make it useful without it taking over the boat interior? Just asking.