woodstove or not

I'm seriously considering a wood stove for my cal 27 pop top. I was wanting some opinions from people that have them, good, bad, or anything i should know. Thanks

IMO, anything under 30 feet can be heated with a "Heater Buddy" that you can buy at Walmart for 80 bucks. For boats over 32 feet, then a pellet stove for boat application is worth the money and hassle to install. Especially if you are cruising the world. The pellet stove will burn other solid fuels also. Hope this helps. Brian Hood Canal From: "yar! san jaun islands, wa" <ry… [at] yahoo.com> Sender: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:07:08 To: <Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Reply-To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] woodstove or not I'm seriously considering a wood stove for my cal 27 pop top. I was wanting some opinions from people that have them, good, bad, or anything i should know. Thanks

ya know, they have diesel heaters out there that will keep you warmer than warm. I think it is called a Wallas. http://www.scanmarineusa.com/ From: "yar! san jaun islands, wa" <ry… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, March 10, 2011 8:07:08 PM Subject: [Cal_Boats] woodstove or not I'm seriously considering a wood stove for my cal 27 pop top. I was wanting some opinions from people that have them, good, bad, or anything i should know. Thanks

If you want intermittent heat then go for it if your insurance company approves. Have heard horror stories from some folks who went that route in the Chesapeake. The best heat source is diesel as its dry. A dual walled stack propane unit is next and then wood/coal/garbage/whatever then electric. It all depends on your needs, where you are located and what your sailing/cruising patterns are. Wood heaters on such small boats are used typically to warm up the cabin from a chill. You cannot keep it going all night without restocking the fire. Heat output is variable, low, very high, low. Been down this road and decided that a diesel stove can do double duty as heater and cooker. Next choice would be propane overspec'd as if it get really cold, you cannot turn it up, only down, past its maximum heat output. Wood/coal/anything else, would be my last choice next to electric. On the other hand, if that is what you want, go for it. There are lots of nice units out there and some that you can make yourself. If you insure your boat, you will have to deal with them at some point. I have learned that its easier to ask for forgiveness then permission at times. Something to consider. /ch

I can't say that I've used a wood stove on a boat, but they are very commonplace in cabins here in Alaska. That being said, I do have a buddy who is installing one on his heavy 50-footer in preparations for a trip up to the Arctic (crazy, I know). He is basically having to tile a section of the his boat for heat protection, which is added weight in addition to the stove itself. They don't come light being cast iron and that added weight may adversely affect the sailing of your Cal 27. One other thing to think about is the fuel. Wood stoves take a while to get up to speed and can consume wood very quickly if you aren't careful about the settings. When I've used them in cabins and if we need to refuel, we can easily go and chop wood. Not so easy on a boat when storage space is limited and you are out cruising for long periods of time. Wood stoves can burn just about anything, but they are most efficient at burning, well, wood. Alternatively, there are solid fuel stoves that can burn just about anything: wood, pellets, coal, charcoal, etc. They aren't as chic as wood stoves, but get the job done and are relatively compact. If you do go for it, I'd love to see how it turns out! --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "yar! san jaun islands, wa" <ryanclark122@...> wrote: > > I'm seriously considering a wood stove for my cal 27 pop top. I was wanting some opinions from people that have them, good, bad, or anything i should know. Thanks >

Comments in line.... On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 2:21 PM, reveraterraa <kb… [at] gmail.com> wrote: > > > I can't say that I've used a wood stove on a boat, but they are very commonplace in cabins here in Alaska. Up here in cottage country and most farm houses as well. > > That being said, I do have a buddy who is installing one on his heavy 50-footer in preparations for a trip up to the Arctic (crazy, I know). No no...not crazy at all. That's an awesome trip. He is doing the right thing as the biggest issue in the Arctic is fuel sources. Basically once you leave Tuk you on your own till Cambridge Bay. That's a long haul to get diesel. There are many former DEW Line sites up along the CDN coastline where you can snag fuel if you know the difference between aviation and diesel but you need to haul it a few miles to the coast. A wood stove as a secondary is a basic requirement. Run out of diesel and your toast. There is lots of driftwood on the coastline free for the taking and just may end up saving your buns. Good luck to him. There are now several reports of recreational cruisers moving through the Arctic as the ice packs are getting much less of an encumbrance. Having said that, you really need to know what you are doing up there as the window is still very small, and BoatUS and SPOT don't work up there..:) And charts are limited with accurate data. So depth becomes a real issue. Best of luck to him. /ch