Navigator Stove Works (marine wood stoves)

[ssullivan]

The CO detector is a must. I'd agree with that. You'd be very surprised though: It detects more CO from cooking on a propane range/oven than it does from any other source.

Before I got a CO detector, I had been happily breathing in all that CO from cooking indoors on my other boats.

As to wood stoves, there is a lot of mis-information out there. I'm assuming it's because a lot of people didn't learn how to operate them properly as children.

You should *never* burn anything but seasoned hardwood in them. Burning an oily wood like teak is inviting a runaway fire. It's similar to pouring diesel into the stove with your wood. A bad idea, not matter if the wood is free or not. I guess Roy found that out the hard way. Sorry you had to find out like that and nobody told you never to use those woods.

I have a Dickenson Lofoten I'm putting up on eBay this fall. If you'd like it, Roy, you are welcome to it. Just PM me.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Jentine

Having lived in the northeast all my life, I know well the free wood. Almost every manufacturer that receives palletted supplies will give away the skids for firewood. I figure that my time is more valuable than the cost of picking-up, cutting, splitting, hauling, stacking, time and fuel necessary to get "free firewood". The next thing you need to consider is your voyaging career. How much wood do you think will be available to cook on in the Caribbean or other tropical islands? Coconut wood is too pulpy to burn well and give any desired heat.
While I don't think that your idea is bad, I think that you need to give it more thought. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face. There is a reason that most cruisers use propane and most manufacturers install propane in their boats.
If I were to lean toward an alternative source of fuel, I would lean toward a diesel stove with an in-stove heater. The fuel is readibly available anywhere in the world, can be turned on and off without a long heat-up or cool-down period, is relatively clean and is stored aboard anyways.
JMHO
Jim

because my woodstove is a bulkhead mount and I am mounting it "fore and aft" between two bulkheads I have a huge bin behind it. I also have enough small scraps of teak (2"x2"x4")and such woods to fill it several times over. This is teak that was at one time sawn frames for a 30' boat, cut to wierd shape with nail holes in it. There are lots of free exotic wood scrapes around here..........free

[Sam Plan B]

You all worry too much. Global Warming is our friend. Deep water and sunshine 12 months a year. I just can't wait.

[Stillraining]

Well as long as this thread got revived could Mr SSullivan please re-post the pictures of his Little cod in action...Im going wood as well for the first go..wifes orders..If it dosent pan out I will replace with diesel..

We heat our home 50% with wood also...and in my line of work Im always up to my neck in free wood around here...rots faster then I can burn it.

[bananabobs]

My family had woodstoves on all three Grand Banks fishing boats that came out of Issac's Harbor, Nova Scotia from around 1870 to the 1940's.
I am building a 18' Yawl for the purpose of cruise camping the Puget Sound and I am building the boat around a Sardine.
WoodenBoat magazine, Feb. 2008 has a nice article on the Sardine woodstove, the Little Cape Cod's smaller brother.
Quote,
"There is a certain comfort in ritual as well: using the ships knife to carve shavings, the splitting of cedar scraps into kindling, the laying of the fire, the occasional whiff of burning wood and the comforting roar when the fire takes hold all contribute to the sense of well-being."
If anyone is even considering a diesel or propane heater...that last paragraph didn't do anything for you whereas for me it is pure impetus.

[bobfnbw]

Never had a wood stove on a boat, but almost was the owner of a 50 footer with a Paul Luke stove aboard. Would have been nice, but always wondered where the wood would be stored.

Used to heat our old home, a log home in North Bend Washington with a wood stove. But the time, expense, ash, made it a chore at times. The ambiance was great though.

[Exocet]

Just returned from a lttle winter cruise here in the Georgia Strait (Vancouver Island). It was the first time out in the winter with this boat (-4 celcius at nite, +6 daytime temps) and thought that the Espar Diesel heater would be great. It was great, however I did not realize how much power these heaters really swallow up, in the morning the battery was dead (switch to alternate battery and all was fine). Now this is not a problem if you are mooring up to a dock that has power, but out on the hook takes a little planning with running the engine with the heater at the same time. Now those little wood stoves sure are cute, but with having to carry wood, and constantly cleaning the stove pipes, personnally I pass as most of our cruising is done in moderate temperatures and the expense is not really justified for me. But if you are going with a diesel heater be aware of the power consumption.

[csaintg]

Well, it has been a few years, and diesel is over $4 a gallon. I just thought I would bump this thread, since I would love to add a wood stove to my little Cheoy Lee.

[Butler]

Haven't read through the entire thread so I hope I haven't doubled up with posting.
Love the Navigator but check out Shipmate stoves, U.S. made, high quality and easier money!
Here in SoCal I find plenty of opportunity to use my wood burner. Never mind the clean up or the ritual of tending it. Just happen to have a good storage spot for fuel... plain charcoal briquettes w/o fuel additives and driftwood.

[captain58sailin]

There is something nice about wood heat. Congratulations on your new stove! May it bring you many hours of warmth that you will not find anywhere else. Finding the source of your wood is part of the adventure, a treasure hunt! If there are any boatyards around there is plenty of wood to be had for no money down. Beach combing for wood can be fun, but the salt on the wood will be hard on your stove and stove pipe. All the best.

[Ironhorse74]

I have been in the Hearth industry most of my adult life. Started as a chimney sweep, became an installer, owned a fireplace shop, worked in engineering for a manufacturer and am now a sales reptile for a manufacturer of hearth appliances.

I would never put an unvented or vent free appliance in a boat. The have a heavy reliance on technology to keep co levels acceptable. Also about 8 gallons of water per 30,000 btu's of gas burned. That is a lot of water in enclosed space.

Wood is about 9000 btu's per pound. Does not matter if it is balsa wood or oak. A pound of oak takes up less space than a pound of balsa. Chimney cleanliness is of utmost importance. Particularly after burning resinous woods or turning the air supply down to the stove. Make up air or outside air is essential to proper ventilation.

I think Gord mentioned direct vent heaters. In my humble opinion probably the safest option. I will be replacing my diesel heater with one this summer.

Remember wood always warms you twice!

[captain58sailin]

3 times if you count hauling and stacking.

[LauderBoy]

These look really cool. Seems like they'd take up a lot of space for the heater and a decent amount of fuel though.

[John Galt]

I used wood to heat my 38 Cheoy Lee last winter. Kroger, Publix, and gas stations sell shrink-wrapped bundles of 6-8 for $3.99. I would cut them in half with my recip saw. My Shipmate stove would need a new stick every 45 minutes. Also, the pressed sawdust/wax logs burned nicely once halved in the same manner It's a nice feeling heating this way but not the most efficient method. You need a pretty good fan to distribute the warmth, and even with 2 CO detectors and 1 smoke alarm I never felt confident enough to go to bed with even embers glowing. Overall, like most issues pertaining to boats, it's a trade off. But above all, listen to Gord, do the reading and live to enjoy your boat.

[Benz]

We love our Navigator Works Sardine. I built a bin that holds several cubic feet and cut lots of my scraps from building the boat to size. Use them for kindling mostly, and collect driftwood. Even in Baja, which is desert, there was never a shortage of heating wood. We'll see how Maine treats us next year. Nothing is cozier than wood.