Eberspacher or log burner

[daveyw]

Burning any fuel produces condensation bigtime. Boats are damp enough without pumping more moisture into the cabin. Any installation needs to be an indirect heating system so that the fumes are directed outside. Safer and dryer. Eber, web, propex, solid fuel are all good systems. I would not recommend superser type(catalytic or otherwise)heaters without mega ventilation which kinda negates the heating effect

 

[nortonmotors]

I have a Faversham stove in my 29' sailboat, burning either small anthracite or ordinary smokeless briquettes. The stove is made of cast iron, lined with firebrick, and has a 3" stainless flue pipe to a stainless cowl from a narrow-boat chandlers.
It dries the boat nicely, makes toast, simmers the kettle, and provides endless hours of amusement such as chopping sticks, raking ash and generally tormenting it.
Yes, dust could be a problem - if I worried about it. And yes, it does smoke for a while on lighting but thereafter its clean and I get very few smuts on deck.
On the other hand, it doesn't consume precious amps, is noiseless, and provides a rosy glow on the coldest of nights.

 

[DownWest]

I used to build woodstoves ( and I don't wear sandles or smoke a pipe, got some cords tho) and unless shielded, there should be a metre between it and combustables. So a tin shield and insulated flue. Some one posted a site on how to make a small stove out of box section steel tube. Was a reply to just this question for a small boat. Hydro-carbons produce about 2lt of water for 1lt of fuel, hence the condensation from gas, with or without a catalyser. Wouldn't dream of having a non flued gas heater on board, I quite like waking up in the morning.
The fire ex idea would be good for a vertical stove, my first prototype was from a 45kg propane cylinder. It was so good that a queue was forming at my front door. After 3, I switched to 4mm steel plate and made several hundred. Nice spare time earner.
A