Eberspacher or log burner

ghostlymoron

ghostlymoron

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 Apr 2005
Messages
9,889
Location
Shropshire
Visit site
I have an Eberspacher which is brilliant on chilly nights BUT has disadvantages e.g.reliability, power consumption on startup. 2 skippers at my anchorage have installed log burning stoves and are very pleased with them. Disadvantages are; no instant heat, difficult to use when sailing. On the other hand Eric Hiscock in his excellent book 'cruising under sail' (1937) recommends using an Aga for heating and cooking.
Personally I would find difficulty installing and Aga aboard 'Anemone' but log burner - now there's a thought for winter.
 
My previous boat had a log burner, actually a Morso Squirrel multi-fuel stove. I made a water jacket round the 4" chimney, and that supplied hot water to a radiator up in the deckhouse. It was brilliant, and we carried a chainsaw to cut up huge logs, washed up on the shore. the boat had a coal bunker, and we stowed logs mainly under a dinghy on the after deck.

I wouldn't have thought that you could do all that very easily on a Mirage 28. :D
 
Mess and dust is a big problem, not to mention all the fire wood that has to be stored. In the 1930s mess and dust was different (so I am told) however, today we like to live in squeeky clean conditions.

Peter Pan (52' canal boat) had a solid wood burner and very good it was too. It was changed for an oil burner for the reason above !

73s de
Johnth
 
I've seen a tiny log-burner on a 26ft liveaboard, it provided a great homely warmth, no diesel fumes. However getting logs at a marina is not generally easy. Many people use lumpwood charcoal instead which seems like a great idea- good heat, and available in convenient packages.
A friend of mine lives aboard his SCOD (another 26 footer) and is planning on using a converted fire extinguisher as a stove. I'll let you know how that goes...
 
Curlew has a similar interior capacity as your Mirage and I use a Bengo Charcoal Stove, it is very efficient, the only problem is the door gaskets, they become brittle and disintegrate,I going to try my local plumbers merchant for a solution.
 
I have a Benco style heater on board and swear by it. The big advantage is its silence and by reducing the draught it will stay in all night.
One or two observations:
It will burn wood and peat but both produce tar which will find its way onto the deck. Tar can be reduced by hanging old bean-tin catchers under the "H" chimney.
The best fuel is charcoal, either lumpwood or briquettes. I use paper gracer bags to wrap up small amounts which will go through the top door to save mess.
Lighting the stove will produce smoke in the cabin because of a cold plug of air in the flue. Heating the flue first with a blowtorch will help. Once the fire starts to draw the smoke is less of a problem.
I don't use the stove in a marina in consideration to neighbours who might not like being kippered by my smoke.
 
My experience of burning peat in a stove (albeit not on a boat) was that it produced a lot of ash. For the size of stove that is practicable aboard a small boat I would see this being a major problem. Charcoal briquettes would, I think, present a similar problem, lumpwood being much superior. YMMV.
 
Don't do it!

Before you know where you are you'll be wearing corduroy trousers with sandals, eating muesli for breakfast and taking up pipe smoking! ... No good ever came from anybody ever using log burning stoves!
 
I was going to put forward a word of caution re-ventilation but, as you say, it has an atmospheric analyser so should be safe in that respect. Conventional Supersers produce a lot of moisture but I don't know about the catalytic versions.
 
Gordonmc said:
It will burn wood and peat but both produce tar which will find its way onto the deck. Tar can be reduced by hanging old bean-tin catchers under the "H" chimney.
Click to expand...

We used to have wood-burning stoves at home. Kept me beautifully warm - chopping the wood.

A lot of tar condensed in the flues, and I can still remember the roaring noise it made when it all caught fire....
 
Tar is only an issue if the flue is cold enough to allow condensation within it. An insulated flue is the answer.
I changed from an open fire to a small stove in my house last year, and would never, ever, ever go back. I love it almost as much as my boat!!
 
Hello, I am a solid fuel engineer. And don't get me wrong I love most things to do with solid fuel ! I must find out whether the regulations concerning the installation of a solid fuel appliance in a boat is covered by Part J of the Blg regs as it is for dwellings. Whatever it would give you important safety measures to take such as distances to combustable materials etc so that would be a good start if you go ahead. I also have to confess that I would also only install and use one in a boat if I had a mooring away from others as whatever you burn it will be unpleasant to your neighbours after the initial novelty has worn off. Trust me ! If I had a boat big enough I would have both so I could choose.
 
Sorry meant to comment Rob is quite right a stove is typically 70/80 % efficient where an open fire is 30 ish and you can close the doors. Also he mentions insulated flues which only require minimal clearance between it and combustables compared to a single skin one which is a lot. Now I will shut up.
Regards. Colin.
 
The problem as I recall on the boats I had was the cold air which seemed to eminate from the bilges and spread upwards over the cabin sole,this is where piped hot air wins.A log fire is geat but does not heatup the lower regions.
 
You have to work out the practicalities carefully.

Eider Duck has a small solid fuel burner - abso-blinkin-lutely wonderful. I'd say it gives a very dry heat and is really nice to use. We use coal (sometimes in small paper bags as mentioned above) or wood. For regular use you'd probably want a backup (eg Eber) as they are a bit of a faf - so it all depends on the size of your boat.

How easy are they to install on fibreglass boats, I wouldn't mind one in the new tub? Any comments?

Don't even consider it if you are in a marina.
 
Shannoner said:
My Webasto has given up and I am thinking of getting one of these

http://www.flogas.ie/onlinestore/product1.php

38 ft mobo, inland use only, Good safety features (flame failure device and an atmospheric analyser) €135 (£118).
What do you think?
Click to expand...

I have had catalytic heaters on two boats. I put one in to my first boat (cheap and cheerful) and suffered from the condensation - no flue so the vapour from combustion (and there is a lot) stays in the boat. A later boat came with the other catalytic heater which was promptly removed. It was replaced with a Taylors drip feed diesel heater that in strong winds became downright dangerous, so I put in a Wallace blown air heater.

If you rarely need to use a heater and then only for an hour or so in late evening then the catalytic heater may be OK, but its definately not a long term heating solution.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top