Tom Cunliffe talks about the solid fuel stove on his yacht. Anyone have one?

[Frogmogman]

I had a webasto and eberspacher, one was diesel and the other LPG (i foget which was which), the LPG never needed servicing as it was so clean burning but the diesel needed a quite expensive de-coking after a few years heavy use. A coal fire would just need sweeping out I guess.

You can de-coke these heaters by running them on Kerosene (paraffin), although opinion seems divided as to whether running on kerosene the whole time is a good idea.

 

[Adios]

You can de-coke these heaters by running them on Kerosene (paraffin), although opinion seems divided as to whether running on kerosene the whole time is a good idea.

Good idea. I did run some paraffin through my car some years ago and needed a new cat soon after not sure if it was linked. But I was told most of the available diesel additives are large part paraffin

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I have a Hampshire Heaters charcoal stove. It gives a lovely drying heat on the rare occasions when it can be persuaded to light. Useless bloody thing.

I have a Charcoal Stoves Version - equally unmpressed. Navigator can spend hours getting it to light filling the saloon with smoke . I sort of fixed the Ebispacker and it fires up with engine running.

Sadly not possible to fit a woodburner or coal stove in a 27ft

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Yes we do. Now in it's 4th season and we love it! It's a Canadian Cubic Grizzly, small but heats our 40foot boat almost too well! We burn logs and occasionally those preformed briquettes. We live aboard full time and are based in the west country. The heat is wonderfully drying and we even have a small unit that sits on top in which we can roast and bake (when I am organised enough). No power useage, low wood consumption, quiet and cheery. It has become the much valued 3rd crew member.

Interesting set up. I removed my Newport diesel heater from a locker in the forward heads. It had a cut out in the bulkhead facing into the saloon where your stove is, so that the front was flush. Th boat stank of diesel because the tank was in there and the fill line and pumped leaked fuel.

I have often thought about refitting it, all serviced in a similar space to where yours is. No one really sits there except after a meal leaning in as the saloon table does not extend into that space. Food for thought. By the way, I see you have the supports for the root berth, can you still use it with the stove in that position; what boat is it, looks similar to the Rival or Bowman?

 

[lustyd]

Tom Cunliffe seems to wish it was the 1800s and as a writer says and does things because they sound good or romantic. I definitely don't consider him to be a trustworthy source of information on equipment for boats.
I like the idea of a wood burner/stove but the reality is that it's harder to use, messier, less convenient, less safe, less effective, and requires more intrusive holes in the boat when compared to a deisel central heating system. I guess it suits some older boats more but there's no way I'd install one with my sensible hat on!

 

[Adios]

Tom Cunliffe seems to wish it was the 1800s and as a writer says and does things because they sound good or romantic. I definitely don't consider him to be a trustworthy source of information on equipment for boats.
I like the idea of a wood burner/stove but the reality is that it's harder to use, messier, less convenient, less safe, less effective, and requires more intrusive holes in the boat when compared to a deisel central heating system. I guess it suits some older boats more but there's no way I'd install one with my sensible hat on!

But sailing is all about the romantic isn't it. Being as it is the way to get from A to B pointlessly with the maximum amount of expense and inconvenience. How to maximise the romance feels like it should be a high priority to get the most reward from it. But his philosophy is really big on how to square the romantic with the practical in as much as the old ways have a lot of wisdom to them. And he's very experienced in all types of boats so is in a position to know when old ways were better.

 

[lustyd]

It's not about romance for me at all, it's a passtime that I enjoy but I like to do it with the best equipment I can and maximise enjoyment and comfort while also solving the challenge of how to get from A to B under sail.
The old ways are the old ways for a reason, usually, whether they had wisdom or not. He states it's "perfectly safe" yet ignores the scalding hot lump of metal in the unstable compartment, as well as the hot and dirty chimney right next to his plastic ropes and sails. "all the dry hot air you'd want" is also questionable since what he actually means is all the dry hot air you want if you're sitting in the saloon, but your bunk will be damp and cold if you left the door closed for any length of time. He did at least address how dirty it is, but didn't address disposal of the huge quantities of ash his favoured fuel generates, or how to get them cleanly out of the cabin.
His philosophy is 100% getting paid to entertain people, and I will absolutely agree he's great at that. My point was that if I need a recommendation for boats or kit I'll certainly go elsewhere

 

[newtothis]

I'm waiting for old Tom to do a piece on how you don't really need an engine. After all, the good old way was just to capture some slaves and give them oars. The comforting rhythm of the lash is part of the charm of sailing done proper.

 

[Adios]

Interesting point there. I've noticed loads of new YouTube channels pop up from couples who've never really sailed before and want to go round the world. There's one, charming couple, but they suffer seasickness, are stuck this year on the south coast in the UK. You wonder how long before reality hits them.

Its very easy for the blind to lead the blind now isn't it. Compared to getting published before anyway

 

[JumbleDuck]

Not only did it have a splendid hand start three cylinder air cooled Lister it had a Rayburn in the galley. A solid fuel Rayburn.

I have an oil-fired Rayburn (pressure jet, not wick) at home for cooking and central heating. It's a lovely thing, but at 395kg it's a tad impractical for a 26' boat.

 

[38mess]

We had a wood burner on our canal barge. I used to collect wood from the canal bank in the evening when it got chilly. It gave out a lot of heat and it heated the radiators around the boat.
Lovely little thing

 

[Kukri]

A word of caution: NEVER a wood burner on a cruising seagoing boat. The volume of fuel that you need to carry is just silly and the flue will get coated in tar and catch fire.

You can run a coal stove burning smokeless fuel as I did (could carry a fortnight’s supply) but for long range use your options are diesel diesel or diesel. It’s just a question of energy density.

 

[Kukri]

I have an oil-fired Rayburn (pressure jet, not wick) at home for cooking and central heating. It's a lovely thing, but at 395kg it's a tad impractical for a 26' boat.

I recall from somewhere that Jolie Brise had a coal burning Rayburn. Don’t know if she still has it.

 

[jamie N]

I had this made by a local welder/blacksmith, Richie Foss, who's great to deal with and 'does the job'.
It exits disguised as a mushroom vent, obviously the mushroom's removed before lighting, and works very well with charcoal, which is easily available. A good fug goes on for about 6 hours, and heats with a fabulous ultra dry effect which enhances the dram of choice whilst one recovers from the ardours of the day.

 

[rotrax]

I have an oil-fired Rayburn (pressure jet, not wick) at home for cooking and central heating. It's a lovely thing, but at 395kg it's a tad impractical for a 26' boat.

Yes, it would be.

The ex working Canal Motor Boat had about 45 feet of hold in front of the engine room.

It would have held 20 tons of coal.

The Rayburn made little difference.

 

[Stemar]

I'm sure it's heresy, but I got rid of a Taylors heater I'd installed after trying to light it on a wet, windy day. It didn't give me "all the dry hot air you'd want", it made me cold and wet, because the cabin was uninhabitable due to being full of smoke and, I suspect, carbon monoxide.

 

[Gary Fox]

I'm sure it's heresy, but I got rid of a Taylors heater I'd installed after trying to light it on a wet, windy day. It didn't give me "all the dry hot air you'd want", it made me cold and wet, because the cabin was uninhabitable due to being full of smoke and, I suspect, carbon monoxide.

That would be a flue issue. Too cold, too short perhaps, and lacking the H style chimney-top?

 

[Stemar]

Possibly too short, though, IIRC, I had the recommended length. I had the H on top, but it didn't seem to help.

 

[Gary Fox]

Possibly too short, though, IIRC, I had the recommended length. I had the H on top, but it didn't seem to help.

The Taylors are a bit carp compared to Dickinsons and Refleks anyway.

 

[Ink]

I do love to listen to Mr Cunliffe. Its a great to have him on youtube for the generation that won't read all those old cruising books, the Hiscocks and so many others we'd read at anchor before the internet ruined waiting for tides. I guess people new to sailing will mostly be learning from the bikini yacht channels now.

Anyway I've always fancied one but not got closer than a webasto. Anyone have solid fuel?

Had a Pansy at one time. A lovely warm dry heat that would safely burn all night.

Found that the best way to light it was to take off the bottom meths holder and use a Gaz burner to get the charcoal going.

Never had a problem storing charcoal on a wooden boat.

Ink