...picking up where we last left off, here is the location for the new woodstove. As we detailed in a previous posting, we will probably venture north for a bit and were looking for a renewable heat source, and wood is available anywhere! We only carry 3 gallons of propane, which is not much if you have to heat your boat with it. We researched and experimented with different methods including electric heat, but ended up at an old fashioned solution... a woodstove! The trick was where to put it... few boats anymore have bulkhead space for installing a woodstove, so we decided to hang ours! The first step was to create the hanging mechanism. Pictured here are the attachment points for the J tubes used in our install...

Woodstove location...

...and thru-drilled. The seatback was a concern so we fabbed up a secondary aluminum heatshield to be installed behind the heater for added protection from the radiating heat...

J tubes installed

...and heatshield in place. The entire heater for reference is about the size of a large shoe box.

heater attached...

...not a Dickinson item. We wanted a place to put a small kettle. We had to make many custom pieces for this installation including this.

new top tray...

...the flue pipe is constructed of schedule 20 3Dia. 316 stainless pipe. It took about 2 solid days to get the entire flue formed. We included a damper for heat control and you can barely see the handle just above the heater box where the flue connects. The thru-deck heat-sink was a wonderful find.

flue and rack installed...

...with a wind-proof vent cap. We brought the flue up a total of 5 feet from the heater. In the cap is also a spark arrestor.

outer flue...

...and presto!!

just add wood...

On the night we tried it for the first time, we were at anchor in 35 degree weather... There is hardly a word to describe that down-home feel of a classic woodstove!

instant heat!

...for perspective on how it looks and works.

one more view...

...this idea worked very well, but did consume alot of propane. This is a $1.29 ceramic pot from the garden store, with a slight modification...

...how we USED to heat the boat:

We filed a couple of grooves into the ceramic so that it would sit on the stove without sliding. The effect of the pot was the same as a radiant in a ceramic heater. It worked very well, and of course stored alot easier than the new woodstove.

...groovy!!

...This is a true HAM radio. the 100watt ICOM 706... it will pickup all frequencies including maritime, AM, FM, UHF, VHF, CW, USB, LSB...etc. It is literally the size of a car stereo or VHF. I was afraid when we were shopping that I was going to have to have a large radio, but through research, found that modern radios have come a long way with size issues... we have an antennae tuner in the back berth (seen in part 1), and we can communicate long range, get e-mail, weather...etc.

long range communications...

...the missing panel from Cruisin in a 25.5 part 5. When it gets cold, we install the entire enclosure, and the cockpit becomes a heated room on a sunny day. When the temp outside is 45, it is 70 inside... hands down, one of the best investments we have made. (...have I mentioned how much we LOVE canvas??)

cockpit enclosure...

...is possible with all of the enclosure in place.

motoring...

...sunsets are beautiful!

even on a cold day...

...being on a 25.5 does not lend itself to accumulating clutter, so Steph has to remove her shell collections about once a month (Brians rules apply here). This is what she does with them...

to answer the question...

...of Steph. It is amazing to me that she devotes so much time and effort into acquiring beach goodies and then can create masterpieces such as this! This literally took her a month to assemble. If you guys think that I am a perfectionist, wait until you see Stephs work! Anyways... more later as we will hopefully conclude the peek series at the next posting... until then, Fare well and fair winds!

Brian and Steph

the creative side...