To prepare our sailboat Dawn Treader for the cold and damp of Patagonia, we installed a small wood burning stove made by Cubic Mini. Music by: Lemont. Find more at www.lemontmusic.com Find us at www.sailingdawntreader.com
Storage for the wood can be difficult on a small boat, you can burn large quantities even in a small stove. I used to supplement logs with coal briquettes which give more heat and burn longer while taking up less space. A small induction fan helps spread the heat and is a good investment. I managed to rig up a hot water coil into my flue which was a mixture of success and frustrating failure, I will get right one day. As part of the hot water system I added a radiator in the vee berth which really made a difference. It felt good knowing I was getting as much out of the heat as possible, 80% of all stoves heat is lost to the atmosphere via the flue sadly.
Great video! I'm originally from Uruguay and lived there several years on and off. It's a small but beautiful country. It's awesome that you were able to sail there. Thank you for sharing and bringing back wonderful memories of my small country from many years ago. I'm planning on moving to a sailboat and liveaboard, and having a real fireplace would be amazing .Save travels full of wonderful adventures.
Excellent video! I think you did a wonderful job installing and keeping up on maintenance. Suggestion: Once you add wood keep the damper open for 7-15 minutes to let the wood catch fire well. Instead of smoke out the chimney and soot galore your glass and chimney will be much cleaner. I mean keep the damper open for 10 minutes maybe more before closing it down. I promise your creosote buildup will lessen tremendously. Smoke = unburned fuel and wasted BTU's. Cheers to 2021-
You are better off mounting a small fan or battery operated fan as high as you can to blow as,much hot air that amasses near the ceiling. The Eco fan, although cool concept, doesn't really do much to move air. I'm a fireplace installed of 20 years
@@arekkaniewski4442I disagree. I use a Ecco Fan on my heater on my sailboat and it does a tremendous job circulating the warm air. A boat is a small space. It does not take much to circulate warm air.
I own several mini stoves, and if you are going to forage for wood like that I highly recommend investing in a sawzall. You'll be so glad you did. Happy trails. Or, wakes, or whatever boat people say. Thanks for the upload.
Ahoy Dawn Treader. Nice video to stumble upon about wood-fired heater and that it is on your boat. I forget which year, but maybe 6 or 7 years ago, you sailed in the Harvest Moon. Afterwards, you were returning to Galveston via the Intracoastal. Somewhere between about Chocolate Bayou and Harborwalk, we on Quest, a Catalina 30, approached and passed you. I admired Dawn Treader as well as your relaxed, easy-going pace that you were motoring at. 1st mate and another young lady we're sitting on the port side deck with their legs hanging over. Probably about 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. Later, once in a while, I'd spot Dawn Treader in other Galveston Bay Marina's (Watergate, I think, for example). Thanks for your video and Fair winds on your exploration south.
I love this, would love to have one of these onboard my boat here in Sweden but I don’t know how to get one here unfortunately.. Glad you guys can stay warm now Warren s/y Legend
You installed your stovepipes upside-down. Upper crimped pipes MUST fit inside, funnel into, lower pipes so all creosote stays in the flue, if/when it melts. That way there is never smoke, leaks or fumes. Also there is no need to seal the flue joints. Creosote will seal them. There is never a need to clean out pipes. Just have a hot fire once or twice a day, usually at start up, so all the condensed creosote burns out. It may make scary sounds & may give you a mini chimney fire but do not fear, it is built to take it. Insulated pipes reduce creosote formation.
Very important to have a heater on the boat . Good job and thanks for sharing. But be cautious of fire 🔥 on the boat .Need to watch all the time . Greetings from beautiful tropical Hawaii islands ⛵️ 🏝. No winters here in Hawaii islands 🏝 always warm . Good luck
I was thinking about installing this stove on my boat as well. There may have been a heater of some sort installed at that same location on my boat as well and a hole has already been cut the correct size. I was a little concerned about it being directly under my boom and mainsail well, but I'm glad to hear that your mainsail doesn't get covered in soot when the stove is running!
I know it’s too late but when installing wood stoves; it’s a good idea to burn wood in it outside to burn off the paint smell etc. that way it will not smell inside
Just found your vid. Most excellent. Looks a lovely calm existence you have out there. By the way Pine wood gives off much resin. I would not recommend it. Wood ash from fire plus damp cloth will clean your glass a treat. Smoke might impregnate your m’sail cover?? All the best to you two.
Sean Duggan hi Sean. I agree with you. That said I know it’s about keeping the flue temp high so creosote gets burned off. The challengethat it’s a very small stove. (I hope all goes well).
Hi guys. Great video! well done. i did see that you are burning some wood you find along with pine cones and such. The fuel you burn will greatly impact on how much heat is produced. The pine cones and wood with bark, has resins, and saps, which dirty the pipe up quicker. And also not burn as well as well seasoned hard woods. It still works if you do not use that type of wood, just it makes for a better experience if you. Thanks again, and a great video! Thanks
Thanks for the tip! It has been a learning experience, but a good one. We are somewhat limited by what we can gather, but we are much better now at the end of winter of identifying what will burn well. We are very happy with our cubic mini cub!
I am another one of your customers. I have both the cub and the grizzly . You instill confidence in your customers when we see you take the time to be helpful to people on various youtube videos. Good on you Cubic Mini Wood Stoves! Phil B
Hi Phil, absolutely. If I can help here in the video, then others with the same issue may be able to solve the same thing they may be experiencing. Thank you .
@@grumpyartist9416 - as someone who owns/uses both the Cub and the Grizzly, I was wondering what your opinion is between using either of the two stoves for heating a small space like a sailboat or a van? A benefit that I see with the Grizzly is that it will burn for a longer period of time, but is it too much stove for such a small space? Thanks!
I really like that installation, I think it's what 'm going to do on my boat. I had a look several diesel heaters and decided the solid fuel approach is a better solution for me. Its a simpler system with no external tanks or pumps needed, and of course the prospect of free fuel. One thing that surprised me was the fuel consumption of the diesel heaters; 1.75 gallon/24 hours on a low setting and twice that figure on the high setting. That's a lot of fuel.
With my Dickinson New port I get a way with 3 liters a day on an just above freezing day. I would preferer a wood stove too, and mostly burn coal. It has a bad rep, but antraciet burns really clean and long. Wood needs constant refueling and attention.
My minds eye says these have been in use for thousands of years in crew quarters. A fav haunt of the ships cat on cold nights.. Brown coal bricks (never black, too hot!) area good compact high energy fuel. Firewood takes up precious space.
See this is why the cubic mini stoves are better than diesel heaters. No one enjoys their diesel heater, they merely enjoy the warmth. But with a wood stove, it's a cosy experience to have real fire, tend to it and cook on it.
Burning hardwoods, we haven't had any build up concerns in two years in our Cubic Mini Grizzly. Although, we do get a slight amount of resin run across the deck that we have to wipe up once a week or so. The pipe is over six feet from the stove top to an H vent. I wonder if the distance has any added difference for that....
I agree about beach driftwood that has been floating around on salt water for sometimes months or years. It's a real stove killer. Also, no, you can't rinse the salt off it. If you have to use driftwood occasionally, only gather well above the tideline, and use wood that has been sitting in the rain for many years. We love our #cubicminicub and have been using it for many years in our sunroom. It replaced our Dickinson Newport, which was great as well, but I had to cut out the firebox sides and replace with eigth inch stainless after burning it out. It required constant feeding though. I hope to put the Newport in my Vivacity 20 twin keeler that is my retirement project.
@@Daviddickson I wonder how salt gets into the wood. Mangroves, for instance, excrete salt through glands in the leaves and/or use ion transporters to remove excess salt, reducing salt content of water in the xylum by about 90%. I guess I just hear the hokum but I don't understand how it's possible. Call me a "see it to believe it" kinda guy, but there it is.
@@Frindleeguy on the B.C. coast, our salt water is filled with flotsam (logs, trees, etc.) that over time, absorb salt from ocean water which can't simply be rinsed off. They end up on beaches and are great for bonfires, but not steel woodburning stoves.
Creosote is from unseasoned wood, could be an issue. We're deciding between a dickinson newport oil bulkhead FP, solid fuel or cubic. Dickinson uses single wall, cubic is better being double. Space for us is limited too. The grizzly isn't much bigger. Nice thing about burning wood in the PNW, it's free! Like the wind.
That dry black goo you've cleaned from the flue can be burned in the stove. Roll some little joints of it in paper and when your stove is burning hot and efficiently (no smoke), throw a joint in there. You will recover some energy that otherwise would be lost.
Creosote build up is directly related to the quality of the materials that you are burning. Pine cones and wood that isn't completely dry as well as burnable garbage can clog a pipe in a hurry. The worst culprit is bark.
Excellent video!!!! The cub is my choice as well and will be installing it soon ..I'm just concerned that it didn't help your v berth? Should have .. Little miffed there ..but I cant wait to install mine...again thanks....stay safe!
Thanks! The v-berth would probably be warmer if we had a fan circulating the hot air forward. Also we often leave the forward hatch cracked to as an upwind intake for the stove which can't help things up there.
I have a diesel hydronic system that heats the air and water. I just ordered the cubic grizzly. I think relying on only a wood stove would mean an issue around storage for the wood (beach wood rusts the stove badly).
Are others alerted to the presence of an operating wood stove in your boat? As a stealth camper, I became interested in the Cubic Mini learning of its secondary combustion system that produces very little smoke. I saw 1 video verifying this, but yours is the 2nd video I've seen demonstrating ample smoke from the chimney.
Be careful with drift wood which was in salt water. I've heated houses and boats with wood since the late 1970s. I've been told by wood stove manufacturer that the salt in drift wood will shorten the life of the store. Anyway good luck, the Seawind looks good, fair winds
Thanks, is it a rust issue or something else? We have heard that burning driftwood can create somewhat toxic gases, but since the cubic mini is quite sealed we don't worry too much.
From a boatyard crew in Michigan U.S...Fatsco company produces a fine little cast iron high performance wood stove. The common name is TinyTot, & the small model I purchased is the Pet...all the details one may find online- Fatsco Tiny Tot
see that you do what you love and love what you do,,great video ,, l have both stoves one for camping in the winter and one in my cabin ....was wondering if your stove pipe is double walled ,if not maybe should look into it ,,as it will help with less clean out and burn time and safety just sayin , glad your trippin
Thanks for the comment. The flue is double walled on the interior and single walled exterior. We considered insulating the exterior but have not found a need to so far. We have found that the greatest performance variable has been fuel, which we burn a huge variety as we move around a lot and mostly forage for fuel. When we find the good stuff, it is magnificent. When we have to settle on less desirable fuel it can be inefficient and messy.
If your using double walled pipe then your trying to make sure all the heat goes outside instead of into the boat? Maybe should get double walled stove also? Just saying because some people get pipe for propane stoves where the fresh air goes down inside the pipe and if you feel the pipe it's not even hot. Mine if you touch it you get burnt so I get lots of heat off of it.Brickets are great to use at night they last a long time!
There are so many sailing channels with videos of the caribbean areas. It's nice to see something from a new area! Nice stove, too! Oh, almost forgot. Does the smoke stain your main sail or do you have an extra cover in that area?
Thanks! Smoke has not been an issue. When we first started using the stove we wrapped an extra length of Sunbrella fabric around the mainsail cover as a precaution. We also used to offset the boom to give the chimney more clearance. The flue usually smokes only when just starting the fire and more often than not there is some sort of breeze to disperse the flue gasses and smoke quickly.
@Potentiel Films The cap is from a Canadian company named Dickinson. The sell a few different down draft preventer styles. This one is specifically designed to prevent lines from getting caught as the boat tacks. It is a good cap.
The chimney came out just under the sail, have you seen any damage to the sail yet? I am just a t curious if the heat and smoke from the chimney will damage the sail.
Hey, Down Treader thanks for this informative video! I have a question for you. What is the exact type of "chimney top" you are using? I'm struggling with the question of which chimney top is suitable for marine purposes. Because of course, all would reduce the seaworthiness of my boat. What do you think of this?
Hi, the stove is a primus style kerosene camp stove and the gimbal was made be James Baldwin. I think he might have more information about it on his website, www.atomvoyages.com
Hello again...you are getting multiple watches from me...as I watch what you did again and again. We have decided mentally to get one of these..the Grizzly for our 40 foot boat, but may I ask...HOW did you get it there? Did you fly back to the US/Canada and picked it up and flew back with it in your checked bag? Or did you have it shipped there? Trying to decide the best way to get it now ;) How is shipping in to Uruguay also...import duties for sailboats, or yacht in transit works efficiently? Approaching Uruguay in warm season will be warm and not need heat (approaching from Africa) Sorry for all the questions. You said in the beginning you were contemplating for years...same here...been contemplating the install of diesel stoves, diesel air systems, propane, and solid fuel. Have decided solid fuel... and have decided where, and how...now just have to GET it here! Really hope to meet you one day!! Patrick having sailed around the world on a Catalina 27 always has great respect for small boats doing big things :) -Rebecca
Hi Rebecca, thanks for watching and commenting. We are enjoying your channel too. I will email you more info about Uruguay as there are a lot of in's and out's but in short, the stove and related accessories came in the luggage of a visiting relative and a portion of it was flagged by customs for import duties at the airport.
incredible, i want to install a cub as well. what did you use for 'goops' for the hole and cementing the pipe? did you get the whole pipe set from Cubic Mini Woodstoves?
Hey also, can you tell us more about why you didn't go for the Dickinson? Two good reasons I heard of was 1) it smokes too much, 2) it's got no glass door (the propoane/diesal versions do but not solid fuel from my research) - I guess for me being being able to see the flame is integral to the comfort/charm of a wood-burner.
Hey guys, are you going to make a stop in Mar del Plata in your way south? I lived there many moons ago (1973) if you do, one day take a taxi to a restaurant called "Los Camioneros" it's located a couple of miles down the avenue that starts st the port Juan b. Justo Ave. Have fun
Not sure yet about Mar del Plata, but thanks for the recommendation. If we stop there we will definitely check out "Los Camioneros". We sailed to Buenos Aires a couple months ago and we love Argentina, especially the food!
Hi DT - thanks so much for this video. I'm installing the same set-up and it's massively helpful. Can I ask, did you use the 3" through-deck fitting from Dickinson or the 4", and where did the 'adapter' section of pipe come from? Was that part necessary to join the cubic flue to the Dickinson fitting? Many thanks.
Hi, all the Dickinson components and adapter are 3". The adapter came from Cubic Mini. It is just a stainless steel tube, so you might be able to source it elsewhere but I am not sure.
Hey man, I also have a cubic mini cub in my RV. Iv'e been trying to find advice on the direction of the pipes though. After about a week I got some creosote dripping on the exterior of the piper, inside my cab and I asked alot of wood stove people and they all said the pipes were upside down. Cubic mini says to install with male facing down, myself, and everyone else installed them with the male side facing up (ridged side of the pipe.) I am really confused by this, because the pictures on cubic mini website even show the male side facing up! Do you have insight on this? It looks liek you installed with the male facing down?
We can store about a weeks worth of wood without it getting in the way too much. The idea is that we'll be able to collect it as we go. So far it hasn't been an issue, collecting so often. We just pick a nice day and go hunting, gives us something to do.
@@sailingdawntreader Yeah that makes perfect sense, this had to be factored in to any consideration of solid/wood fuel vs diesal/propane - you guys have a natural abundant product. Please also see my other comments, you've got me hooked on the idea of this stove! I am a north sea sailor from England currently running a Junior scholarship Program on Chicago's southside - I just got an Ericson 32 I am working on and am very keen to go far and wide with it.
Here's a trick for ya. Find a furniture store that uses hard wood and ask for the scrap. They will be happy to give it to you and will fit your stove. Also use a bit of spoon full of rock salt in the fire to keep the creosote down. Burn it hot and make it toasty. It can take it.
Not sure about what the salt does it's what they do in Alaska to keep the build up down by some chemical reaction. But I would keep those little stoves fed with a dry hard wood. To keep the stove at it's hottest to burn the creosote down. Had a chimney fire once. Almost lost it all. @@sailingdawntreader
Does anyone know whether it exists a video or article about CUBIC Cub / Grizzly stoves or very little stoves transformed to be fed with wood pellets and worm screw (endless screw / auger)?
The wood stove is nice. I see the stove pipe is directly under the boom. Do you have any problems with soot accumulating on the sails? It seems like this could be a potential problem given where the stove pipe exits the coach roof?
We haven't had any issues. When the wind is blowing the gas travels horizontally away from the boat. When the wind is calm, the flue is offset enough to clear the boom. We also cover the boom when not sailing, so that protects the sail as well.
I can't believe that it got that grungy so fast. Are you burning wet wood? Also, you never mentioned whether that was the Grizzly model or the Cub. I am thinking the Grizzly. I realize that this video is kinda old and I may not get a response. :)
The update vedio on replacing the flute was done a week ago on live simple live free, please check it out. This man got the mini stove 3 years ago and has been using his stove in an rv. He has learned things about how to operate and maintain this stove. Please for your safety please check this you two vedio.
Really great video, guys - I'm glad I found you. We have been thinking of this stove for our sailboat as well, but the trickiest part has been that the only mounting option is directly aft of our mast, basically under our boom (and pearly white mainsail). How much soot do you have building on your canvas?
We haven't had any problems with soot on the mainsail. Sometimes we will shift the boom over to the starboard, but that doesn't seem necessary. Usually, when the fire is burning well, very little soot is produced. And usually there is some wind blowing the gasses away from the boat.
I really don't understand why the heater could not have been mounted on the bulkhead over the bench seat years ago, and leave the table alone? Maybe, that bulkhead is a favorite place to recline and read a book or watch TV?
The flue is from Cubic Mini. The deck fitting and chimney cap is from Dickinson. Cubic Mini made an adapter sleeve to join the two components together.
Awesome video! Just one question - what diameter hole did you need to drill through the deck? Am I correct that it is 7inch because the insulated flue is 5inch or did you use the uninsulated 3inch flue? I've been looking at a stove that has a 6 inch diameter insulated flue requiring an 8 inch diameter hole to be drilled in the deck and wondering if others do similar. Thanks!
The deck fitting is a dickinson 3 inch. It requires a 5 inch hole. I don't think Dickinson makes a 6 inch deck fitting, so you may have to source one elsewhere.