Ballad Exchange

Hi Frank,
Mine is a Dickinson Newport, which is probably the most affordably priced unit out there, at least here in the states. There's some really nice cast iron heaters, like the "sardine," but they're a little too pricey for me. I installed my heater at the base of the mast, starboard side, on the bulkhead. The heat stays low in the cabin -- no drafty toes. This does not follow Dickinson's installation recommendations, which calls for 8 inches between the heater and all unshielded combustible materials. There's no good place on the Ballad that adheres to those standards, and the spot between the mast and the stbd bunk is, in my opinion, perfect. So, in order to use that spot without for the installation without subsequently using the boat as firewood, I made a "box" around the heater itself from Marinite, a material similar to drywall, and sheathed the box in aluminum sheeting. Marinite is used in the commercial ship industry to contain high temperature cargos. Basically, it can withstand absurd amounts of heat on one side and remain completely cool to the touch on the other. I'm talking temps like 25000F. Just to try it out, I held a propane torch to a piece of the stuff, and held the stuff itself in my bare hand. After a half hour, all I had was sore arms from holding the torch. It's only 3/4" thick. Crazy. It is expensive, though. Anyway, I housed the heater in that and then shielded the bulkhead from the chimney with it as well. The chimney is a charlie-noble. The whole installation took two hours, and it was by far one of the best things I've done to my boat. There are pictures on this site at this link: http://albinballad.multiply.com/photos/album/90/Littlebits_new_gear. Let me know if there's anything else I can explain.
Joe

I installed the stove last October, and I sailed all through the winter. I sail on the northern Chesapeake Bay for most of the year and then sail offshore during the summer when I have time for longer trips. The Chesapeake can get icy or freeze altogether. The stove made winter sailing possible; before, Littlebit would sit, restlessly tugging at her moorings. So now I sail year-long, which is wonderful. Over the summer, the stove made the trip to NS and NF comfortable and dry. Besides providing heat, the stove really dries things out; we had a lot of wet weather, so this was a welcome. We burned a store of wood we stocked before departing, and when that was done, I rowed ashore for driftwood, which we cut down. The salt in the driftwood made for some beautiful flames. We used it underway and while at anchor, in winds of up to 25kts. After that, you tend to get some downdraft, and it's hard to keep it lit; however, in winds past 25kts, you tend to get bounced around a bit anyway, and the last thing you'd want is to inadvertently reach for a handhold and find yourself seared by the chimney: ouch. So no biggie. The charlie-noble I have is the mushroom type. There's another type -- the H type -- that I think would work better in high winds, so if you were insistent about a fire, you could try that. In all, I love this stove. I love the cozy fire and the smell of burning wood and the versatility (and low volatility) of the fuels available. Admittedly, it can be a little dirty and labor-intensive. Fortunately, it's not very far to go for water for cleaning up, and, in my experience, most things are labor intensive on a sailboat; that's what makes sailing fun. Now that I've installed the stove, I consider it an essential piece of equipment. I encourage anyone to add one to his/her baby.