Dissecting a bulkhead

[BlueStringPudding]

Here's a couple fo questions for you:

 

Our study on the boat has a floor to ceiling wardrobe in it. The outer wall of this is a bulkhead about 2ft wide. I'd like to chop the top half of it off!

 

Essentially I'd like to reduce this full height wardrobe down to a half height cupboard. That means from the gunwhale upwards I want to remove the bulkhead.

 

Although this is the bedroom not the study, the study wardrobe is the exact mirror image of this:

 

 

I basically want to cut away the entire cream coloured area behind the spazzy little shelf in this photo. So it'd look something like this:

 

 

I then want to add a "roof" to the new shortened cupboard - which will be a sturdy shelf/plinth and then install a small stove on top of it (having lined the area with fireproof stuff and tiles of course). Kinda like this:

 

 

Firstly: does this sound feasible?

Secondly: Are there any safety regulations that would stop me putting a stove in at this height?

Thirdly: how do I remove the top half of the bulkhead? (My Black & Decker Quattro nearly died when I cut a small square out of a bulkhead for a switch panel - this job would send it into meltdown!)

 

Thanks everyone.

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Bones]

I cut my bulkhead in half with a hand saw.

 

I cant help but comment on the closness of the stove with the bed. I have every confidence you have thought this through, but putting coal on may send some sparks out onto the duvet?

[BlueStringPudding]

I cut my bulkhead in half with a hand saw.

 

I cant help but comment on the closness of the stove with the bed. I have every confidence you have thought this through, but putting coal on may send some sparks out onto the duvet?

 

There's no bed in the study! I just don't have a photo of that half of the study so I used the photo of the bedroom which is a mirror image of the study... except without a bed!

 

I think a handsaw might be do-able, but agonising. The bulkheads are about an inch and a half thick OSB

 

Kev! Oh Keeee-eeev!

[david and julie]

Assuming you got round any obvious safety issues.

 

I'm curious how much heat you'd actually get in the lower half of the boat. When my stoves lit the floor level isn't very warm because most of the heat is rising and in your case the heat source would be quite high up to begin with.

[Bones]

There's no bed in the study! I just don't have a photo of that half of the study so I used the photo of the bedroom which is a mirror image of the study... except without a bed!

 

I think a handsaw might be do-able, but agonising. The bulkheads are about an inch and a half thick OSB

 

Kev! Oh Keeee-eeev!

 

Oh yes! Silly me!!! DOH! I KNEW I was being silly and you would have thought about that...!

 

Not a hack saw (that would be murder) but a big saw.... I am sure they have a technical term. It is surprising how efficient saws are. You could take the bulkehead down and whip it over to B&Q to cut it to side, they will do straight lines too.

[carlt]

I think a handsaw might be do-able, but agonising. The bulkheads are about an inch and a half thick OSB

Sledge hammer and replace OSB with plywood.

 

Failing that get yourself a decent jigsaw.

 

The Quattro is a toy, not a tool.

[BlueStringPudding]

Sledge hammer and replace OSB with plywood.

 

Failing that get yourself a decent jigsaw.

 

The Quattro is a toy, not a tool.

 

Don't be dissing the Quattro! I've done all our drilling, screwdrivering, sawing and general fitting out with that baby! It's just not overly keen on OSB.

 

Anyway, can't afford a jigsaw.

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Chris-B]

Chain Saw !

 

C

[BlueStringPudding]

Chain Saw !

 

C

 

Now we do have one of those, but I fear for the aftermath!

[Yoda]

Don't be dissing the Quattro! I've done all our drilling, screwdrivering, sawing and general fitting out with that baby! It's just not overly keen on OSB.

 

Anyway, can't afford a jigsaw. Borrow one

 

I can see a few problems with the installation of a burner at that height.

 

First of all, any surrounding board must be solid wood. Anything else can catch fire.

You will need a fan above it to move the hot air around.

You will have a problem with hot ashes, as you have no real hearth.

The stove must be bolted down as any boat movement will dislodge it. This also means that the structure its bolted to needs to be very firm.

You will probably get headaches from the stove at that height because its a black body radiator. It will heat your head rather than your feet.

 

It will be an interesting experiment.

[RLWP]

I can see a few problems with the installation of a burner at that height.

 

First of all, any surrounding board must be solid wood. Anything else can catch fire.

You will need a fan above it to move the hot air around.

You will have a problem with hot ashes, as you have no real hearth.

The stove must be bolted down as any boat movement will dislodge it. This also means that the structure its bolted to needs to be very firm.

You will probably get headaches from the stove at that height because its a black body radiator. It will heat your head rather than your feet.

 

It will be an interesting experiment.

 

It will also have a very short chimney.

 

Richard

[Bill]

I can see a few problems with the installation of a burner at that height.

 

First of all, any surrounding board must be solid wood. Anything else can catch fire.

You will need a fan above it to move the hot air around.

You will have a problem with hot ashes, as you have no real hearth.

The stove must be bolted down as any boat movement will dislodge it. This also means that the structure its bolted to needs to be very firm.

You will probably get headaches from the stove at that height because its a black body radiator. It will heat your head rather than your feet.

 

It will be an interesting experiment.

 

And will the flue be long enough to give a decent draw? Might need an awfully long stack outside to compensate.

[Yoda]

And will the flue be long enough to give a decent draw? Might need an awfully long stack outside to compensate.

 

This is a valid point. You will need the flue to be as long as a normal installation to get the same results. That would mean about 3 feet minimum added to the outside. You will knock down bridges!

[Bones]

This is a valid point. You will need the flue to be as long as a normal installation to get the same results. That would mean about 3 feet minimum added to the outside. You will knock down bridges!

 

 

the flu can be removed when cruising.

[BlueStringPudding]

I can see a few problems with the installation of a burner at that height.

 

First of all, any surrounding board must be solid wood. Anything else can catch fire. I was going for masterboard and tiling on top of the OSB that's already there. Do you think that'd be risky then?

You will need a fan above it to move the hot air around. Good point

You will have a problem with hot ashes, as you have no real hearth. Can't say my drawing is to scale, so that I won't know about the size of the hearth area till I get measuring and look into the size and shape of stove that'd be suitable. I've seen a couple of small ones that might work. Still working out the possibilities at this stage.

The stove must be bolted down as any boat movement will dislodge it. This also means that the structure its bolted to needs to be very firm. True - the one I built in the stern cabin (only a few inches off the ground though) is super firm, so I'm not too worried about that.

You will probably get headaches from the stove at that height because its a black body radiator. It will heat your head rather than your feet. Hmmm... hadn't thought about that.

 

It will be an interesting experiment.

 

 

Thanks for your comments. Useful.

 

This is a valid point. You will need the flue to be as long as a normal installation to get the same results. That would mean about 3 feet minimum added to the outside. You will knock down bridges!

 

Now I didn't know the flue had to be a minimum size. That's why it's good asking you guys these things!

 

What is the minimum length? We saw a boat at Crick that had a little stove raised up on a plinth that was easily a foot and a half high. It didn't have a particularly long chimney. My plinth would essentially be a foot and a half higher still, I suppose. Also I've seen many a boat use their stove with no chimney - smoke coming out of the collar at roof height instead.

Does anyone here know what the length ought to be as from the examples above they seem to vary by 2ft or so?

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Bill]

Thanks for your comments. Useful.

 

 

 

Now I didn't know the flue had to be a minimum size. That's why it's good asking you guys these things!

 

What is the minimum length? We saw a boat at Crick that had a little stove raised up on a plinth that was easily a foot and a half high. It didn't have a particularly long chimney. My plinth would essentially be a foot and a half higher still, I suppose. Also I've seen many a boat use their stove with no chimney - smoke coming out of the collar at roof height instead.

Does anyone here know what the length ought to be as from the examples above they seem to vary by 2ft or so?

 

I don't think there is a minimum length as such. Most manufacturers will recommend what is suitable for their particular stove to work in an efficient manner. The flue diameter definitely has an effect on the draw produced for any given length, and stoves seem to vary from as small as 3" up to 6" flues. I would look at a specific stove and see what the maker recommends and go from there.

[BlueStringPudding]

I don't think there is a minimum length as such. Most manufacturers will recommend what is suitable for their particular stove to work in an efficient manner. The flue diameter definitely has an effect on the draw produced for any given length, and stoves seem to vary from as small as 3" up to 6" flues. I would look at a specific stove and see what the maker recommends and go from there.

 

Sound advice. Cheers.

[Yoda]

I could not understand, at first why modern boats with stoves in the corners were catching fire, or smoldering. I had no recollection of it happening in old 'boatmans' cabins so it had to be something to do with the wood surrounds. Most of these were composite wood boards and smoldered even behind tiles rather than the solid wood used years ago. The answer is the glue used to bond the boards. It catches fire behind the other cladding.

[RLWP]

Sound advice. Cheers.

 

Your picture shows a mirrored door with a wooden surround. Is there a similar door or wooden wall in the place you want to install your stove?

 

Richard

[BlueStringPudding]

Your picture shows a mirrored door with a wooden surround. Is there a similar door or wooden wall in the place you want to install your stove?

 

Richard

 

Yes - it's one of the few bits of real wood (not OSB) on the boat! It's not a door but the side of another floor to ceiling cupboard, which I want to keep. If you look at my photos in the opening post, piccies two and three show (ish) that the stove would be fenced in on two and a half sides - the rear of that other cupboard forming the half wall to the left of the stove. Again it'd all be lined in masterboard and tiles.

 

Actually - here's a quick diagram to show what I mean:

 

 

The yellow area is the plinth at gunwhale height. The red area shows the walls I'd intended to line in masterboard and tiles. The blue line ashows the two walls made of OSB. All the other surfaces are wood.

 

Would the two-and-a-half sides around it be against some sort of regulation?

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[RLWP]

Yes - it's one of the few bits of real wood (not OSB) on the boat! It's not a door but the side of another floor to ceiling cupboard, which I want to keep. If you look at my photos in the opening post, piccies two and three show (ish) that the stove would be fenced in on two and a half sides - the rear of that other cupboard forming the half wall to the left of the stove. Again it'd all be lined in masterboard and tiles.

 

Would that be against some sort of regulation?

 

Not that I know of, but I guess that if it isn't shielded all of the varnish is going to come off.

 

I have a concern though about having a hot stove at a height that you could fall or brush up against.

 

Richard

[david and julie]

The Gov have a help-line for flu perhaps they could help.

[BlueStringPudding]

Not that I know of, but I guess that if it isn't shielded all of the varnish is going to come off.

 

I have a concern though about having a hot stove at a height that you could fall or brush up against.

 

Richard

 

It'd be very hard to brush up against in that little nook. I'm more likely to brush up against the one at floor height in the back room, I'd have thought - coz that's exposed on two sides.

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding

[Yoda]

Will it be too high to put the coffee pot on top of it?

[BlueStringPudding]

Will it be too high to put the coffee pot on top of it?

 

I wasn't intending it skim the ceiling! Anyway, I don't drink coffee. As long as I can fit a camembert and a ciabatta on it, I'm happy!

 

Seriously, it'd be no higher than gunwhale height. Which seems quite practical, I'd have thought.

Edited July 27, 2009 by BlueStringPudding