Converting to a Wallas

D

Dora~Jean

Active member
Hi all,

Couldn't find this topic exactly, just all sorts of information on operational problems and ideas. Well, looks like I'm going to have to join the rest of you and get a Wallas. For past 15 yrs on 3 boats I've been an alcohol junky (Origo that is). Cooked everything on those little 2-burner stoves, and I mean everything, even make biscuits in a covered pan. Last time out though, winter at Catalina (like summer in AK...) I came back to the boat and found my son with the stove on for heat using my handy-dandy, home-built heat distributor, but...windows not cracked open enough, only two about 1/4". The windows had moisture all over them (by-product of the alcohol burning), I didn't like it at all -- endanged my son.

So, Wallas it is. Toyotomi (aka Toyoset, Toyo) only sells a heater now, discontinued their stove/heater similar to the Wallas.

I called Scan Marine, talked to a very knowledgable and nice lady. Got all the prices, but she hesitated with a long pause after she asked what accessories I wanted -- and I didn't answer. The 85DU is the model I'm going for (don't know the difference with it and the 90, web site not clear). There are exhaust tube choices and thru-hull (sidewall) vent types. Also fuel containers, small and tall, or large and low. I also know I'll need to mod or replace the countertop since the Wallas is smaller than my Origo. Can anyone provide help on what exhaust tube, tube insulator, and vent types I should order to fit my CD25? I can only measure approximates without the unit. Any help appreciated, thanks.

Steve
 
dogon dory":162efs4g said:
Scan Marine has rigged hundreds of CDs. Just tell them you have a CD25 and you want all the parts for their standard rig. I'm sure they'll fix you up.
Click to expand...

Yep.....what DOD says!
 
...and take it from me, bite the bullet right off and replace your countertop. I spent a heck of a lot of time building an elaborate surround to fill the gap out of teak, but in the end replace the counter top anyway. It makes a much cleaner installation and leaves you with more useable counterspace.
Al
 
Hi, I was just cruising the sites for a minute. If you look at our album on page 12 and 13 I took pictures of Jeff when he installed our Wallas. I don't know if this will help at all, but Jeff did a stellar job and I know that I LOVE :love the Wallas :D . So if this is of any help, "Right On". Gotta go!

See you all soon out on the water!!

:rose :wink Diane
 
Steve... I also faced the problem of counter top repair/replacement when I converted over to propane.... and the counter top was easy...what I did was make the hole the exact size I wanted using hard wood as shim material ...screwed and glued in place... then I just laid a new piece of formica over the top...and used a router to recut the hole to that size...it took less than an hour...and is super strong.... I went to Ventura to a cabinet place close to West Marine and bought a scrap of formica for $6 .... I changed the color to blue as I thought the white formica was to sterile...and wanted more color in the cabin... I think it looks nice, plus it is easy....(and strong)
Now Sue and I are thinking of adding one of those Dickerson fireplaces/heaters

Joel
 
Welcome to the wallace club Steve, those little stove are awesome in are C-Dory, here in BC I fish all year around , the first thing to be turn on after the launch is you get it, the WALLAS stove never shut it of but when the boat gets back on the trailer.


Gary SEARAM
 
Steve.... I was talking to Pounder awhile back and he told me that his new stove came with a neat knife....You might check with Karl at Scan to see it it still comes with the kit...... the knife is to cut yer throat when the thing breaks down....

Joel
 
Wow, thanks all for all the input. I researched (as much as I could via Internet) the Dickinson and Toyotomi's also. Here's what I found.

Seems like the Toyotomi's got out of the small 'stove' business, only build heaters, mostly for homes. They look to be simpler than the Wallas, appear to use a wick rather than pump to supply the fuel (same fuel, K-1). Their smallest is the Toyoset heater at 17.5"L x 14.5"H x 7.5"D, nice looking but fairly large. Puts out 4,900 BTU/hr on low and 9,800 on high. Hmmm, might 'burn' me out of the boat!

The Dickinson diesel is even larger than the Toyoset, with more BTU's/hr also. Dickinson makes a smaller propane heater that would probably be the one you're targeting, Joel. Looks good, but I don't want to add propane to my list of fuels on board.

So, what I'd like to know is if the Wallas stove/heater combo is sufficient to heat my CD25's cabin in mildly cold weather, say 30-40 deg? The latest Wallas double-burner model 85DU puts out 900 and 1900 Watts (don't know if they meant BTUs/hr?). Also, for those that have converted from the Origo pressureless alcohol stoves to the Wallas, how's the cooking compare -- slower, faster, about same? I know one burner is pretty hot while the other is medium, not sure how that works out for a multi-course dinner??

Thanks again, really helps to have such a large consumer base.

Steve
 
Well, Steve, we used an Origo alcohol years ago. Took forever to boil a pot of water. Next stove was propane.

When Judy saw the Wallis could also be a heater, she went nuts. No matter what they charged she was going to get one. And they charged a lot. However, they do overheat the cabin, on low, down to about 40 deg. Can't imagine what it'd do on high. Where in So Cal do you get down to 30 in the water?

The only thing I can help is that the fuel can/bottle/container holds about 1 1/2 gallon.

My question is, what type of cookware does one use on the ceramic cooktop? We have an old coffepot, with a round bottom, and it takes forever to heat water in the morn. With the ceramic cooktop, do they sell special flat cookware? Does the copper bottom stuff stay flat enough to transfer heat quickly? Judy saw some with ribbed bottoms, is that any good?

Boris
 
Hi Steve,

We corresponded several times last year when I was buying my CD-25 "Sea Skipper". My previous boat was Water Skipper a Corsair F-31 trimaran which is now in Valdez, Alaska. I've used the Wallas for 7 years in three different boats and also have one in my offroad RV. If you also plan to install a small microwave, you might consider locating the stove close to the inboard edge of the galley cabinet. Place the microwave on a 1"+ riser in the corner between the head window and cabin wall and the door will clear the heater top. I did this on Sea Skipper and it works great. I will take some pictures of my installation and post or send in the next couple of days. You want to order the Wallas 125DU from Carl @ Scan Marine - http://www.scanmarineusa.com/W125.htm

Recommended cookware - see the nesting set from the Galley Ware company http://www.galleyware.com/default.asp?p ... cts&grp=65

Hank
 
journey on":241ns3o2 said:
My question is, what type of cookware does one use on the ceramic cooktop? We have an old coffepot, with a round bottom, and it takes forever to heat water in the morn. With the ceramic cooktop, do they sell special flat cookware? Does the copper bottom stuff stay flat enough to transfer heat quickly? Judy saw some with ribbed bottoms, is that any good?

Boris
Click to expand...

Boris, with the number of home electric ceramic stovetops, there's no shortage of suitable flat bottom cookware. The ceramic is the same. We've had ceramic cooktops for over 15 years and the only out of the ordinary precaution is don't EVER drop something with high sugar content on the hot ceramic or you'll end up with a "forever" stain.

Look for pots (or Corningware) with bottoms that are as flat as possible. The ribbed bottoms will work but not as efficiently. Mary uses Corningware a lot as well as good old Costco fry pans.

If (when) stains/spills build up, I have a paint scraper that uses single edge razor blades and it works very effectively to get the bulk removed before switching to the ceramic specific cleaning/polishing product.


Don
 
Hey Boris, Don and Hank,

Thanks, I think I have all the information I need until I talk to Scan. I want to ask about the sealing and non-sealing type of exhaust feedthru, and whether they recommend the exhaust only or combo pipes (unclear on Wallas site); and what height the stove should be minimum above the exhaust exit point on the hull.

Hank, thanks for the links, funny, Scan Marine has different models on their web site than Wallas does. I've been going by the Wallas site as the golden standard, think I was wrong cause Roger (Fishtales) has about an 8 mo old Wallas and it's a model 125 also; Wallas shows a model 85 only. Wallas should hire a web maintenance person for a few hours and match up their models with their other links within their site. Oh well, maybe they build stoves/heaters better than their web skills...

Boris, you're right, it generally doesn't get down to 30 here in So. Cal., especially on the ocean, but I plan to go to the Delta Extravaganza for 3rd time, gets cold up there sometimes. Plus may be heading to Alaska, either this year or next.

Steve
 
Well I was just about ready to make the move and order a Wallas 125DU stove with heater lid when I found the Wallas 1300 model last night on the Scan Marine site -- and the 1800 model on the Wallas site tonight.

Called Scan Marine today, they said the 1300 should work fine for my boat. But, it has a 'fixed' 4000 BTU output (1500W electric equivalent), which I think'll toast me out of my boat with Boris and Judy's remark that the stove/heater gets the 25 cabin a bit warm even on low at 2000 BTU's.

Plus, they said it wouldn't be good to cycle it on/off, too much current, not good on the unit particularly, said to "open a window" if it gets too warm. They said it has about the same fuel delivery mechanism as their stove.

The 1800 appears to not only be adjustable to lower settings, but is thermostat capable. I'll call for pricing tomorrow. Both units are quite compact at 14.5"Lx8.5"Hx4.5"D so it could mount inside the galley cabinet, combo exhaust/inlet tube to the hull wall (w/8" riser) and duct to a remote register to the isle area.

This would solve my problem of wanting to keep my double-burner alcohol stove (yes, I actually like that stove) and if there's problems with the Wallas (some say never) then not only would I still have a stove (and make-shift heat source with ventilation) but I wouldn't have to use the knife that comes with the stove that Joel has suggested a usage for...!

More to come. Anyone else use either of these Wallas heaters?

Steve
 
If it were me (which of course, it's not), I'd lose the alcohol stove and go with the 125 DU. I have no knowledge of the other models you reference, but I feel that the 125 is far superior to cook on than alcohol, and will do everything you need it to do to heat the cabin. In a confined space, there is nothing better than getting double duty out of one piece of equipment - heater and cooktop.
Al
 
Got the 1300 heater on Snoopy-C. wallas3.thumb.jpg

Works great. I use kerosene with it, and have never had a problem. Venting is through the roof, and the air intake is the same stack. It has a dual tube with the intake coming through the outside tube and the exhaust going through the center tube. Regards, Ron
 
Thanks all for your information. Al, I here ya, but I REALLY like my alcohol stove. I've been cooking multi-course meals for 16+ years on the identical model on 3 different boats, so I guess you'd say I've gotten use to its quirks. The 125DU, like all the double-burner Wallas', have 1 hot burner/side and 1 med/hot side -- I could get used to that. I like the simple, instant startup of the alcohol, if batteries are low it still works. No electronics or pumps to screw up and deny me of a hot meal. I like the idea of separating the functions of stove and heat in case one fails on a long trip -- would rather have the stove available.

Ron, glad to hear at least 1 other person has used the 1300. I plan to mount it under the counter, run the combo exhaust/intake tube out the side of the hull near the sink drain, maintaining an 8" min gooseneck. But it's a whopping 2" hole to drill -- ouch! Then I'll route the ducting within the cabinet to a low placed register towards the isle. I'll also remote the on/off switch and make it lighted to see when it's ON or OFF. BTW, 4000 BTU's is more like 1200W equivalent electric heat, not 1500W as Scan provided.

Called Scan Marine, the 1300 is what they sell, said the 1800 is considerably more expensive and must order from the Finland factory direct. No thanks. The 1300 base unit sells for $850 + $150 or so in accessories needed for full installation. I think I'm gonna love Wallaland!

Steve
 
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