No doubt that stove would throw all the heat you would want in a boat.

Yes wood is messy. I wouldn't want to rely on it (or the presto logs, coal etc) for a heat source to live onboard. The biggest downside to ours is a back draft in some conditions. There's not much ash or soot to deal with as we don't use it that long.

I like the simplicity of it. It's a boat system that's easy.