1978 Gene.

It's never been a problem. You can't see it in the photo, but the back of the stove has a shield built in. At one point I tried to burn hard coal (anthracite) in it. That did NOT work well for me. It got way to hot. I expected the teak around it to discolor, but it never has. Also, the way it's set up, behind it is a locker that has an opening below and above, it's a drying locker.

I am in the process of another re-fit Youtube vid at this time that talks about boat insulation and the fireplace, how we use it. I hope to post it this weekend or so. More info there.

Greg