Thanks for the ideas there. I also have a boat, so I also understand the
Bust Out Another Thousand 
. I am leaning towards getting a thermometer for both the stove pipe and the stove top, in your experience, is one more helpful than the other?
I dont have experience, Im a newbie.
I have one for the Stove top. I obsessively kept the stove below 600 and above 400. New stove. I use well seasoned hardwoods. Only ran through about 1/2 a face cord. One day last week, I started a fire with kindling, then I added some smaller splits to build up the coals, then a few mediums. Once the mediums were almost burned down and it was time to go to bed, I loaded up the stove. I set the air control on high to get that all going with the damper open (not running through secondary which on my stove routes air under the back and up through a back wall). I did this intentionally to avoid the stove from stalling with a fresh pile of wood impeding air flow and smothering the coals.
I opened the top hatch on my stove, which my stove has to load wood, and watched as the flames washed over the wood, almost like a blowtorch, and then instead of coming up through the top hatch they quickly reroute up through the back top of the stove where it exits up the stove pipe. I do this inspection because it's hard to see what the stove is 'doing' as my windows are always dark and due to the way it burns toward the back it's hard to see anyway.
Well I left the top door open long enough, longer than I normally do as someone in my family wanted to see the wood and the flames, that it cause the stove pipe hot enough to catch whatever creosote was in there on fire. Some call it a creosote 'burn off', many others call it what it is , a chimney fire.
Creosote build up enough to catch in a new stove with that little wood running through it? Yes. I couldnt believe it. Still dont. I did a visual inspection the next day with my phone, and while the pipes look clean the joints have some stuff on it. What I heard was a crackling sound like tiny metallic popcorn was popping every second for about 30 - 60 seconds. I also had smoke puff out of my stove pipe a couple of times. VERY concerning.
Why did this happen? Well, the stove sucks..that's first and foremost. Vermont Castings. No one could convince me this design is safe and efficient. It's dangerous and stupid.
That said, I created a creosote monster apparently by putting alot of wood in there, that just smoldered. The STT stated it was above 400 degrees, and while I would let it burn on high to get caught, I would lower it down alot as to not overheat the room or to burn overnight. Apparently, an overnight burn in this stove is not possible without a catalyst that will help burn that smoke up more before exiting. Nothing like that was mentioned in the manual.
Im someone that checked on this stove many times through the night to ensure it was above 400. But sure, at one point it drops down. A couple of times I woke up to half or just under half a stove full of dark wood. Here I was thinking I was burning efficiently. The room was warm, and I only used 8 pieces of wood in 8-9 hours and still have enough left over to burn until likely past noon. Great!
Im telling you this because for me, while STT is good info to know how hot Im getting it and can figure out about where it needs to be based on how cold it is outside, and with experience will be able to dial this in.
But for me the most important thing I can do now is probably get the catalyst that can be installed with this stove (why it didnt come with it is beyond me), then get a probe in there ensuring it always stays in the burn catalyst range. STT is meaningless to me to operate this stove safely, but is nice to have to adjust room temps. I think secondary for me would be flue temps.
If you read up from others about your stove, you will figure out what you need to be monitoring. But most seem to monitor STT, Flue Temps, and if catalytic newer EPA stove...a cat probe.
