Boat cooker - your opinion wanted

[Skents]

We are long term liveaboards who need a new cooker and wanted to ask forumites to share their good and bad experiences of different makes.

We installed a new Smev when we built the boat (2004) - in the last few weeks the oven flame keeps dwindling and even going out. Spoke to the "man who knows" at the Southampton Calor Gas Centre who reckons the control unit is knackered. We asked if we could buy a new one and he said it would take 3 to 4 months to arrive......not really an option as we use our oven almost every day.

So on the down side....the Smev has packed up after 6 years and the grill never worked well. On the plus side the top burners were efficient and when it was working the oven was sufficiently spacious that you could cook a Christmas dinner for six in it.

We can't run to a new Taylors but will be looking for a "reasonably priced" (hollow laugh) replacement for the Smev. We need something up to proper cooking on a daily basis - not something that will warm up a Fray Bentos pie at weekends.

So, suggestions please? If you use your cooker a lot and it does what you want it to do please tell us make and model - if yours is a disappointment please tell us about it too so we can avoid wasting our money on something useless.

Thanks for any help.

 

[purplerobbie]

A friend lives on his boat and rates the Force 10 cookers but they are big money

I had a Taylors on a previous boat and wouldn't want another one especially for a liveaboard.
Far to fiddily to light.
You can light the cooker and have the kettle on while someone with a taylors will still be fiddling with the meths or blow torch trying to light it.

Rob

 

[skipdiver435]

cookers

we have a wallas diesel at the moment and will be getting a dickinson with back boiler then we can run rads

 

[CharlesSwallow]

Our Techimpex

...has proved reliable for nearly nine years and all it has needed is one new thermocouple for the oven. The parts are available in most chandleries here in Greece and the cooker can be had for around £420 in the UK. There is no grill but we have a cockpit gas/charcoal BBq for that plus we like oven roasted vegetables and the meat you get here is rather tough for radiant grilling and is best braised/pot broiled in the oven.

Chas

 

[Alyssa]

Smev spares

Have you tried Leisure Spares 01423 321108 sales@leisurespares.co.uk ???

They got some bits and pieces for our SMEV from the manufacturers in Italy in a few weeks.

Good luck!

 

[Kukri]

A friend lives on his boat and rates the Force 10 cookers but they are big money

I had a Taylors on a previous boat and wouldn't want another one especially for a liveaboard.
Far to fiddily to light.
You can light the cooker and have the kettle on while someone with a taylors will still be fiddling with the meths or blow torch trying to light it.

Rob

Such a someone does not know what they are doing, then. Put the kettle on over the meths. No need to wait. Since the Primus burner burns hotter than a gas flame the kettle will boil first. Proved that a good few times when I lived aboard.

Oh, and the answer to the question is

"a secondhand Taylors or a secondhand Shipmate"

Shipmates were made in the States and are even better made than Taylors. They take the same fittings.

 

[Skents]

We used to have a Taylors and it was a nice bit of kit but not keen to go down the paraffin route again. We had enough of a quest finding paraffin for our oil lamp in some Caribbean islands whereas gas has been easy to locate everywhere we have been.

 

[daveyw]

You have a big boat so can't you fit in a domestic cooker?

http://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/_5015265_Indesit_KD3G2SLWIR/version.asp?refsource=apfroogle

 

[Poignard]

I had a Taylors on a previous boat and wouldn't want another one especially for a liveaboard.
Far to fiddily to light.
You can light the cooker and have the kettle on while someone with a taylors will still be fiddling with the meths or blow torch trying to light it.

Rob

...and be relaxing with your tea whilst someone with a Taylors is washing the soot off the deckhead

 

[BigART]

Nelson Spinflo

We installed a Nelson Spinflo back in August 2004, and so far have had no problems at all. It was reasonably priced - amazing I know.... maybe because it isn't produced exclusively for the marine market?

The Spinflo just has 2 burners - on occasion 3 would be handy, but it's never been a show-stopper. The separate grill makes fabulously even toast - it came top in a PBO cooker review which focused on how some grills cremate at the centre, leaving the toast barely warm at the edges.

We have been living aboard since spring 2005, hence the oven has seen many hundreds of loaves. It comes to temperature quickly, and cooks evenly.

All in all, a good value, reliable bit of kit.

Good luck.

Ruth

 

[Tranona]

My personal preference is for a Taylors - I have one on my old boat and it is great. However it is an acquired tatse and also hideously expensive now.

On my Bavaria I have a Techimpex (branded as Bavaria) and would not recommend it. The oven is slow, the grid and pan clamps are rubbish and spares are difficult to get in the UK. (Bainbridge who are agentrs don't want to know)

If I were to replace it (and I might if I keep the boat) then the Nelson stands way above others. It is similar but marginally better than Plastimo because the oven is SS. I have real difficulty in seeing the added value of Enos, Smevs at 40% more and a **** grill. Force 10 looks good but has lower oven capacity and poor grill - and again expensive

Given that you can buy nearly 2 Spinlos for the price of the more "upmarket" brands and performance according to the mag tests is at least as good if not better - no contest. On offer at Marine Megastore for £470 and made in UK!

 

[Kukri]

...and be relaxing with your tea whilst someone with a Taylors is washing the soot off the deckhead

Anyone who is dissatisified with, or worried about the environmental aspects of, his or more probably her Taylor's stove is welcome to contact me; I will be happy to arrange free disposal.

(picked up mine at Wyatts chandlery in West Mersea for £100, 20 years ago, because someone's wife was scared of it; it's lasted ever since, including a spell of living aboard )

 

[chockswahay]

Force 10

We bought a new F10 in Spring 2005..............lived aboard for three years.........It is just an absolute pleasure to use. I have to say that the grill is not the best ever but the oven is 'just like the real thing!'

The quality is impressive, the door slides out of the way, the top is easy to clean. The rings are super controllable, the thermostat is accurate, everything is 'push button ignition' It is well made from proper stainless steel and will last for a long time.

We paid £850 for ours when the retail price was £1200 or so..............so shop around!

Yes a Force 10 is still expensive but I really do think that my money was well spent.

Please note..........now I am selling (sold?) my boat I would not invest the same again for what will be weekend use once or twice a month during the summer only. In this case I will buy a cheap one.

All relative I guess.............any way, that's my tuppence worth......


P.S Just looked at your website...what a lovely boat! (are you any conection with the Skentelbery builders of 'Saga' boats?)............a boat likes yours deserves a Force 10 cooker!!

 

[Tradewinds]

Yes a Force 10 is still expensive but I really do think that my money was well spent.

Please note..........now I am selling (sold?) my boat I would not invest the same again for what will be weekend use once or twice a month during the summer only. In this case I will buy a cheap one.

All relative I guess.............any way, that's my tuppence worth......

18 years ago I started out with a Taylors 4-burner gas cooker that came with the boat. It was well used when I got it (the previous owner being a bit of a gastronaut). I thought it was an excellent bit of kit - unfortunately it was a re-badged American make (Kenyon) & it's weak point (the tin/alloy burners) began to rot away one by one & spare parts were obsolete in the end. Great oven which produced excellent bread.

After attempts to replace the burners failed I bit the bullet & bought a Nelson Spinflo. We were no longer cruising full-time so I thought a 2-burner would be OK.

95% of the time it fulfilled its function perfectly - good oven (if small), good grill. But I missed having the extra burners (1 more at least) & more importantly a larger higher output burner. But that apart it was excellent & I would buy again.

I bought an American sized 4-burner Force10 on Ebay at a very good price, sold the Spinflo to a forumite, and fitted that instead.

Observations are - top burners are excellent & give me what I want, oven is OKish (not thermostatic) but needs a bit of 'understanding' to get the best out of it, grill is not as good as the Spinflo.

Build quality of my F10 is excellent - much beefier than the Nelson but it is an earlier 1996 model of the F10. I believe the original company changed hands and that the cooker is now manufactured in China (could be wrong about this). From what I've seen in Fox's Chandlery they don't look & feel as robust as mine.

If Nelson did a Spinflo with one standard burner & one larger output burner I think it would be hard to beat at the price.

I hope my ramblings are a help

 

[Roaring Girl]

If the F10 is over budget, you could look at an Eno. We replaced our (extremely unsatisfactory) wallas deisel cooker with one two years ago and it's doing good. Or the more upmarket Levante which we saw at London Boat Show and coveted.

 

[Chris_Robb]

We bought a new F10 in Spring 2005..............lived aboard for three years.........It is just an absolute pleasure to use. I have to say that the grill is not the best ever but the oven is 'just like the real thing!'

The quality is impressive, the door slides out of the way, the top is easy to clean. The rings are super controllable, the thermostat is accurate, everything is 'push button ignition' It is well made from proper stainless steel and will last for a long time.

We paid £850 for ours when the retail price was £1200 or so..............so shop around!

Yes a Force 10 is still expensive but I really do think that my money was well spent.

We have the 3 burner job - yes its great. We are off on a long cruise this year - did you have any problems with the Thermocouples? do you need to carry any spares? I don't even know where the battery is for the spark ignition - though I have now found the manufacturers manual on the internet and down loaded it.

 

[Woodlouse]

Such a someone does not know what they are doing, then. Put the kettle on over the meths. No need to wait. Since the Primus burner burns hotter than a gas flame the kettle will boil first. Proved that a good few times when I lived aboard.

Oh, and the answer to the question is

"a secondhand Taylors or a secondhand Shipmate"

Shipmates were made in the States and are even better made than Taylors. They take the same fittings.

I have no real idea as to the vintage of our primus. Tis an Optimus and was fitted in the 70's or early 80's. They don't make 'em any more but the Taylors burners fit so there's life in it yet.

It even has preheaters which work by lighting a nozzle that sprays atomised paraffin at the base of the burner which gets it up to temperature within a minute, so for a kettle just light the preheater, stick the kettle on, then when you think it's hot enough turn on the burner, the preheater lights it and then just knock off the preheater.

Any soot on the deckhead is a result of trying to light the stove when the burners are not up to temperature, or the tank does not have enough pressure.

And the best thing is, it'll never cause the boat to explode.

 

[doug748]

I don't live aboard but I have had a Nelson for about 10 years and it has been very good, it has seen fairly heavy use over a six month season each year.
It is pretty well put together and I am told the oven has a thermostat, though as my cooking is at the rustic end of the spectrum I would not know. It does good soda bread.
Possible negatives:
Pan clamps seem to be plated rather than stainless - rub down with an oily rag like an old British motor bike
Back of oven is open to the insulation - fairly easy job to put in an alloy/formica plate if this is a concern.
Hob burners are not the hottest (according to a piece I read in an owners club magazine). I have not noticed a problem but it might be if you are catering for a large crew.
All the rest is good news, including the lowish purchase price.

 

[nathanlee]

I'm currently living off cold food and takeaways, awaiting the funds to buy an oven. I had an Origo 1500 on my last boat and loved it. Best bit of kit on there IMO. I was considering a Taylors for the new boat, but I'm not ever so convinced about paraffin now, and I found that Origo make a 6000 model which includes an oven.

Has anybody got any experience with the Origo meths oven?

 

[wriggles brook]

Taylors Cooker

Hi there we have a Taylors 030 for sale, in excellent full working order with tank and pump and retaining bracket. We are looking for £1000 ono, if you are interested.

Thanks for your time if you're not interested,

Jane and JP