Cooker Question

milltech

milltech

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My boat is currently having a new deck, so funds for anything else are not really available. She has a Taylor 043 gas cooker. Some parts currently working are no longer available if they fail, but I could still make it fully functional and buy the bits that don't work at the moment. End cost likely to be £300 odd.

Since any new quality cooker is going to cost loads and loads, would you agree this would be a good bet, if not, what alternative would you choose?

I have to admit that though I wouldn't like to pay for it, a Dickinson Bristol would be my 1st choice, however without rebuilding the galley the 501mm gap is too small, thus saving me from the temptation.
 
I have a similar problem with my Optimus. I've been advised to keep using it until it fails and replace it. I'm currently scratching around for some High Temperature grease to apply to the taps.
 
as a qualified gas fitter, I am seriously considering fitting a domestic cooker on my boat. It'll need modifying a wee bit! The one to look for has a main oven(which will be removed and pipe capped), a top oven/grill and the 4 burners on top. It'll need to have thermocouples and be suitable for LPG. It'll be cheaper than the boat equivalent and have 4 hob burners too. The only downside will be the lack of stainless steel in the construction
 
I'm not known for promoting safety devices over common sense, but I think flame failure shut offs on the burners are necessary on a boat. If you can fit these to a domestic hob, I'm sure several of us might be interested.
A new Plastimo stove with oven is about £400, we went this route, looks a lot better than old one, works as it should, quicker to fit that than fiddle with the old one. As a bonus we got a surprising amount for the old one on ebay.
 
If you want a proper, really well constructed boat cooker that performs like a domestic one, this is where to look:

www.gn-espace.com

Very expensive, but well worth the money. These cookers are well designed and hand made from stainless steel and high quality parts.

No connection - just a satisfied customer who hasn't regretted biting the financial bullet.
 
Many domestic cookers come standard with thermocouples(flame failure shut offs). You need to check when buying. Retro fitting them would be impractical.
 
Umm perhaps they've got better but I bought a Pastime about six years ago and was not that impressed, for one thing every time the engine was on everything on the cooker jiggled about and made a racket, there was a funny little piece of bent wire for keeping the oven door shut, and as I recall a big lovely wide grill that only cooked in the middle.

The facts are not so much to criticize the Plastimo cooker which is OK value and if you want to mostly make tea and the odd beans on toast is fine. But good marine cookers cost the earth, though I'm not sure why.

I've had domestic cookers on trawlers and they work great, just too big.
 
The Flavel Vanessa never had s/s in the construction, just decent enamel. It's a shame they dropped it and destroyed the patterns / moulds. The replacement is the Plastimo 1500 ? with 2 burners, grill and oven
 
Hi John
Have a Taylors 030L oven for a few years now and would have to recommend another,BUT current price about £1.800 horrific!
Food cooked in oven tastes great and cooks fast and you have to keep an eye on it.
DSCN1556.jpg


Sizes see:
http://www.blakes-lavac-taylors.co.uk/taylors_030.htm

Might be cheaper to refit the kitchen at home!
Good luck
Mike
 
Don't you have to heat it till the paraffin vaporises and use pressure pumps and all that stuff, and the smell!!!

Perhaps I've got it wrong - do put me right.
 
Not sure what you have been told usualy by people who do not have a Taylors oven.
You pump up the storage tank(with paraffin in it) take all of 20 seconds.
Then you do have to pre-heat the burner bowl usualy with mentholated spirits, usualy takes about two minutes.
Then just as the meths flame goes out light turn on the paraffin valve and light the cooker.
Depending on witch parrafin you buy you can get some smell but not always BUT you can not smell anything on what you cook which is usually delicious
Also you can leave the oven door slightly open and you have an excellant saloon heater.
To finish you just turn the knob to off!
No it is not as quick as lighting a gas oven But I also can sleep at night as 'no Gas onboard'.
My oven was on the boat when I bought it, would I buy one new -No, to expensive,BUT would I change it 100% no!
Regards
Mike
 
I haven't got an oven, but I have the smallest current Taylors - a 2 burner. I too would not consider gas, (partly because on a Corribee it is very difficult to site a gas bottle locker with an overboard drain). On my previous boat I had a single burner Taylors model 029, now obsolete, but I had no problem getting spares - jets, burners, sealing washers etc are all available. Try http://www.base-camp.co.uk/ or better still try john@taylorsheatersandcookers.co.uk (he also does the boat jumble circuit). A far as I know there's no reason to junk a Taylors because it needs a spare part.
 
Fully agree to your post. Easy to handle and safe.
Spare parts are extremely expensive but relatively easy to obtain even in Holland and Germany. Try Bellship and Toplicht.
Good tip I got was to use Zibro fuel instead of common petroleum/parrafine. Much cleaner, so less carbon deposits in the burners.
 
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