Which cooker would you buy?

[Guest]

Wasn\'t trying to be rude ....

If the cooker is in such condition - I think I'd agree to replace it ....

Now this may be an idea ......... most cookers on boats like most other cabin / galley stuff are actually caravan gear with a different label. It is worth checking out caravan breakers who have tons of good cookers / items going a lot cheaper than shop .... plus you have a direct replacement - often using the old for spares etc.
In fact modern gear is available from these sources also taken out of scrapped vans .... eg : http://www.caravanninglinks.co.uk/caravanbreakers.htm

Worth a look if nothing else .....

 

[Gordonmc]

Having refurbished my old Plastimo once I got rid at the start of the seaon because it had no flame failure devices and bought a CF Parker off eBay for a tad over £200. Stainless, two burner, hob and oven with FF on the burners.
The downside was lack of gimballs and pan clamps.
I swapped the gimbal bits from the Plastimo (both the same width) and am making pan clamps. The Parker came with a enamelled top cover which I chucked as redundant and likely to rust eventually.
So far results are good... the oven works better with better heat distribution, so no more raw bread at the front and black at the back.
I am pleased with performance and outlay.

 

[boatbuilder]

But remember that not all stainless is non magnetic. So it might be the right stuff .

 

[davidfox]

Bought spinflo nelson on back of report/ test in sailing mags last year - had a couple of plastimo's and consider spinflo to be superior for making toast, as reported in test only neg comment label to front keeps coming off due to heat. Tried the camping place mentioned, got a better price at Calor gas centre in southampton (i think it was called that)

 

[dickh]

I also bought a Spinflow Nelson after the yacht mags test - got it at a good price on ebay. SHMBO likes it and we sold the old vanessa on ebay.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Yes they do have a gas version. Two sizes and we have the smaller one of the two available - although I have used the bigger one in the past. The only problem is the RRP is on the thick side of £1500

This is the one we have: Taylors 043 Cooker

This is the bigger one: Taylors 045 Cooker

 

[dansar]

Thanks for all your comments.

SWMBO asked me to see if anyone out there has a SMEV 4 burner with oven and grill?

David

 

[john_morris_uk]

Re: Out of interest ....

Don't be too sure that your Taylors can't be resurrected. When the company rebuilt ours they completely replaced the burners and controls and pipework along with new panels inside the oven etc etc, and it was less than a third the cost of a new cooker.

I found the company very helpful to deal with. The only embuggerance was posting the cooker to them in the first place!

 

[dansar]

Re: Out of interest ....

I've sent an email to Taylors regarding "the cooker" and have given them a description of its condition. As I am going to be onboard for the rest of the week (Scotland) I will not be able to receive any emails. However, I could always go round to my friend's house, who lives near to the marina, and borrow his computer. His name "John Morris" mmmm any relative of your's John?? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[colvic987]

I think they have stopped making the gas versions as of earlier this year, its a pity if true, as they look like a decent quality made item, but the cost, and most probably lack of demand, has made it uneconomic to produce...

 

[ean_p]

We have a Smev fitted though not had chance to use it yet so can't comment about its function.....am based in Hull if you want to have a look and try K.A.K (or could be C.A.K ) Tanks as a very reasonable place to buy, though they sell bits for caravans and you'll need to get the clamps and gimbles seperate and this can be easily done.

 

[ccscott49]

Looked at their sight, says sorry discontinued!! Pity I liked the look of the big one and would have bought it!!

 

[AndyL]

Re: Which cooker would you buy? Wallas

Diesel fired so no fuel problems.
With the blower lid option on the hob, it functions as a heater as well.

 

[Robin]

We bought a Force 10 when we changed boats 4 yrs ago and love it. It is very robust S/S with sensible and solid pan clamps that allow a big frying pan to be used without the handle fouling on a fiddle rail like on some. It has a thermostatically controlled oven which works very well and the oven door has a very positive lock, when open the oven door slides under the cooker base. Ours is a European sizes one with one large burner and one standard, the grill is in the oven. Force 10 are Canadian and their range mostly is for USA/Canadian sized cookers, bigger widths than Euro ones and with 3 or even 4 burners but they do one model in Euro size at least. They are not cheap, I think nowadays +/- £900 but that is less than a Taylors and at least they look and are 'solid' not like the cheap flimsy biscuit tin offerings from Plastimo et al.

 

[TAS12]

I bought my Nelson about four years ago, the toast test made me laugh a bit in the YM at the time , but bought it on the basis of their test.
Overall i am not dis pleased with it , although their are some faults with it that i do beleive Spinflo should have looked into closer in the design stage.
1) the arms to lock the gimble are off set, therefore you cannot set the cooker into a housing to fit flush , unless you modify them (2) The grill section is a stainless steel box that slides into place within the cooker and is fixed in by the folded joints at the front, nothing wrong with this BUT, the gimble brecket fixing points are welded to this, therefore when the cooker is locked off, the grill will stay rigid but the rest of the cooker will move, as both of these components are NOT welded together (3) It is difficult to clean, getting the bits of the top of the hob can be take a while , as the clips that hold the grid are not NON CORROSIVE and therefore can rust (4) The seal on the oven has a habbit of detaching itself (5) The stainless top cover to the door, i have glued on now, kept on falling off (6) the sticker to the controls lifts off as the cooker heats up from the oven or grill (7) When the cooker is heated up the two hob rings can be difficult to light, i think the position of the thermocoulpes is wrong and the expand with the heat thau making you hold the knobs in for longer to get them to stay alite (8) If you put two slices of toast under tyhe grill , you have to swap their positions half way through to get both slices evenly done ( i wonder if the YM tester was sober at this part of the test ;-) ) (9) I have destroyed two kettles and one saucepan on this cooker, the heat from the grill vents up through the centre of the hob, both ocasions (my own fault) the plastic whistle was slightly over this and caught fire and the handle of the saucepan.Apart from this, i am English, therefore will persevere to make the best toast and keep our kettle manufactures in business through our recession

 

[leopanthera]

Don't buy a Smev

Hi all,

Word of warning about Smev.....they look nice but impossible to get spare parts.

My Smev 333 oven and grill wouldn't stay lit.....needs a new control unit........I've been trying for the last 3 months to get the part....Dometic (Smevs new agent) were hopeless.

So oven is now sitting proudly in the nearest skip!

 

[Forest Girl]

Spinflo! Saw one at the SBS at 499! Found one online at 369! Nice, solid, stainless etc. Quality gimbals, pan holders etc all included. I think it was Marinestore but don't bank on it - my memory isn't what er.....

 

[donm]

Another vote for a Spinflo. Fitted one last year into a moulded space so a little bludging to get it in but a nice product that works well.

 

[colvic987]

looks like another spurious post was in 2005, this is second one i've spotted today, so not technically a new post...

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

And yet another vote for Spinflo.... we replaced a Plastimo with one last year, and the difference was hard to believe.... at last an oven in which you can cook things.... ours does a roast dinner on a regular basis!