Fred1

We're trying to keep costs down, so not really an option at the moment. A salesman in midland chandlery also told us not to both with back boilers Thanks, looks like a very interesting option, I'll take a closer look at it this evening

Hi guys, thanks for replies and thanks for the welcome to the forum Peter Here's a picture of the front section of the boat https://www.dropbox.com/s/w7140gg4hdxzf9r/12.jpg?dl=0 The right-hand cabinet has various electronics built in and houses the tables very neatly, which is why I was asking about the left corner first, but it can go if needed... Could we build an arm for the settee out of heat proof board and use the whole space for the stove? Boatman voters does ash ever bother you? Another user's review made quite a big deal of this

Hello all, my partner and I are planning to move onto our first ever narrowboat in about a month, a lovely 52' semi-trad called Florence. Florence is our perfect boat in almost every way, the exception being the lack of a solid fuel stove. Given the huge selection of stoves available, we're finding it hard to choose the most appropriate one, so I thought I'd ask some more experienced boaters for help. Our top three so far are: 1. The ubiquitous Boatman stove from Northern Fabrications. Steel, 4kw, 460(H) x 360(W) x 330(D). £300 2. The Salamander Hobbit. Cast iron, 4kw, 465 x 302 x 272. £475 3. The Dowling Little Devil. Steel, 3.5-4kw, 470 x 300 x 400, 552. Due to the layout of the boat, the stove has to go to one side of the front doors. To the right is a very nicely built cabinet with a variety of electrics built in, so ideally we're looking at the front left corner. The available space here is 60cm wide with an inbuilt settee 100cm from the front wall. So my questions are: 1. Is 4kw sufficient, given that we'll be sleeping at the other end of the boat? 2. Is ash as much of a problem with the Boatman as some people claim? 3. Many users claim cast iron is inappropriate for boats, has anyone had a Hobbit crack/fall apart? 4. Should the stove be angled into the room, or is this a matter of taste? 5. Are we asking for trouble having a stove so close to the settee? 6. What would you go for? Personally I like the Dowling most, both functionally and aesthetically, but it's more expensive and the biggest of the three so perhaps not ideal. Sorry to waffle on, any advice or suggestions greatly appreciated! Edit: title should've been Yet another stove choice thread. Don't know how to change it!