Boatman Stove modifications- advice

[A A Matthews]

I wish to extend the useable cooking area on my boatman stove. Image as seen. As I do most meals in casserole dishes it makes sense to ‘ add ‘ a removable surface at one side therefore allowing either a circular or oval Le Cruset type dish on top.

 

I  can arc weld, braze and have lots of 

m/ s threaded rod, nuts , bolts et etc so materials are not a problem.

Image showing installation with tiled fire back and flue to be fitted etc

All ideas welcomed 

[Tony Brooks]

I think the boatman is welded mild steel so I think I would fit a piece of (say) 5 or 6 mm steel plate right across the top, possibly with a cut-out to go around the chimney and secure it with countersunk machine screws into both sides of the stove top overlap. It only needs to overhang on one side.

[agg221]

I suggest that you start by temporarily clamping a piece of steel sheet in your intended location and see if it gets hot enough. If it does, great, if not then plan B.

 

My Plan B would be to try clamping a piece of aluminium sheet in place instead. I would go for something around 10-12mm thick, over the whole top and overhanging to the side as desired. That will conduct the heat far better so if the steel doesn't get hot enough, this is more likely to. You can improve heat transfer still further by sanding the top of the stove flat and making sure the metal face to face contact is as good as possible - a layer of stove black will not noticeably reduce the conductivity.

 

Assuming the steel doesn't get hot enough but the aluminium does, I would then encase the sides and underside of the aluminium in stainless, probably 2-3mm if I could find it lying around. A simple folded structure will do, although if you weld up the corners it would look neater (there are stainless arc rods available). This is because the thermal conductivity of stainless is surprisingly low, so the heat will then mostly transfer to the top, rather than be lost through the base or sides of the overhanging plate.

 

The plate could be a drop on fit with a frame around the existing top, but if you screw it on as Tony suggests it will be more secure and have better heat transfer.

 

Alec

 

[David Mack]

I would have thought a sideways extension to stove top simply wouldn't get hot enough for cooking - too much heat loss from all the exposed surface compared with the heat conducted in. So extra support to a large casserole dish perhaps, but the actual cooking would still only happen on the part directly above the fire. If it is to work at all I would have thought that as a minimum you would need to insulate the bottom side of the extension to minimise the heat loss there.

[Tony Brooks]

Probably not a bright idea to try to use thermal paste to increase the conduction to the plate

[jonathanA]

I've seen a stove with a sort of additional 'top oven' fitted. Can't remember rhe brand of stove. But perhaps adding a box on top to create a small hot box/ oven might be a better option. Maybe something the boatman folks could make for you.

6 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Probably not a bright idea to try to use thermal paste to increase the conduction to the plate

I was wondering about the stuff used on heatsinks for power electronics.

[ditchcrawler]

33 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

I've seen a stove with a sort of additional 'top oven' fitted. Can't remember rhe brand of stove. But perhaps adding a box on top to create a small hot box/ oven might be a better option. Maybe something the boatman folks could make for you.

I was wondering about the stuff used on heatsinks for power electronics.

[magnetman]

"You're gonna need a bigger fire"

[MtB]

43 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

 

I was wondering about the stuff used on heatsinks for power electronics.

 

Check the price of that stuff!!! 

 

 

[magnetman]

 

Or a smaller flue. 

 

People have been conditioned to think that a fire on a canal Boat (I think the Boat in the OP is not a narrow Boat) must have a 4 inch flue but in reality you can get away with smaller flue size it the fire is run hot enough. 

 

2.5 inch is a bit small (mine are 70mm and 80mm) but if you need to cook then a flue oven could be an option.

 

 

Looks a bit Mickey Mouse to be fair.

 

It seems there might be enough room on the fire for one pot anyway. 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by magnetman

[bizzard]

9 hours ago, A A Matthews said:

I wish to extend the useable cooking area on my boatman stove. Image as seen. As I do most meals in casserole dishes it makes sense to ‘ add ‘ a removable surface at one side therefore allowing either a circular or oval Le Cruset type dish on top.

 

I  can arc weld, braze and have lots of 

m/ s threaded rod, nuts , bolts et etc so materials are not a problem.

Image showing installation with tiled fire back and flue to be fitted etc

All ideas welcomed 

This is mine. Fiddle rail around the stove top is 6 small 5''gauge model steam loco handrail stauntions screwed into threaded holes around the stove top plate edge. Throungh the stauntions holes is a length of 1/8'' gas welding rod bent around to the shape of the top plate. The large grid or trivet is made with Meccano and lifts off to make way for pots or kettle. It;s there to dry wet coal before feeding in on the fire.

1 minute ago, bizzard said:

This is mine. Fiddle rail around the stove top is 6 small 5''gauge model steam loco handrail stauntions screwed into threaded holes around the stove top plate edge. Throungh the stauntions holes is a length of 1/8'' gas welding rod bent around to the shape of the top plate. The large grid or trivet is made with Meccano and lifts off to make way for pots or kettle. It;s there to dry wet coal before feeding in on the fire.

It is an earlier Boatman than yours but the same steel body, I fitted the brass door knob too.

[Tony Brooks]

9 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Check the price of that stuff!!! 

 

 

 

and its flammability.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

and its flammability.

A stove can run literally red hot in extremis, which isn't in the design temperature of thermal pastes for electronics.

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

A stove can run literally red hot in extremis, which isn't in the design temperature of thermal pastes for electronics.

 

My thoughts exactly, I did think someone may suggest such paste before they did. Even if it did not catch fire, I suspect the fumes could be very unpleasant.

[ditchcrawler]

I don't think I would go with aluminium but 10mm steel, if you read the advertisement I posted earlier they refer to thermal mass.

[Sea Dog]

God forbid, but I wonder how "modified stove" would affect a fire based insurance claim?  

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

God forbid, but I wonder how "modified stove" would affect a fire based insurance claim?  

Indeed. Any, as in any excuse and all that!!

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

God forbid, but I wonder how "modified stove" would affect a fire based insurance claim?  

If that is the case, then fabricate four clamps to fit under the top lip so it can be removed when required.

[Alan de Enfield]

44 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

If that is the case, then fabricate four clamps to fit under the top lip so it can be removed when required.

 

After the fire ?

 

The soot / scorch marks revealing the location of the clamps may give the investigators some pause for thought.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

After the fire ?

 

What fire?

 

Are posters really asserting extending the top plate to create space for some cooking pots is going to cause a boat conflagration?

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

17 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

What fire?

 

Are posters really asserting extending the top plate to create space for some cooking pots is going to cause a boat conflagration?

 

 

 

it certainly appears so.

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

What fire?

 

Are posters really asserting extending the top plate to create space for some cooking pots is going to cause a boat conflagration?

 

 

No, of course not. They might be saying it's worth ensuring the modification can't complicate a fire based insurance claim though, such as by potentially breaching clearances.