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Boatman Stove review


MtB

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Seems a fair review, from what I've seen a Morso is better than a Boatman but then for three times the price you'd expect it to be.

 

I have a Villager Puffin on my boat and while it has its faults- the glass being impossible to keep clean for example- it does keep the boat warm and toasty, and stays in all night, which I suppose is as much as I ask for. It is also getting on for 30 years old and apart from rope seals looks to be completely original.

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Villager saw you coming, lol!

. You should know by now I never pay full price on anything, it's a 12 kW beast that I paid £200 for and in amongst the paper work that came with it was the original receipt, for just shy of £2000, it throws out some serious heat but eats a fair amount of wood, and can be quite hard to keep it ticking along steady,seems a bit all or nothing, I have about 3ton of wood ready for winter and if it gets really cold I will probably have to collect more
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Another smallish stove to consider maybe - Becton Bunny . I have one & im happy with it . On the boat when i bought it so ive no idea of cost etc

Yes indeed. We had one on our last boat and it always performed well. I think we had a back boiler in it - that boat was sold 10 years ago so I can't remember.

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I've had a Boatman since buying the boat in 2011 - don't know how old it is.

 

No trouble getting it going - never had to consider leaving the door open.

 

With some trial and error, its still going when I get up most days, and I like a big lie in.

 

Agree on the ashpan, so don't use it - shovel the ash into a tin tray and dispose of it just like the ashpan.

 

Maybe it's a bit dusty, but I have nothing to compare, and I've never thought of it as an issue - my experience is of open coal fires in the house in the '70's.

 

Had a problem with the welded bolt holding the door closer on. Fitted a workaround, but could probably get a new threaded bolt welded if I could be bothered.

 

I definitely wouldn't replace it with anything that cost a thousand quid!!

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  • 2 months later...

I've had a Boatman since buying the boat in 2011 - don't know how old it is.

 

No trouble getting it going - never had to consider leaving the door open.

 

With some trial and error, its still going when I get up most days, and I like a big lie in.

 

Agree on the ashpan, so don't use it - shovel the ash into a tin tray and dispose of it just like the ashpan.

 

Maybe it's a bit dusty, but I have nothing to compare, and I've never thought of it as an issue - my experience is of open coal fires in the house in the '70's.

 

Had a problem with the welded bolt holding the door closer on. Fitted a workaround, but could probably get a new threaded bolt welded if I could be bothered.

 

I definitely wouldn't replace it with anything that cost a thousand quid!!

I put a short, strong compression spring over the stud between the handle and stove body to absorb the sideways strain on the stud as the handle is operated. I think Eddie does them differently now.

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Does anyone remember the Arctic stoves? They were very cheap and cheerful cylindrical cast iron stoves that belted out the heat and took up very little room. We had one on our first boat thirty odd years ago.

I had a google to see if they were still around, but the only one I could find was a reclaimed one costing over £1000!

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I have one particular technical point about the Hamlet Hardy 4. (I have one although it is only in use in my still incomplete Nb build project(!!!!) when I work in it on cold winter days).

 

I bought it becuse I had discussed it with Richard Drake, Arada's Tech Director at the time. This was when the famous BS 8511 standard was being put together and Richard had been helping the drafting team, as had someone from Morso.

 

If you want your installation to comply with the dreaded standard it helps if the stove is built and tested to BS EN 13240. The Hamlet Hardy 4 certainly is and meets the "max hearth temp rise to less than 100°C" criterion in 13240/8511. This means the hearth need only be 12mm thick non combustible material on top of (say) a wood floor. All the other safe clearances given in 8511 will work with such a stove as well.

 

If the stove is not built/tested to 13240 it is much less easy to be compliant with 8511.

 

Many other stoves (eg Morso) are of course 13240 compliant (look for the CE plate on them saying so) but I don't know whether the Boatman is. I'm sure the test house fees will be considerable and perhaps Eddie has chosen to avoid this cost so far for his Boatman although I'm sure it is otherwise a good little stove as many folks say.

 

I'm quite happy with my choice though, apart from the technical stuff. I have a back boiler and burn anthracite on it which gets the whole boat warm very quickly and outputs heat to the big temp radiator I've rigged up on gravity circulation just to dump the back boiler heat until my final plumbing is connected.

 

Richard

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I put a short, strong compression spring over the stud between the handle and stove body to absorb the sideways strain on the stud as the handle is operated. I think Eddie does them differently now.

I drilled a hole at the weld point and fitted a threaded bolt from inside, so the nuts screw on outside. I think I've got a springy washer in situ, and it seems to work OK so far.

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I drilled a hole at the weld point and fitted a threaded bolt from inside, so the nuts screw on outside. I think I've got a springy washer in situ, and it seems to work OK so far.

The short compression spring I used is a car brake shoe stabilizing spring, the ones that hold the brake shoe web to the brake back plate. I also made a fiddle rail by drilling and threading 4BA around the top plate and screwed in 5'' gauge model steam loco boiler handrail stanchions and threaded 1/8'' welding rod around through the eyes of them. I also drilled and threaded the door and screwed in a solid brass knob.

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And I drilled and threaded a hole near the perimeter of the air wheel at the bottom so I could attach a brass knob to that, too!

 

Now I can tell accurately how far I've unscrewed/opened it.

Actually on my old original Boatman the air wheel had a bolt screwed into it tight. This bolt was screwed through the doors thread from behind on which the control turned. This thread was always getting goo'd up and seizing. I got a new bolt and screwed it through the door tight and extended the thread in the knob a little. The knob now spins on the static bolts threaded portion instead and never seizes.

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  • 1 month later...

MTB i wonder if you could do me a small favor, or anyone else who has the latest version of the boatman stove.

 

I am looking to see if you can fit two casserole type dishes on the top, towards the front, either side if the flu, if so what size (Diameter) ?

 

 

Thanks

Depends on the size of the casserole dish! Mine (20cm ish diameter) overhangs the front of the hotplate, but that's partly down to using twin fall flue the whole length

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I've had a Boatman since buying the boat in 2011 - don't know how old it is.

 

No trouble getting it going - never had to consider leaving the door open.

 

With some trial and error, its still going when I get up most days, and I like a big lie in.

 

Agree on the ashpan, so don't use it - shovel the ash into a tin tray and dispose of it just like the ashpan.

 

Maybe it's a bit dusty, but I have nothing to compare, and I've never thought of it as an issue - my experience is of open coal fires in the house in the '70's.

 

Had a problem with the welded bolt holding the door closer on. Fitted a workaround, but could probably get a new threaded bolt welded if I could be bothered.

 

I definitely wouldn't replace it with anything that cost a thousand quid!!

 

I dont think I would pay a grand either. Facts are that a new squirrell is around the 620 squid mark so only double the cost of a boatman stove and more than twice the stove and even as a liveabord will last twenty years. I make that 60 pence a week or lets say you abuse the hell out of it and it only lasts ten years then 1.20 a week for the best stove. For me some things are a no brainer and this is one of them. I understand fully that money is an issue to lots of people and I am one of those but a good stove especialy for full time liveaboards is paramount.

 

Tim

 

Tim

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I dont think I would pay a grand either. Facts are that a new squirrell is around the 620 squid mark so only double the cost of a boatman stove and more than twice the stove and even as a liveabord will last twenty years. I make that 60 pence a week or lets say you abuse the hell out of it and it only lasts ten years then 1.20 a week for the best stove. For me some things are a no brainer and this is one of them. I understand fully that money is an issue to lots of people and I am one of those but a good stove especialy for full time liveaboards is paramount.

 

Tim

 

Tim

i am still firmly in the boatman camp i dont think the squirrel is that much better, and on boats you want a welded stove as vibration with cast stoves and bolts can be a problem as reported on here.

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I dont think I would pay a grand either. Facts are that a new squirrell is around the 620 squid mark so only double the cost of a boatman stove and more than twice the stove and even as a liveabord will last twenty years. I make that 60 pence a week or lets say you abuse the hell out of it and it only lasts ten years then 1.20 a week for the best stove. For me some things are a no brainer and this is one of them. I understand fully that money is an issue to lots of people and I am one of those but a good stove especialy for full time liveaboards is paramount.

 

Tim

 

Tim

 

My thinking exactly. When my Squirrel eventually dies it will be replaced with another Squirrel. This time of year it's the heart of the boat for me and mine sits in the middle of the saloon, not up the corner by a door. I love it.

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My thinking exactly. When my Squirrel eventually dies it will be replaced with another Squirrel. This time of year it's the heart of the boat for me and mine sits in the middle of the saloon, not up the corner by a door. I love it.

 

Unfortunately I have retrofitted my stove as the first owner I bought it off didnt have one fitted and I had to put it oop front which is a shame. I had a boat a few years ago with the stove more or less amidships and its moocho better as a location.

 

Tim

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What is the difference between single and double lined, in terms of benefits?

 

Single skin gets hotter externally (more risk of burning yourself/roof lining), twin wall keeps its heat better so allegedly draws better, and is a lot safer near flammable surfaces.

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