Jump to content

Steel Stove recommendations


doratheexplorer

Featured Posts

I have a Squirrel stove.  Seems to me that cast iron is daft on a boat.  The vibrations and bumping around make them crack after a while, as mine now is.  Trouble is I love how long is burns for, how controllable it is etc.

Can anyone recommend a steel stove as a replacement which have the same good attributes of the Squirrel?  Those Boatman stoves are fine as a budget choice but i want something with a higher output, more control, better overnight banking etc.

I was told about a stove called a Becton Bunny but they don't seem to be on sale anywhere?  Are they real?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, doratheexplorer said:

I have a Squirrel stove.  Seems to me that cast iron is daft on a boat.  The vibrations and bumping around make them crack after a while, as mine now is.  Trouble is I love how long is burns for, how controllable it is etc.

Can anyone recommend a steel stove as a replacement which have the same good attributes of the Squirrel?  Those Boatman stoves are fine as a budget choice but i want something with a higher output, more control, better overnight banking etc.

I was told about a stove called a Becton Bunny but they don't seem to be on sale anywhere?  Are they real?

 

I suspect your problem is instalation. I have never had a squirrell crack. I bought a boat that had one over twenty years old on it still working though past its best. I have never had a problem with any of my squirrell stoves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've got a boatman to replace our squirrel that was cracked. Yes, not as controllable but it's not gone out on us overnight in two winters. No problem in the morning to turn it up, give it a rake and off it goes. Heats our boat no problem at the front and no worries about it heating up too quickly when you bung some wood on it. Seems to work with lots of different coals. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

We've got a boatman to replace our squirrel that was cracked. Yes, not as controllable but it's not gone out on us overnight in two winters. No problem in the morning to turn it up, give it a rake and off it goes. Heats our boat no problem at the front and no worries about it heating up too quickly when you bung some wood on it. Seems to work with lots of different coals. 

Excellent stoves, mines over 20 years old, still all original, has only been let out once since last Octember or was it Septober to sweep the flue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have heard many reports of squirrels cracking, but not all on boats. I have heard many people talk about great welded steel stoves, but not all on boats. I don't think there is a correlation between cracked cast iron stoves and boat engines, sure there are vibrations, but cast iron stoves crack due to heat...

 

I currently have a Rayburn on my boat, but we don't have an onboard engine, so it's mostly irrelevant.

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The GR8 stoves are Chinese. I have installed the two which are under £200 on peoples boats, brilliant, very controlable, all been trouble free for a number of years now, although cast iron it seems to be much better quality and thicker and far far better value for money than the wafer thin Morso's and other British cast iron stoves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

We've got a boatman to replace our squirrel that was cracked. Yes, not as controllable but it's not gone out on us overnight in two winters. No problem in the morning to turn it up, give it a rake and off it goes. Heats our boat no problem at the front and no worries about it heating up too quickly when you bung some wood on it. Seems to work with lots of different coals. 

 

44 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Excellent stoves, mines over 20 years old, still all original, has only been let out once since last Octember or was it Septober to sweep the flue.

 

42 minutes ago, Tom Richmond said:

I have heard many reports of squirrels cracking, but not all on boats. I have heard many people talk about great welded steel stoves, but not all on boats. I don't think there is a correlation between cracked cast iron stoves and boat engines, sure there are vibrations, but cast iron stoves crack due to heat...

 

I currently have a Rayburn on my boat, but we don't have an onboard engine, so it's mostly irrelevant.

I had a boatman on this boat great stove and easily stays in overnight, it now resides at my better halves where it heats the whole place with ease. I have a rayburn royal on my boat now and its not been bothered by the engine [when I had a diesel engine] and last year I had it in pieces no issues with it at all nothing cracked and all good for another 50 years or so ?

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Bubble stove on the boat, which is excellent. I think that one of the keys features is the glass door and the door to the ash pan are separate. Its very controllable having airwash at the top of the glass door, a vent in the bottom of the glass door at fire level for wood burning, and an under grate vent in the ash pan door for solid fuel, plus a riddling lever.  I find it very easy to keep in overnight and revive in the morning and have no hesitation in recommending it.  I also have an Aarrow at home, but it's purely a woodburner and the single glass door accesses the ash tray.  Its also a quality bit of kit, but less controllable than the Bubble -lots cheaper though.

Edited by Sea Dog
Autocorrect error
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Loddon said:

Charnwood Country 4.

https://www.charnwood.com/project/country-4/#1486332074456-59c88c14-52d6

Had one on Parglena, got one in the Cottage and will be fitting one in any new house we might get.

Not cheap but exceptional.

With the anti smoke laws the latest pair of log burners that we bought don't shut down properly so they won't stay in overnight.  The old Charnwood that we have on the boat is very tight, so tight that you can put out the fire by closing it down completely.  The top draught is very stiff to work, though.  It has a rather thin rod with a little brass finial.  When we first got the log burner we thought that it would loosed with wear.  Not a bit of it!

 

It was useful that it is steel because we were able to have plates welded inside the angle of the legs so that we could bolt it down.

 

N

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Loddon said:

Charnwood Country 4.

https://www.charnwood.com/project/country-4/#1486332074456-59c88c14-52d6

Had one on Parglena, got one in the Cottage and will be fitting one in any new house we might get.

Not cheap but exceptional.

 

Hobbit - not exceptional but cheap.

 

It's fine, DEFR approved and so on but nothing exceptional.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Theo said:

With the anti smoke laws the latest pair of log burners that we bought don't shut down properly so they won't stay in overnight.  The old Charnwood that we have on the boat is very tight, so tight that you can put out the fire by closing it down completely.  The top draught is very stiff to work, though.  It has a rather thin rod with a little brass finial.  When we first got the log burner we thought that it would loosed with wear.  Not a bit of it!

 

It was useful that it is steel because we were able to have plates welded inside the angle of the legs so that we could bolt it down.

 

N

 

 

If you you bung a sod of earth or a turf over the fire it should keep in overnight and it will bake you some nice charcoal.  Smothered over with ash would do too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first squirrel cracked it's top plate. It sonded like a gunshot went it happened. Further examination showed the panels with the squrrel on were significantly bowed out too so I replaced it with a new one that doesn't seem to burn as fierceley.

 

I'd recommend a Clearview Pioneer. We've got one at home. Made in the Cotswolds from steel plate. Very controllable. They aren't cheap though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Cheshire cat said:

My first squirrel cracked it's top plate. It sonded like a gunshot went it happened. Further examination showed the panels with the squrrel on were significantly bowed out too so I replaced it with a new one that doesn't seem to burn as fierceley.

 

I'd recommend a Clearview Pioneer. We've got one at home. Made in the Cotswolds from steel plate. Very controllable. They aren't cheap though.

I wonder if the cracking of the top plate was to do with the way the flue pipe passed through the ceiling.  You need to use flexible sealer here or the expansion and contraction of the flue will apply huge forces to the top of the stove.

 

N

  • Greenie 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Theo said:

I wonder if the cracking of the top plate was to do with the way the flue pipe passed through the ceiling.  You need to use flexible sealer here or the expansion and contraction of the flue will apply huge forces to the top of the stove.

 

N

I agree with you I had the rayburn to pieces last year and the flue moved with ease when I replaced it made sure it wasnt to tight in the roof collar

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Loddon said:

That's what I have on the present boat .

 

I got the Hobbit to (reluctantly) replace a boatman which was too big to be safe in my back cabin.

 

I kind of like it but it is small and a bit of a learning curve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In 2017 I had to replace an AGA Little Wenlock Classic which is cast iron because the top and the back had cracked. It was lust over 3 years old and I could not get a new back for it plus I didn't know what torque to do up the nuts on re-build so I sold it on Ebay and replaced with an Ekol Clarity 5 because it was the same height as the AGA. Can highly recommend it. It stays in overnight and the glass stays clean plus is future proof as is smoke exempt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 24/01/2019 at 17:38, doratheexplorer said:

I have a Squirrel stove.  Seems to me that cast iron is daft on a boat.  The vibrations and bumping around make them crack after a while, as mine now is.  Trouble is I love how long is burns for, how controllable it is etc.

Can anyone recommend a steel stove as a replacement which have the same good attributes of the Squirrel?  Those Boatman stoves are fine as a budget choice but i want something with a higher output, more control, better overnight banking etc.

I was told about a stove called a Becton Bunny but they don't seem to be on sale anywhere?  Are they real?

 

The (Aarow) Becton Bunny has been discontinued I believe.

We bought a Dunsley for our home (not boat). Made in Holmfirth, Yorks and have a good reputation. 3 years on, no complaints.

http://www.dunsleyheat.co.uk/index.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/01/2019 at 11:14, Theo said:

I wonder if the cracking of the top plate was to do with the way the flue pipe passed through the ceiling.  You need to use flexible sealer here or the expansion and contraction of the flue will apply huge forces to the top of the stove.

 

N

I think it probably was something along those lines. Prior to our purchase the boat sat for two years without a chinaman's hat. I think the flue and the stove itself was affected by rain. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm now more confused than when I started.  I'll try to be more specific:

 

Can anyone recommend a stove which is:

 

Steel (not cast iron)

4.5kw-5kw output

Has a seperate door for the ash-pan and the firebox

Has decent controls (not a crummy slider), probably and wheel (or something I haven't considered).

Has seperate high and low controls.

Is built to a high quality from a tried and tested maker.

 

I'm not bothered about DEFRA approved or airwash features etc.  My stove is to keep me warm, not to look nice. I don't care if it has no glass window at all.

 

If there's no such thing then fine but please don't recommend me cast iron stoves, no matter how good you think they are.  Maybe my boat vibrates more than yours.  If I decide to get a cast iron stove again, it will be a squirrel.

Edited by doratheexplorer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.