Morso v The Rest

[mad dog n' Englishman]

Getting back to the price of Morso squirell, remember that Midland chandlers will be having "Freaky Friday" soon. 20% off their price could be worth waiting for. This goes for any big ticket items.

Cheers,

Garry.

[dor]

3 hours ago, bizzard said:

With the weight of a heavy steel flue pipe dor, I doubt if silicone, not being terrible sticky and remaining fairly flexible would suspend a heavy flue pipe, unless you ram oversize rope really really, tightly around it in the roof collar.

A couple of nuts and bolts through the sides of the collar and flue pipe with spacers between collar and pipe would hold it up, until the bolts corroded through anyway.

My flue pipe  4mm thick steel, so fairly heavy.  Works for me anyway - there is quite a bit of area in the roof collar with a few mm gap all round, so plenty of grip on the flue.

[mrsmelly]

3 hours ago, mad dog n' Englishman said:

Getting back to the price of Morso squirell, remember that Midland chandlers will be having "Freaky Friday" soon. 20% off their price could be worth waiting for. This goes for any big ticket items.

Cheers,

Garry.

I have found over the years that when Midland swindlers knocks twenty percent off their prices it just makes them the same  price that everywhere else is anyway.

[Ratkatcher]

There is an arada AX multifuel stove in our boat, there was a learning curve to climb in getting it to light (PITA) but once burning (Taybrite or Excel) it puts out plenty of heat and stays in for a very long time (overnight is no problem) only requiring a riddle to get the ash off the coals and opening the airflow up to get a new burn going with the top-up fuel.

It is very good, really, but I don't think I would be brave enough to recommend one to someone I might run into again after...

That said, having had both Villager and Cottager stoves in my house I'd say it was no worse to light than them - never had the pleasure of a Morso so cannot make a comparison.

[MtB]

On 15/09/2017 at 18:26, rusty69 said:

If you want a cheap and cheerful stove,look at the Boatman.It aint no squirrel though.

 

I have a Boatman stove. 

The latest thing to go wrong with it is the air wheel at the bottom is seized solid (closed) after a summer out of use. 

Similarly the door handle is so stiff I'm scared it will break if I force it. 

My old squirrel had neither of these problems.

[bizzard]

28 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I have a Boatman stove. 

The latest thing to go wrong with it is the air wheel at the bottom is seized solid (closed) after a summer out of use. 

Similarly the door handle is so stiff I'm scared it will break if I force it. 

My old squirrel had neither of these problems.

The knobs bolt should be screwed in from the inside of the door and into the knob and turn in the doors threaded hole, why it seizes up  . If you unscrew the Knob off the bolt and screw the bolt, or another bolt back in dead tight into the door from behind, then screw the knob onto it it will turn on the bolts thread and not the doors thread and won't seize up anymore. If your handle has the lock nutted nuts on the pivot they can be adjusted. I put a short tough brake shoe retaining compression spring between the handle and stove body and adjusted it just right. You may have to drill the hole in the knob right through and clean up the thread with a tap afterwards or and old bolt with a bit of a hacksaw cut cut in it lengthwise.

 

[canals are us?]

When I bought my boat 5 years ago November I was looking for a new stove to replace my old diesel bubble. Wanted a stove with back boiler and thought of a squirrel but was put off by cracked components so ended up with a steel bodied cast iron doors woodwarm 4.5kw fireview. I burn smokeless or wood and so far cracked the left hand vermiculite brick. All other components look very good ie riddling grate, door seals, baffle plate and double glazed glass. I have used this stove as only heat source until last year when I bought a webasto TTC which was used very little and is in fact with The supplier to clean the burner as just goes through the start up procedure and smokes out exhaust, then stops with no heat.

I lit it yesterday and lovely to watch the flames through the clear glass. It wasn't cheap though at £950 though with back boiler and rear heat shield.

I have had villager stoves in the past and they have black glass and not as controllable. A boater friend has a villager heron and that really throws out the heat and owned for 18 years and would replace with another. Another boater I fire boarded and re-tiled their fireplace, have an arrow beckton bunny, that works very well.

I do like stoves with a separate ash pan door as you can open it temporarily to get a good draw going.

James

 

Edited September 16, 2017 by canals are us?

[matty40s]

19 hours ago, rusty69 said:

Depends wot you burn. Burning smokeless, ours will need emptying every 24hrs.Burning decent seasoned wood, it will go for days. 

Two out of how many who have commented on this thread? 

Make that 3, this one's 17 years old and it's been on for 6 months of the year for the last 10.

[Dr Bob]

when we bought our boat in May, it had a Squirrel installed. The survey came back saying there was a significant crack in the back casting and it should be repaired/replaced. We got £1K knocked of the purchase price and got a new stove fitted. We also got a partial refit at the same time and the company recommended a welded steel stove rather than the cast iron. We now have a new villager on board and it is great. OK, only lit it twice but it lit as well as the expensive wood burner we had in our old house, and it lasts overnight much better than that house stove. I know there is a knack to lighting and running stoves but this one has been so easy  - with a very short chimney as well so not much draw. Yes it only has one door so less easy to control than a 2 door stove but its been no problem keeping it running for 3 or 4 days.....and more if needed.

Cant comment on long term performance but glad at the moment we went for welded steel rather than cast iron.

[The Grumpy Triker]

Hi all,

What a great thread...thanks all....sadly and am even more confused than when we started as now the steel option is not soooo bad, but so many options and thoughts.

Trouble is that none of you have mentioned the options I had so it may be down to Squirrel v Villager v 14 others 

Two door sounds better than one....only ever had to light open fires so all the talk of the trickery to get a one door lit and working makes me wonder if I am missing a magic wand somewhere 

I think the exchange rate argument has levelled one side but that the reputation succeeds all for Morso.

 

pay £400-580 for a British version or £700-900 for a Danish stove!? 

[mrsmelly]

7 minutes ago, The Grumpy Triker said:

Hi all,

What a great thread...thanks all....sadly and am even more confused than when we started as now the steel option is not soooo bad, but so many options and thoughts.

Trouble is that none of you have mentioned the options I had so it may be down to Squirrel v Villager v 14 others 

Two door sounds better than one....only ever had to light open fires so all the talk of the trickery to get a one door lit and working makes me wonder if I am missing a magic wand somewhere 

I think the exchange rate argument has levelled one side but that the reputation succeeds all for Morso.

 

pay £400-580 for a British version or £700-900 for a Danish stove!? 

You could start a poll asking who has what on their boat and why. There are not many regular posters but it may assist you?

[MtB]

5 hours ago, bizzard said:

The knobs bolt should be screwed in from the inside of the door and into the knob and turn in the doors threaded hole, why it seizes up  . If you unscrew the Knob off the bolt and screw the bolt, or another bolt back in dead tight into the door from behind, then screw the knob onto it it will turn on the bolts thread and not the doors thread and won't seize up anymore. If your handle has the lock nutted nuts on the pivot they can be adjusted. I put a short tough brake shoe retaining compression spring between the handle and stove body and adjusted it just right. You may have to drill the hole in the knob right through and clean up the thread with a tap afterwards or and old bolt with a bit of a hacksaw cut cut in it lengthwise.

 

Fixing it is not especially challenging but I feel i should be having to on a stove only about three years old. 

[The Grumpy Triker]

5 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

You could start a poll asking who has what on their boat and why. There are not many regular posters but it may assist you?

I thought that was what all of the above was 

I have learnt a lot from the thread but still heading for a heads and tails on the options....may get it wrong but may be worth a punt for experience sake 

[tree monkey]

15 minutes ago, The Grumpy Triker said:

I thought that was what all of the above was 

I have learnt a lot from the thread but still heading for a heads and tails on the options....may get it wrong but may be worth a punt for experience sake 

Are you on facebook?

If so search for the fireweaver, handmade welded steel and they appear to be highly recommended and a decent price.

I have no personal experience of the stoves but have spoken to plenty who have and all give good reviews

[RLWP]

http://www.thefireweaver.com/

Richard

[bastion]

I have only had a Boatman so cannot compare it to any other make, but am extremely please with it. It heats my 60' boat adequately, stays in for at least 18 hrs with excel. Not had any of the problems that Mtb has highlighted, my stove is also over 3yrs old

[Neil2]

Bizzard does have a point about the impracticality of fitting a flue support on a boat installation, I can do it on mine but only because there happens to be a substantial hardwood partition close by.  The stoves we have at home 25+ years one has a very short length of pipe into an old chimney the other has a massive steel clamp bolted to the wall that holds the weight of the flue.  

I've had similar problems to MTB with the boatman - maybe ok if you live aboard 12/12 but they don't like being left over the winter months.

Out of interest does anyone know of a welded steel stove with a separate ash pan door (like the Squirrel)?

[tree monkey]

1 hour ago, RLWP said:

http://www.thefireweaver.com/

Richard

Thank you Richard,  just to add he will make one to your specifications

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

Thank you Richard,  just to add he will make one to your specifications

It looks good, but I guess its a woodburner, not a multi fuel stove, and as such is possibly quite big. 

[MtB]

On 16/09/2017 at 19:42, RLWP said:

http://www.thefireweaver.com/

Richard

 

This fails at the first hurdle for me. Only one door.

I'll never buy another single door stove. They are awful in comparison to twin door.

[tree monkey]

3 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

It looks good, but I guess its a woodburner, not a multi fuel stove, and as such is possibly quite big. 

He will supply a coal grate

3 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

This fails at the first hurdle for me. Only one door.

I'll never buy another single door stove. They are awful in comparison to twin door.

Ask, he will work to your specifications

[MtB]

On 16/09/2017 at 21:20, tree monkey said:

He will supply a coal grate

Great!

 

On 16/09/2017 at 21:20, tree monkey said:

Ask, he will work to your specifications

Will he fabricate me a squirrel?

The squirrel is perfect in every way except one. The cast iron tops and backs crack eventually.

[rusty69]

1 minute ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Great!

 

Will he fabricate me a squirrel?

The squirrel is perfect in every way except one. The cast iron tops and backs crack eventually.

Get a squirrel. Replace top with lump of steel when original cracks. Sorted 

[tree monkey]

5 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Great!

 

Will he fabricate me a squirrel?

The squirrel is perfect in every way except one. The cast iron tops and backs crack eventually.

Ask, hand made stoves at a very resonable price

Must admit I love my squirrel,  I was thinking about replacing my old one with one of the fireweavers but my 11 yr old squirrel threw a fit at the end of last summer and winter was on the way, so another squirrel was aquired.

They are superb stoves but with a limited life span

[rusty69]

How about a clearview pioneer. Not cheap though