Don't you love the smell of paraffin?

Taylors 079DB Diesel Cabin Heater manufactured and highly polished in Stainless Steel with brass door casing

Lets look at heaters first

The fact that a heater generates heat is a problem you need to consider. Your personal comfort is its objective but at some point the flue has to pass through the deck and you will need a balanced flue deck fitting to limit the potential damage to the egress point. You will also need to provide protection to anything else close to the unit. A stainless steel plate backed by cork tiles will do the job. It is also vital that the flue pipe is insulated; if you touch it with your bare hands you will get a nasty burn. Take Taylor's advice on flue length and fitting. I like the traditional style which would look good in a classic interior, although the brass does need some TLC. But if you don't fancy that, you could go for the stainless steel version. They are certainly mechanically efficient with basic technology making maintenance simple.

Taylors Ideal K Paraffin Cooker

Now for cookers

There are three models of different sizes. If you've ever fitted a cooker you will know that the space requirement is crucial. Every inch on a boat has to work, so you will probably not be spoilt for choice. Don't forget that you will also need some meths to pre-heat and create the initial ignition or you could use a gas torch if you prefer. The burners need to be kept clean and the self pricking device will need to be used each time, before lighting up. Keep a watch on the flame if it gets low a light tap usually clears any blockage. If you get a batch of dirty fuel you will find a spare set of burners a good investment. You will also need to clean the filter. The in-line version is not easy but a bowl type should be available.

Economic to run but expensive to buy

All heaters and cookers are expensive to buy and install, but once in they will give good service and are cheap to operate. Both the heater and the cookers are economic to run with a fuel consumption for both units of around 0.2 litres at full heat per hour.

One thing about the cooker is that it will tend to heat the cabin as well as the food. So you might decide to tell yourself that the cooker is also your heater, or at least use this as an argument when you discuss the matter with the wife. That is, if you've already been spending some heavy sums on gifts for the boat. The question of priority in regard to funds can be contentious between the skipper and the first mate and a new cooker and a heater could be difficult to disguise.

I have a friend who sold his boat to a very distinguished member of the senior service. Sometime later he discovered that an important spare part for the heater had been left behind in the boat shed. He rang the buyers number, explained why he was calling and the lady at the other end said 'Boat! What boat?

You can visit Taylor's web-site at www.taylorsheatersandcookers.co.uk