April 12, 2011 A Trade Me Oven
The Admiral and I have finally made the break from urgent commitments and sailed out of Westhaven where Wild Bird had been berthed for six weeks. We now had an opportunity to explore the Hauraki Gulf, the playground of Auckland’s boaties. Islington Bay, nestled between the 600 year old Rangitoto volcanic island and the green Motutapu Island was our first anchorage. It was also a chance to install our recent purchase, a ‘new’ oven.
Hot bread from new oven
THE B700 FLAVEL.
B700 means nothing to me apart from it being exactly the same oven that we had since purchasing Wild Bird 20 years ago. It is a British made oven, probably more suited to caravans by virtue of its construction. It had no stainless, but plenty of chromed parts. However, it did the trick for 10 years heating food for our family of four circumnavigating the globe and also New Zealand. While cruising, we usually cooked two loaves of bread every other day. Also cakes, biscuits, roasts, and a range of stove-top delicacies. Not forgetting the five daily cuppa. It was sturdy, white enameled and importantly, reliable.
I kept the old Flavel in working order after various parts succumbed to the marine environment. I had repaired some bits that broke, and when in the UK, had purchased a replacement stove top from a huge second hand chandler on a barge on the Thames estuary. However, about 20 years later the insulation had probably sagged in the cavities, and the grill/toaster had corroded and everything was looking shabby. When a
Flavel appeared on Trade Me in apparent good condition we pressed the ‘Buy Now’ button. One can peer closely at a pixellated image on a computer screen, never fully confident that the high res image in real life will be the same. In this case, it was.
We will be in the fag end of life phase when the replacement Flavel succumbs. We did not require a gleaming stainless instrument to impress visitors. Just a utilitarian machine that would denature proteins and lock in the chemical bonds of culinary delights mixed in our galley.
The new Flavel required no new fittings to make it fit. I simply transferred essential gimbal fittings straight onto the new oven and bolted it in place. The only adjustments to make were the air/gas mixture. This is the screw bolt on the top of each of the three stove burners. It is adjusted to the gas type by screwing down with the flame on until a pure blue flame without yellow just appears.
Ship shape was the easy job . The Admiral spent many hours making the Flavel ‘ apple pie and Bristol Fashion’. Bingo, a ‘new’ oven ready to bake Rangitoto Bread. Whoopee, the ‘new’ oven had a window through which we could view the rising culinary delights. More importantly, it was a good way to see the oven flame for ‘seat of the pants’ temperature regulation.
Newly installed Flavel Oven
One other big advantage of keeping the same brand were the spares we salvaged off the old Flavel to keep the new one going. This meant unscrewing jets, a burner or two, flame arrest device (the thing that cuts gas when the oven flame goes out), and the top rings which tend to rust over time.
The results were impressive. Better insulation and burners meant a substantial savings in gas fuel. This was a project close to my heart. Well the target was anyway.
Credits to ‘Hammond Organ’ and Bro-in-law for transport. Cheers.
