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If you live on a narrowboat, widebeam or houseboat and are thinking about how to cook, heat and stay safe, a Heritage Range Cooker offers a compelling alternative to multiple separate systems. Designed for compact spaces with a kerosene/diesel fired operation, Heritage ranges help you meet safety expectations under the UK’s Boat Safety Scheme while providing reliable cooking, warmth and hot water.
Living on the water is a dream for many, but it comes with specific challenges that you don’t encounter in a traditional home. Space is limited, weight matters, ventilation is essential, and safety standards such as the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) mean you need to choose appliances carefully to obtain a valid safety certificate to licence your boat.
One of the most common concerns for liveaboard boaters is how to provide reliable heating, cooking and hot water without using multiple separate systems. Many boats traditionally use LPG for cooking, solid fuel stoves for heat, and small electric boilers for hot water. This is where a Heritage comes in. Heritage ranges are kerosene/diesel fired cookers that combine cooking, heating and hot water functions in one compact appliance, ideal for narrowboats and widebeams. Because they use kerosene/diesel and avoid LPG storage aboard, they inherently reduce one of the key hazards identified in boat safety guidance and make compliance simpler.
What makes these ranges especially suitable for boating life is not just the fuel type (the same as the fuel you use to run your boat) but also the design consideration for space and ventilation. Heritage offers models like the Uno, a slim 500mm wide cooker with a full size oven, generous hob and capacity to run up to 5 radiators, perfect for tighter galleys, and the Compact, which gives 2 ovens and multiple hotplates plus greater heating and hot water capacity. These models perform like a full ‘land’-based cooker while taking up far less room and complexity than separate systems.
Installation on a boat also aligns with necessary safety practices. The Heritage design draws combustion air from outside via external vents, reducing the need for open internal ventilation and helping maintain safe air quality within living spaces. The flue system, when correctly designed and fitted, can also be arranged to accommodate the structural realities of a boat’s confined space. While specifics such as minimum ventilation zones and appliance distances aren’t covered in this blog in full, it’s important to note that any cooker installation should comply with the local installation standards for appliances, flueing and ventilation.
The real value for many boaters is that a single Heritage Range Cooker can replace a boiler system, a separate heater, and an LPG cooker all at once. This makes the galley and living space simpler, safer and more efficient. Having one, well-designed appliance that handles cooking, steaming morning brews, hot water for showers, and winter warmth means fewer moving parts and less to maintain, essential when you’re far from mains services.
(As featured on More4’s My Floating Home)
If you’re serious about living on a houseboat, having a cohesive, well-installed cooking and heating system like a Heritage Range gives comfort and convenience without compromising safety. And because each Heritage is hand built in Cornwall with robust materials and quality components, it’s built to last and tailored to the needs of tight spaces and demanding lifestyles.
Read Andrew and Wendy’s experience installing a Heritage on their widebeam or call us on 01579 345680.
Published by
Penny Hardy
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