Weaverbird has been out of commission over the winter, so I haven't been using either the heads or the cooker.

I'm confident that the heads is going to be OK. No, there isn't a stirring device; the idea is to add a handful or two of medium after each use, and that means that a bin of medium has to be readily accessible, as an essential part of the scheme. I haven't bothered with installing a fan so far, but have put a good cowl vent overhead.

I bought an Origo and came to the same conclusion as you after just one lighting of one of the burners. I've made a single burner cooker using a Maxie meths burner as I found this to be an excellent piece of kit in operation and efficiency - but not, as both Annie and I have found, quite so good for longevity. However, I did get several years use from a burner, with no maintenance required at all. The only supplier, Whitworth in Australia, will only despatch to within the South Pacific area, so to get a burner or a complete cooker, you'd have to persuade someone in Australia to receive it and forward it to you.

First, I built this burner into a 22cm stockpot, and tried to gimbal it. This was not satisfactory, and now I have built it into a fixed 18cm pot (no photo). This will take 16cm pans, and is what I will have to use this summer. I have a 16cm pressure cooker, kettle and saucepan.

I've been trying to invent a meths burner that can be made in a home workshop, but with no success so far. This project will have to "go on the back burner" now, as I'm running out of time.

David

Is there any update on the success or otherwise of the DIY composting head, and the cooking arrangements aboard 'Weaverbird' ?

I'm in the process of deliberating on what to do with the current cooking set up I have.  I bought the boat with a twin Origo stove.  Having used it a couple of times to boil the kettle I know that I'm not going to be able to cook anything other than reheat soup or boil water.  I've looked at a Taylors hob but remembered you were working up a solution...

The head that's on the boat is a standard Lavac.. but it's broken so replacement is the order of the day and into the bargain fill a few more hull openings.  I've bought the same pieces of kit you bought.  Do I need to factor in some stirring device?  I've added a small fan..

Peter

Thanks David - its great cooking to a recipe.

any chance of a pic of what you did at the bottom please

This shows what I did. Squares 300 x 300, and then an arch under those, to stiffen up the deck to hull joint.