AFTER two years trading Smokie Joe's bird cowls are being spotted more often on the waterways as a solution to back draught in wood burning stoves.
They have proved so efficient that David Cook, the proprietor, tells us he has extended the range to include cowls for household log-burners after boaters told him they had experienced the same problems at home as they had on their boats that was solved with the cowl. Even on special garden clay pizza ovens as pictured below.
Common problems
As many boaters are aware, the lack of draw on the fire and heavy rain together with wet smelly soot down the flue into the stove are common problems, but solved with David's unique cowls, that he produces in various sizes to fit different chimneys.
He now offers both the bird shaped cowl and the standard cowl to fit all major flue sizes. Not only on narrowboats but on yachts, pictured below, and even on tent burners, were back draught can be very uncomfortable.
Mainstay
David tells us however that he sees Smokie Joe's coloured range of chimneys and cowls for narrowboats as the mainstay of the business, and he also promises to continue to manufacture and supply chimneys to fit a 4¾ collar, with cowls to fit, even though a lot of chandlers are discontinuing the size as demand falls.
A new website has been created to reflect the new areas of business, and can be found at www.smokiejoes.co.uk, where full details of colours available, costs and distribution details can be found.