I ripped out the stove primarily because it was junk, unsightly, unclean-able, not something one would be proud to be seen. But you raise a good question as to voltage. I think it was 120V, not 240V. If 240V then I would have expected quicker heating. As for the piece of wood, we are quite happy with it. In the end we are likely to cut out a portion of it to drop in an induction cook top with enough "wood" left over to make for a nice, usefully large cutting board. If I had 240V power supply, I would have opted for a household 20-inch stove with a decent-sized oven rather than those almost useless ovens found in marine ranges. So, given that (IMHO) the ovens in marine ranges are useless, then opting for just a cook top and using the underside for additional storage seems to me to make good sense.