Stoves... which fuel do you prefer?

[kmclemore]

When I got my 26 it didn't have the original stove - it was long since replaced by a fridge and a formica countertop. I'm now setting this boat up for a week's outing this summer and I'm trying to decide which sort of fuel to use and shich stove to buy. Now, I don't want to start some sort of religious disagreement over this... I just want to get some advice from all you learned souls!

What stove and fuel do you use? Do you like it, and what safety factors did you consider?

I know that Alcohol burns cooler but has safety on its side. Some folks swear by the Butane stoves but I'm concerned about the availablity of the cannisters when I get to port. Propane is another choice, too.

Any advice? Thanks!

-Kevin McLemore

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Just so you know, the boat does not come from the factory with any stove. Any stove is a dealer added option so what might be in a given boat varies widely.

Non-pressurized Alcohol is the only real safe stove on a boat. I have a double burner Origo that works great. It puts out plenty of heat. We can boil a huge crab pot full of water in 15 minutes using just one burner. I do have propane on board for our BBQ, but it is always kept in the cockpit to allow any spills to go overboard.

Butane and propane both have the same drawback. The gas is heavier than air and any spilled or leaked will drain down into the bilge just like invisable water. Once there it is hard to remove even with good ventilation. Both gases can be ignited by just a spark. Alcohol requires an open flame to light, a spark won't ingite it. The non-pressurized nature of the origo stoves, (the liquid fuel is held captive in a absorbant pad) greatly reduces that chance of spilling any.

However many do use butane below decks, and some propane. A true boat installation of either will require a pan under the stove with a drain that dumps and gas overboard so it can't accumulate in the bilge.

Another stove some use is the Wallas which uses mineral spirits. This also is a safer fuel.

[craiglaforce]

Alhtough I have an origo alcohol stove, I would not go this route next time.

I would just get a coleman propane thing with a teflon grill on the left and a stove burner on the right. It grills as good as anything I've ever used. It grills better than the $100 flame thrower/magma grill I have and it burners better than the $250 Origo. plus it costs less than $80 at your favorite wally mart or Target. . THe only question would be whether I would use the 1 lb cylinders or try to rig up a little tank with a rubber hose and adaptors.

I use mine with the hard pipe on the front porch of the house and it works great, but the 1 lb cylinders tend to leak down from the hard tube fitting connection on the unit. Ideally I would like a little 5 lb aluminum cylinder with a shutoff valve and adaptor and try to make it fit in a fuel locker.
I'm sure West Marine has these little tanks for about a million dollars give or take a few. I would do all my cooking as others have said on the floor of the cockpit while standing in the cabin facing aft.

Of course be careful to store the propane outside etc.

[Frank C]

Although I have an origo alcohol stove, I would not go this route next time. I would just get a coleman propane thing with a teflon grill on the left and a stove burner on the right. .... use the 1 lb cylinders or try to rig up a little tank with a rubber hose and adaptors. ... Ideally I would like a little 5 lb aluminum cylinder with a shutoff valve and adaptor .... I would do all my cooking as others have said on the floor of the cockpit while standing in the cabin facing aft.

I have the Coleman Grill/Stove, and use it exactly as Craig describes. Placed on cockpit sole at the companionway, the stove is mostly wind protected, works great as I stand in the cabin facing aft, and all propane remains fully outside the cabin. This leaves the full galley surface as counter space. The grill-stove works well with the tube feeder (you'll understand when you see one at Wally's) but I too would prefer an aluminum tank with a rubber feed hose. Costco occasionally offers this unit for about $65. I keep my 1-pounder propane bottles in the fuel locker, but think I'd stow the larger aluminum cylinder at the swim deck, maybe even a 10-pounder.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I just bought the Coleman Grill/Stove myself, have only used it once so far. I found that it would not fit on the cockpit sole with the tank attached (in the standard way). Am I not doing something different with the tank hook-up to make it fit there? Anyway, I used it on the cockpit seat while anchored offshore and it worked fine. I leave the little tank in the fuel locker but its starting to rust so maybe I'll store it someplace else. Went sailing today in 15-20 winds around MacDill AFB to see the Blue Angels airshow. Pretty cool, three screamed in formation right over the boat at low altitude.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Keep the propane in the fuel lockers, who cares if it rusts, they're disposable. I store 2-3 there at any give time for my BBQ. Glad to see you all are keeping the propane out of the cabin. Leaks in the cockpit will drain overboard just fine.

Seeing the Blue Angels from the water is amazing. We were out on the Seafair logboom last summer for their show over Lake Washington. Centerpoint was just a few hundred yards directly in front of us. What a trip.

[mike]

Went sailing today in 15-20 winds around MacDill AFB to see the Blue Angels airshow. Pretty cool, three screamed in formation right over the boat at low altitude.

Doesn't get any better than that, eh?

--Mike

[Frank C]

I just bought the Coleman Grill/Stove myself, have only used it once so far. I found that it would not fit on the cockpit sole with the tank attached (in the standard way). ...

My grill/stove sits slightly elevated due to a bar-mat closely fitted on the entire cockpit sole. The stove with bottle attached just barely fits, side-to-side, so maybe yours needs slight elevation? Cannot remember clearly if I also tweak something slightly ... and the boat's stored too distant to verify right now. Changing the hookup to a rubber hose is the ideal solution, but mine still fits on the sole with the bottle attached to the metal feed tube. (26X, model year 2000)

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Be real careful with that at the galley. Don't attach and detach the tanks in the cabin. Every time you screw them on and off they spill some gas which will go straight to your bilge.

You can get gasoline/propane detectors that will warn you is a spill happens.

The most common spill is an accidental turning on of the burner knob which goes un-noticed. Be careful!, these boats have no way to drain the bilge. You can't just pull the plug when back on the trailer like most trailered powerboats.

[Steve K]

I use alcohol. It's an Origo two burner, non presurized type. I've been very happy with it. It cooks beautifully and is very easy to control. Don't get why someone would get rid of one. However, I probably would not have this stove if it weren't on my boat when I bought it. At about $400 this is too expensive. I would have ended up with propane, or better yet that nap or map gas stuff. Seen some really cheap stoves using this and the gas evaporates (lighter than air), rather than sinks into the bilge. Least I think I read that somewhere.
I also have a regular old Sunbeam mini barbque, that operates on propane and a regular Coleman, propane camp stove. I, as many others do, keep the propane bottles back in the fuel lockers.
I'd like to get a small (2 or 3 gallon) refillable propane bottle and mount it somewhere in the transom area of the boat, but I'm getting a little gun shy about buying bottles. Don't know if this is a California thing or all over, but it seems like every couple years now, they add some new idiot proofing device to the propane bottles. This renders your old bottles useless, 'cause nobody will fill them anymore. Is it just me?

And btw, I don't use the propane devices in the cabin.

Anyway, I like the Alcohol stove. It's very nice. Some of the best coffee and eggs and bacon I've ever had were cooked on it.

Tip: get yourself one of those little coleman funnels. It will just fit the little filling depression in the Oigo fuel can/ burner (whatever you call it. actually, you have to bend the little depression in a touch. then the funnel will sort of clip into it). This really makes filling the burner a lot easier.

And just think, you always have a gallon of dissinfectant sitting around the boat if you use Alcohol. I love these dual purpose things.
SK

[Volador]

I use a nice little butane single burner stove inside, along with a rail propane BBQ. I keep the small butane cans (two will last a very long time) in the fuel locker along with the 1 Lb propane cans for the BBQ. I bring in the can only when I am cooking on the stove. I bought the stove for $20 at an ACE hardware. It is compact, came in a nice light case and it has served me very well for two years. I also have an ORIGO alcohol stove but the butane stove is so easy, with a push button ignitor, etc that I never use it.

[Chip Hindes]

And just think, you always have a gallon of dissinfectant sitting around the boat if you use Alcohol. I love these dual purpose things

Quadruple/quintuple duty at least. It works great as a cleaner/degreaser for bonding to fiberglass, cleaner prior to sticking stuff (numbers, graphics, registration stickers, etc) to gelcoat, removing same, removing uncured marine adhesive. It's also great, and way cheaper than commercial aerosols, for washing off engine and brake parts, spark plugs etc.

It's poison, though, so don't use it around food or water.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Just for the record, both Propane and Butane are are heavier than air and will flow to the bilge. They do not evaporate. Butane is even heavier than propane.

http://www.e-lpg.com/product.asp

[Tom Spohn]

Based on previous responses on this board I think I am in the minority, but I really like the Wallas stove/cabin heater. All the combustion takes place in a chamber that is sealed from the boat cabin and the products of combustion are actively vented by a fan to the outside. It cooks fine and when the lid is dropped two fans inside the lid blow warm air into the cabin, which is pretty much a necessity here in the Pacific Northwest, even in the summer. The stove burns 100% mineral spirits which is available inexpensively at any Ace hardware. Since the exhaust gasses are vented there is no objectionable odor in the boat. Some folks don't like this stove, but I believe problems can ususlly be traced to using the wrong fuel.

[Frank C]

Based on previous responses on this board I think I am in the minority, but I really like the Wallas stove/cabin heater. ...

Au contraire, Tom. While I have seen some reports grumbling about the fuel, I'm pretty sure I'd love to have the safety and "auxiliary heater" benefits of your Wallas. However, the $1500 price leaves it on the fringes for most of us, especially since the heating feature is more rarely needed in southerly latitudes. A used boat from the PNW is a great way to acquire that stove at a depreciated price. Selling soon?