Gordon wrote:
Propane, Lpg, alcohol, diesel. What's the consensus of the sailing
community?
Gordon

Nothing is perfect, of course, but
non-pressurized alcohol has a lot going
for it: low initial cost, no chance of
explosion, extreme simplicity and
legendary reliability.

For about 75 cents worth of materials, a
dozen "emergency" alcohol stoves can be
made in a half-hour if the galley stove
fails. Something to think about even if
you choose another fuel.

Unless you are feeding a large crew, the
cost of alcohol fades into
insignificance on a cruising boat. It
would take a couple years of full-time
cruising to spend more on alcohol than
on the necessary safety devices for
propane. (I made that up, but you get
the point).

Availability and price of alcohol
outside the US is an important
consideration. We spent several months
in the Bahamas with alcohol purchased in
the US and still had a lot left when we
returned (Tartan 34, 4 persons on board,
cooked 95% of meals).

There is a contingent of posters who
view alcohol as a "dangerous" fuel,
suggesting that coal, diesel, propane,
butane, and, I suppose, uranium are much
safer. Choose your company as well as
your stove fuel.

A fairly extensive thread on this
subject has already been posted. Do a
search and read some of the older posts.
Things haven't changed much since.

Chuck

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