parowhorelax, that is because *you* don't have a clew. so ......

..... informed readers put you in the classification you deserve.

From: (Parallax)
Date: 10/22/2004 11:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id:

Jim Conlin wrote in message
...
The $18 solution is appealing. Is butane heavier than air?

JAXAshby wrote:

on most 20' boats, the very best is a butane chafing stove, available
often
under $18 (close out store), and nearly as often for $85 (chandleries)
and in
between (department stores). An okay second is an Origo 1500
non-pressurized
alcohol stove

everything else is something else, and not a hell of a lot better than a
coffe
can filled with sand and some gasoline set on fire (I have cooked on
such).

What are the pros and cons of these two types of stoves for a small
boat
(20')?

It is my opinion that alchohol stoves are the most dangerous item on
most boats. The pressurized ones require priming with fuel whose
flame is hard to see insuring that eventually you will attempt to
prime a stove that is already (or still) aflame from a previous
attempt. Similar situations have arisen with unpressurized alchohol
stoves where they have been refueled while still burning because they
seemed to be out.
I think the alchohol stoves are so dangerous that I took one out of my
boat and simply put cans of sterno down into the empty burner wells
and this works as well as alchohol and is safer.
For real cooking, I favor a Coleman propane stove used in the cockpit
only while at the dock or maybe at anchor if it is very calm. I store
the cylinders in a net bag hung off the stern below coaming level.
Thanks, Grainger

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 04:47:55 GMT, Jim Conlin
wrote:

The $18 solution is appealing. Is butane heavier than air?

Butane is about 2.08 x the density of air. The containers used on
those chafing stoves hold 220 g.

JAXAshby wrote:

on most 20' boats, the very best is a butane chafing stove, available often
under $18 (close out store), and nearly as often for $85 (chandleries) and in
between (department stores). An okay second is an Origo 1500 non-pressurized
alcohol stove

everything else is something else, and not a hell of a lot better than a coffe
can filled with sand and some gasoline set on fire (I have cooked on such).

What are the pros and cons of these two types of stoves for a small boat
(20')?
Thanks, Grainger










Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

The containers used on
those chafing stoves hold 220 g.


for $1.45 per cartridge in Chinatown NYC.

Takes about 90 seconds to heat water to boiling to make a cup of coffee.

Grainger Morris wrote:

What are the pros and cons of these two types of stoves for a small boat
(20')?
Thanks, Grainger

I have used, alcohol wet pot and pressure, kerosene pressure with
torch preheaters, and propane camp stoves aboard various sailboats.
We also have a sterno swing boiler, but only tried it once. Sterno
is, how shall I say, SSSSSSsssssslllllloooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww.

Preheater pressure stoves are OK for cooking, but a royal chore to
get going, no matter the type. Alcohol os just as flammable as gas,
but cool, and the flame is invisible, until your shirt catched fire.

Propane: twist a knob, spark a barbeque lighter, and presto! It's magic!

The propane won, 15 years ago, and I'm sticking with it. The small
tanks are kept under bungee in the cockpit when not in use. All is
well. We camp aboard most weekends or at least have lunch or supper
aboard, while fishing at the mooring or watching the sun slide out
of the sky behind "our" mountain.

Generally, we cook supper, do the dishes, then put the tank outside.
Breakfast, we bring in the tank, eat, clean up, stow the tank back
in the cockpit, where there is room for four beside the rudder post,
put the folded camp stove under a q-berth bin, and that's it. The
galley area is not dominated by no stinkin' old stove except during
cookery. The stove is also useful in other locations and it serves
as a winter spare in case of power outages to keep the coffee hot
until the power returns. We actually have about 3 camp stoves, two
propane, but I wouldn't take the naptha stove aboard any boat.

When we got this boat, a Tyler 29, it had an Origo 2 alky pot
screwed to the galley surface. It's replaced by the camp stove,
which we can secure for use, but usually just let it sit on the
plasic anti skid mat, and which might benefit from coat hanger pot
holder wires, but we never bothered. It makes good toast with a
beehive grate, and can do a dozen eggs with bacon on a flat
aluminium and teflon grill. Excess fat needs to be and is easily
drained off. It would serve well to make bread, or fuel a candle pot.

I am amazed that someone actually paid a couple of hundred bucks for
the barely used Origo. They are 600 bucks in the catalog. Phew! Most
sailors must be even crazier than me.

Never did get any use out of the kerosene oven, except for storing
pots, pans and a pressure cooker.

The price of tinned propane is a little high, so I am considering
refilling them from a 20 pounder tank, but not for tranport across
any legal boundaries. I don't really trust that scheme, but
considering, may give it a try. The worst that could happen is my
propane trickles down the cockpit scuppers.

Sterno sucks, and doesn't even do that very well.

2 0r 3 burner propane stoves are about 20 - 30 loons. If you can't
find one that cheap, try http://www.globalsemi.com they had a
special last month. I got one as a deal, but haven't needed to use
it yet. It is intended for the camper van / granny suite, unfinished
out in the yard.

YMMV

Terry K

Sterno sucks, and doesn't even do that very well.

I have heard owners of genuine SeaSwing stoves who have both Sterno and
kero/alc stoves say they prefer Sterno by a wide margin.

Of course, those guys may be using a SeaSwing in a seaway rather than tied to
a dock.