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

You should post this question to rec.boats.cruising .

Alcohol
Pro-
It's safer- alcohol will not explode and fires can be put out with water.
Some alcohol stoves are simple and compact.
Con-
Most alcohol stoves don't heat very hot. A few do.
Fuel is expensive.
It takes a couple of minutes to start a pressurized alcohol stove.
It's hard to find a big-oven alcohol stove.

Propane-
Pro-
Fuel is widely available and inexpensive
Most stoves heat vigorously
Stoves available in small and large sizes, including ovens and broilers
Con-
Propane is heavier than air and , at the right concentration, can explode. Not
a good thing.
Making a propane stove system safe on a boat is complicated. The design of tank
enclosures, piping, shutoff systems and bilge sniffers is nontrivial and can
add significant cost and complication.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
My knowledge of this is old. Dunno if these are still viable.
pro-
gas is lighter than air, so much safer than propane
The other plusses of propane
con-
tanks and equipment were expensive and distribution never got widespread.

Butane
I'll let others fill this in.

For some people, kerosene or diesel could be a good solution, too.



Grainger Morris wrote:

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

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

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')?
Thanks, Grainger

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

yes. it is best to store the cartridges outside the cabin.

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

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 22 Oct 2004 08:49:57 -0700, (Parallax)
wrote:
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.

=========================

Absolutely correct. It is amazing to me that they were recommended
equipment for so long. Anyone who has used a pressurized alchohol
stove for any length of time will have stories to tell. For a small
boat I like the gimbeled one burner propane stove currently marketed
by Force 10. It works well and stows easily and out of the way.
Propane stored outside of course.

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."

(Parallax) wrote:
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.


Agreed, those old-timey pressurized alcohol stoves were a disaster
waiting to happen.


Wayne.B wrote:
Absolutely correct. It is amazing to me that they were recommended
equipment for so long.

Well, it was a fad because they required a lot of manly fiddling about,
just like an old fashioned campfire.


... For a small
boat I like the gimbeled one burner propane stove currently marketed
by Force 10. It works well and stows easily and out of the way.
Propane stored outside of course.

The only thing I don't like about propane is the way it makes the cabin
so dank... gives off a lot of water vapor. If you can always cook
outside, not a problem. But in cold or rainy weather it is unpleasant.
Also it's difficult to tell how much fuel you have left.

We used a wick-type alcohol stove (an Origo) for years and found it
simple & effective. Never failed, and while many people complain that
alcohol "burns too cool" it seemed to cook everything in reasonable
times. Excellent for boiling up a kettle for coffee and/or tea. We
bought denatured alcohol at the hardware store, much cheaper than
camping fuel. If I were outfitting another small cruiser that's exactly
what I'd get again.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King