On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:59:17 -0600, Paul Cassel
wrote:

I find alcohol the least favorable fuel. It not only isn't very hot,

Not hot? Way hotter than red hot is what it is. If the cookware
doesn't absorb heat fast enough, it isn't the temperature, it is the
size of the fire. If you tell me that all available alcohol stoves
have insufficient output, OK. It is not a necessary characteristic of
the fuel. The exhaust system on my alcohol burning car runs yellow
hot. How hot do you need? They make these nice very wide mouth five
gallon plastic jugs, round and rectangular. About 15 bucks. Car racers
use them. Nice thick polyethylene, really sturdy. They are good for
water too. Many car parts stores sell them, you don't need a special
racer's shop, if there is such a thing. The methanol you can get from
a truck at the sprint car races. By far the cheapest source. Indy cars
also use it, so you can't say it is a wimpy fuel. 100 octane. So is
propane. There is a bumboat that sells stuff to the crews of the
Lakers. It sells propane. Ore boats use it for cooking. They don't
worry about a leak setting the taconite on fire. They do have their
large home size tanks out on deck, in the wind. They could easily have
an electric stove if they wanted one.. Crew size is 29, that much
cooking. I wish I had a propane stove, but whatever.

Casady

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:59:17 -0600, Paul Cassel
wrote:

I find alcohol the least favorable fuel. It not only isn't very hot,

Not hot? Way hotter than red hot is what it is. If the cookware
doesn't absorb heat fast enough, it isn't the temperature, it is the
size of the fire. If you tell me that all available alcohol stoves
have insufficient output, OK. It is not a necessary characteristic of
the fuel. The exhaust system on my alcohol burning car runs yellow
hot. How hot do you need? They make these nice very wide mouth five
gallon plastic jugs, round and rectangular. About 15 bucks. Car racers
use them. Nice thick polyethylene, really sturdy. They are good for
water too. Many car parts stores sell them, you don't need a special
racer's shop, if there is such a thing. The methanol you can get from
a truck at the sprint car races. By far the cheapest source. Indy cars
also use it, so you can't say it is a wimpy fuel. 100 octane. So is
propane. There is a bumboat that sells stuff to the crews of the
Lakers. It sells propane. Ore boats use it for cooking. They don't
worry about a leak setting the taconite on fire. They do have their
large home size tanks out on deck, in the wind. They could easily have
an electric stove if they wanted one.. Crew size is 29, that much
cooking. I wish I had a propane stove, but whatever.

Casady

I have a pressure alcohol stove on Essie and I like it a lot. Fuel is
readily available throughout the States, a gallon lasts me about forever
since I don't really use it much (maybe a dozen times each summer), but when
I do it will boil a kettle of water in less than 10 minutes. Would propane
be hotter and boil that water faster? Possibly. But it would also cost about
$1500 to replace my working stove. That will buy about 750 gallons of
alcohol.

People complain about "flares" with pressure stoves. I've never had one that
wasn't entirely my fault, and not at all since I learned to use it properly.
I might consider converting the stove to pressure kerosene some day, but for
now, alcohol is just fine with me.

On Tue, 9 Oct 2007 18:06:18 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

People complain about "flares" with pressure stoves. I've never had one that
wasn't entirely my fault, and not at all since I learned to use it properly.
I might consider converting the stove to pressure kerosene some day, but for
now, alcohol is just fine with me.

A "flare" is a "flare", it doesn't matter who's fault it is when your
boat cabin is on fire. They happen all too frequently with pressure
stoves. That's why they have fallen out of favor. My recommendations
for what they are worth:

Smaller sailboat, occasional use - Origo

Larger sailboat or frequent use - propane

Power boat with generator - electric

If you take a look at the sailboats that are actually out there doing
serious cruising, the vast majority use propane.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...

A "flare" is a "flare", it doesn't matter who's fault it is when your
boat cabin is on fire. They happen all too frequently with pressure
stoves. That's why they have fallen out of favor. My recommendations
for what they are worth:

And a propane explosion is a propane explosion, and it doesn't matter whose
fault it was when your boat is in pieces. And like propane explosions,
flares can be prevented.


Smaller sailboat, occasional use - Origo

Larger sailboat or frequent use - propane

Power boat with generator - electric

If you take a look at the sailboats that are actually out there doing
serious cruising, the vast majority use propane.

I had propane on my previous boat, and liked it a lot. Two tanks mounted in
the cockpit footwell, any leaks would drain overboard through the scuppers.
Solonoid regulated, sniffer mounted in the galley, the works. But I found it
to be a hassle having to take those tanks out for a walk when they needed a
refill. With alcohol or kerosene fueled stoves, all you need is a container.
Much easier. And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find. But a diesel stove would be even better.

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:28:33 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find. But a diesel stove would be even better.

I would guess that a kerosene stove would burn diesel OK, but you can
get kerosene with a lower sulfur content, and you don't need a coating
sulfurous acid over everything in the boat. Dampen a piece of blue
litmus paper and hold it in the exhaust of a diesel and see for
yourself.
If the burner exhaust went over the side, that would be another thing,
but sailboats don't seem to have stoves with exhaust fans, unless
maybe they are big enough to be considered a tall ship. The right room
heater will be vented outside, and may even have a top hot enough to
keep a coffee pot warm, if not to cook with. I think a kerosene
camping stove set up in the cockpit, would be OK with diesel.
Five gallons of kerosene will last quite a while cooking for, say,
four people. I like the five gallon wide mouth plastic jugs the car
racers use. $15 at most car parts houses. They are nice and sturdy.

Casady

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:28:33 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find. But a diesel stove would be even better.

I would guess that a kerosene stove would burn diesel OK, but you can
get kerosene with a lower sulfur content, and you don't need a coating
sulfurous acid over everything in the boat. Dampen a piece of blue
litmus paper and hold it in the exhaust of a diesel and see for
yourself.
If the burner exhaust went over the side, that would be another thing,
but sailboats don't seem to have stoves with exhaust fans, unless
maybe they are big enough to be considered a tall ship. The right room
heater will be vented outside, and may even have a top hot enough to
keep a coffee pot warm, if not to cook with. I think a kerosene
camping stove set up in the cockpit, would be OK with diesel.
Five gallons of kerosene will last quite a while cooking for, say,
four people. I like the five gallon wide mouth plastic jugs the car
racers use. $15 at most car parts houses. They are nice and sturdy.

Casady

If I were to ever replace my pressure alcohol stove, I would probably go for
the Wallas diesel. No exposed flame, exhausts and intakes air from outside
the cabin, doubles as a cabin heater.

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:50:03 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

If I were to ever replace my pressure alcohol stove, I would probably go for
the Wallas diesel. No exposed flame, exhausts and intakes air from outside
the cabin, doubles as a cabin heater.

That sounds good. I wonder if they use them on motor homes. Of course
those don't have any trouble getting propane.

Casady

Somebody wrote:

And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find.............

You have never tried to find kerosene in SoCal.

Lew

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:35:19 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

Somebody wrote:

And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find.............

You have never tried to find kerosene in SoCal.

Yes, and while jet fuel may start out as kerosene, it has additives
that when burned, give me a headache. Stuff to kill microorganisms,
retard icing, stuff like that. Don't even think about it.

Casady

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...
Somebody wrote:

And kerosene will be available in places where propane is
impossible to find.............

You have never tried to find kerosene in SoCal.

Lew



Actually I have. I used to live in Long Beach, and spent four years living
aboard in Wilmington. I bought kerosene regularly at Home Depot, and other
places, to use in our cabin lamps.