Galley maid 3 burner alcohol stove/oven

sdstef

.
Jan 31, 2013
140
Hunter 28 Branched Oak Lake
I am moving up to a new to me 87 Newport 30 mk 3. It has an alcohol stove/oven with 3 burners and it is gimbaled. It looks like new. What I wonder is are they just too much hassle and dangerous or are the problems more of an operator malfunction? Thanks
 

sdstef

.
Jan 31, 2013
140
Hunter 28 Branched Oak Lake
Yes, there is a pressure pot/reservoir in the port lazzerette.
 
Jun 5, 2014
209
Capital Yacths Newport MKIII 30 Punta Gorda, Fl
We have the same stove in out 87 Newport 30. We just got it last April and have only used the stove once to test it. It worked great. We have the owners manual on it. It says it's best to operate with 10-20 PSI on the tank. It also says when not using it to turn the gas tank valve off and then let the air pressure out of the tank by loosening the screw cap. It also says to put a small amount of alcohol into the bowl to light it. When the flame is almost ready to burn out then turn the gas knob back on to a blue flam. It says that alcohol fires can be put out with water. I have read good and bad. Alcohol will not blow up like propane can. I have read that if you turn it off when not using it and letting the pressure off then it is safe. From what I have read the biggest mistake people make is filling the bowl up high with alcohol before lighting it. Then it flames up high. ONLY put a very small amount of alcohol into the bowl, turn the gas knob off, then light it. Turn the gas knob on when the flame in the bowl is almost ready to go out.
 
Sep 11, 2009
24
Catalina Capri 26 Lake Pend Oreille, ID
Try it and see what you think. Our Capri 26 had a Princess alcohol stove top and I didn't care for it. Had a couple of flare ups and after waiting 30 minutes to perk coffee and still not getting coffee, I gave up. Replaced with propane and never looked back.
 
Jan 22, 2008
296
Islander Freeport, 41 Ketch Longmont, CO
I had an 2 burner alcohol stove on our Hunter 25, Once we cleaned it up it worked fine. I got to like it a lot and since I only needed a cheap can of alcohol from Walmart for fuel and never had any issues. It can flare up if you put too much fuel in the bowl but that will go down immediately once the fuel is burned - its not going to burn the boat up!!

Lighting them does take a little getting used to but once you have the technique down, its simple and easy to get going. I never had any concerns about safety other than to keep a window open for fresh air - I do this with any stove in a confined space.

For me, I liked it, since I had other places to put the boat bucks instead of a new stove.

Fair Winds,

Victor
 
May 24, 2004
7,213
CC 30 South Florida
Nothing will irk a tired sailor more at the end of the day than not being able to timely cook and eat some food. Alcohol is not free of perils, it can burn with an invisible flame and stoves not safe to refuel until they have cooled down. Some people experience allergic reaction to alcohol fumes. Storage is also a concern. I have used both pressurized and non pressurized and prefer the latter for simplicity and safety.
 
Feb 26, 2004
23,345
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Very good. Best "How to" in simple layman's language I've read in quite a while. Don't over do it is the key.

We have the same stove in out 87 Newport 30. We just got it last April and have only used the stove once to test it. It worked great. We have the owners manual on it. It says it's best to operate with 10-20 PSI on the tank. It also says when not using it to turn the gas tank valve off and then let the air pressure out of the tank by loosening the screw cap. It also says to put a small amount of alcohol into the bowl to light it. When the flame is almost ready to burn out then turn the gas knob back on to a blue flam. It says that alcohol fires can be put out with water. I have read good and bad. Alcohol will not blow up like propane can. I have read that if you turn it off when not using it and letting the pressure off then it is safe. From what I have read the biggest mistake people make is filling the bowl up high with alcohol before lighting it. Then it flames up high. ONLY put a very small amount of alcohol into the bowl, turn the gas knob off, then light it. Turn the gas knob on when the flame in the bowl is almost ready to go out.