Fuel for "Alcohol Stove"

centerline · Dec 5, 2015

BlowMeAway said:
What are the cooks within the Hunter fleet cooking with these day?

is your stove an alcohol stove? or is it a "pump-up" white gas stove?,... and are you sure?
I am not a cook on a Hunter boat, and im not aware that Hunter used a proprietary stove on any of their boats, or that hunter owners used a special stove fuel, so does it matter to you what the rest of us might be using for fuel in our stoves?

...

Roland5048 · Dec 5, 2015

I also have one of those pressurized, 'set the galley on fire', stoves. Uses what you mentioned you have or , I believe, denatured alcohol. Haven't used mine in years. I now use my rail-mounted Magma or a one burner Coleman that also takes the one pound propane bottles. Might need to upgrade to the two burner. Much safer in my opinion.

centerline · Dec 5, 2015

Roland5048 said:
I also have one of those pressurized, 'set the galley on fire', stoves. Uses what you mentioned you have or , I believe, denatured alcohol. Haven't used mine in years. I now use my rail-mounted Magma or a one burner Coleman that also takes the one pound propane bottles. Might need to upgrade to the two burner. Much safer in my opinion.

If its a presurized white gas stove, then it needs white gas, and if its a presurized alcohol stove it needs alcohol...
where to OP is talking about an alcohol stove, but is finding white gas on the boat, it NEEDS to be determined without a doubt what he has before proceding with the stove...

Stu Jackson · Dec 5, 2015

If it's a pressurized "anything" stove, it will have the burners surrounded by a little cup directly beneath it. That cup must be filled with the fuel first, then lit and allowed to expire, and only then do you turn the knob for the main burner while holding the light to it. You could Google "lighting pressurized [your choice of fuels here] stoves."

There's simply no way of any of us knowing what fuel your stove is made for. Partly because the PO could have put something in, and partly because not all XYZ30 models came with the same stoves. Like you said, it's an old boat.

Good luck.

PS - Many simply hate these pressurized stoves and have replaced them with Origio stoves. Still alcohol, but not pressurized.

Stu Jackson · Dec 5, 2015

removed dupl post

25yearslater · Dec 5, 2015

Determining the fuel type is critical. I also have an antique of a different make and from experience I can tell you these stoves are often changed out over the course of owners. Put white gas in an alcohol stove and 'BlowMeAway' may become an adjective and not a noun. If in serious doubt remove it and test it somewhere in your yard. I removed my pressure alcohol stove only to discover 2 years of work would have gone up in flames had I attempted to light her up on the boat. White gas can and does produce CO (Carbon Monoxide) where alcohol is fairly clean and produces CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) which is less deadly as it doesn't bond to hemoglobin as readily and prevent oxygenation. This is one of the most serious questions you could ask so don't take the answers lightly. When in doubt, get it out.

ggrizzard · Dec 5, 2015

Look forward to a pic so we can give you a definitive answer.
G.

shemandr · Dec 5, 2015

Roland5048 said:
...'set the galley on fire', stoves.

It's a "chance" stove. There's a chance you'll have a hot meal and there's a chance you'll burn your boat to the waterline.

Pat · Dec 5, 2015

We had Easter dinner on a boat with a Kenyon pressurized stove which leaked fuel down the front of the teak cabinet, and the boat nearly burned in the slip. Our O'Day 272 came with an Origo non-pressurized stove and we've actually cooked Thanksgiving dinner on it....Very safe, easy to clean, easy to fill...just denatured alc. from hdw. store, or you can buy more expensive fuel and away you go; not into the air....as in boom...but having fun cooking...just a bit slower than propane, but very safe. Good Luck!

pipedream · Dec 5, 2015

Primus and optimus stoves have been around forever it seems. I had a back pack model in high school, and our old boat has one now. Alcohol has been the favored for boats because it easy to extinguish with just water, and simple to light, despite the urban legends about burning down a boat to the waterline with alcohol. The biggest drawback is alcohol delivers less heat than other fuels.
My marine primus 2 burner will burn either alcohol or white gas, but the burners need to be replaced to do so. The primary difference being the oriface size.

Avoid any unnecessary accidents by giving your stove a detailed exam to determine the make and model then getting in touch with a good shop to make an inspection. I was able to get my primus burners updated several years ago and great advice from A&H enterprises, http://packstoves.net/cart/

Try them on the web, and send your pictures, you probably have a unit with a lot of years left in it for cruising.

Alan Gomes · Dec 5, 2015

BlowMeAway said:
I do have a fire extinguisher, in case anyone cares...still no help, just advice. Doesn't anyone have a boat that looks like this sans microwave. Ill get a picture tomorrow. Seriously, not afraid of starting a fire, just wanna know from the Cherubini owners what gives with the stoves...

View attachment 117812

As others have already mentioned, your boat is nearly 40 years old. What an owner's manual states or what other Cherubini owners may have in their boats is utterly meaningless. For a boat that old, it is frequently the case that the stove may have been replaced with something completely different. Indeed, the boat's stove may have been replaced multiple times by now. Besides, there was nothing even close to consistency in what 70's boat builders may have installed during a given production run. That is, it is entirely possible that not all of these boats had the same stove installed from the factory.

Particularly given that you are talking about an issue with safety implications, you would not want to base anything on what other owners may or may not have on their boats. If/when you post a picture of your unit then you stand a much better chance of getting real information.

pipedream · Dec 5, 2015

+1

Boat companies make decks and hulls, stoves and other parts are sourced out to about 6 different manufacturer's. Get your picture at half time, share with the forum and the other outlets named.

centerline · Dec 5, 2015

BlowMeAway said:
Sorry team, it's not so much the rest-of-us but rather the festivus of things on board (airing of grievances around the festivus pole) ...the responses I received are not terribly helpful. I'm looking for other H30C owners in the 1978 legacy. There's very little information within the incredibly inept owners manual that came with these boats 30-40 years ago. It is listed as an alcohol stove, but there is clearly a port into which you pour the fuel, a pressure pump valve, very much like the pumps on Coleman stoves, and no igniter. Ill take a picture this weekend when I visit the old (but extremely attractive) girl. Wouldn't the CO emissions from Coleman fluid be more concentrated than burning denatured alcohol? Bare with me please, I'm a learning student of Hunter boats. This is the only picture I took during my walk though...

View attachment 117805

Wayne

Wayne,
you have shown us a photo of the microwave and the pop-up counter space, so why dont you show us a photo of the stove?...
my earlier post was kind of a tongue-in-cheek remark about it doesnt really matter what brand the boat is, who is doing the cooking on it, OR how it came equipped 30-40 years ago, because it probably isnt original anymore....

what is important is that you identify the stove, or let someone help you identify it (no matter what kind of boat they own), because it really does matter what kind of fuel goes into it... as for the safety in the proper use of the stove, that comes after identifying it, because some are much safer than others, but even the "un-safe" types can be used reasonably safely by a knowledgeable and careful person who routinely pays attention to details...

just because the previous owner said its an alcohol stove, doesnt mean it is. its possible that it is, but dont bet your boat or your life on what someone else thinks.... you need to know for sure.
the part where you said the stove has a pump up reservoir only tells us that you have a "pressurized" stove, and it could be alcohol, it could be white gas or it could be diesel. if the wrong fuel is put in, could either be explosive at its worst, and at its least, be a contaminate that requires disassembly and cleaning... and any pressurized stove does require more care to use than the non pressurized units...

Joe · Dec 5, 2015

BlowMeAway said:
Sorry team, it's not so much the rest-of-us but rather the festivus of things on board (airing of grievances around the festivus pole) ...the responses I received are not terribly helpful. .....
Wayne

Sounds like you may have a Princess Alcohol Stove that was common equipment option on many 70's era production boats... Take a look at this link and see if it compares to yours. AFIK no boat manufacturer made their own proprietary stove.... but many offered the Princess, or another brand, as a galley option. http://www.catalina27.org/Clips/PRICESS ALCOHOL STOVES.pdf Regarding fuel.... I use just plain old denatured alcohol for my Origo... pretty cheap if you get it at Home Depot instead of the special "alcohol stove fuel" sold by some chandleries. The Origo stove, btw is a common drop-in replacement for the old Princess stoves... many folks changed them out becaue they don't require pressurizing.

Benny17441 · Dec 5, 2015

Find out from the PO if the stove is in working order and when was it last used. Old and faulty pressurized fuel stoves can be finicky and prone to flare ups. I would recommend replacing with a non-pressurized alcohol stove.

All U Get · Dec 6, 2015

BlowMeAway said:
Wow, this is all too discerning! I'll send some close up imagery after visiting the Old Girl tomorrow. Thanks for the freak out safety concerns. I seriously do appreciate everyone's feedback!

Hello,

Maybe I could help you out. Good advice here because everyone would probably agree that your nice interior wouldn't look good in black char. We had a 1981 Catalina 30 with a pressurized alcohol stove and used it for 6 years. We found that the Coleman fuel wasn't acceptable and used denatured alcohol for the following reasons. In the back country Coleman fuel worked great in the little stoves. On the boat it stunk, sooted up the pans, and left soot and film in the entire cabin. The flame always had a bit of yellow showing incomplete combustion.

We switched to the denatured alcohol and had better results. We cooked meals every weekend during the summer and on trips of several weeks. My wife noted that the heat didn't come close to propane so cooking times had to be adjusted. We even used the oven on several occasions once we learned how our stove had worked.

Like most things it all depends on your experience level. We had done a lot of camping so having to cook on a boat wasn't that foreign to us. Some folks will singe their eyebrows lighting a birthday cake. Nobody knows the specifics of your stove or if it is useable. The microwave (which was never on boats back then) is a strong indicator of what the PO thought of it. There may be a name or stamp somewhere on the stove, half the fun of boating is finding it. Good luck and enjoy the boat.

All U Get