alcohol or propane, the age old question
- Thread starter fred1diver
- Start date
Alcohol unless treated has a colorless flame. It floats on water, so if you have a spill/ fire you need to have the right extinguisher. Propane... heavier than air.. will always settle to low areas.
CNG lighter than air. Any release will go to atmosphere.
I only recommend CNG . I do have a rail mounted propane BBQ grill. Its' bottles are stored in an air tight sealing container...
CNG lighter than air. Any release will go to atmosphere.
I only recommend CNG . I do have a rail mounted propane BBQ grill. Its' bottles are stored in an air tight sealing container...
The first question to ask yourself is, "what type of cooking do I intend to do?"
Then, ask how much time, effort, and money do I want to spend?
And then, how do I intend to use the boat?
A propane system done properly is both safe and expensive to set up. It will provide a cooking experience similar to one at home. Done incorrectly, there is a good chance the boat will end up on the bottom.
An alcohol stove, like the Origios, are safe is used properly and easy to install and maintain. The downside is they are a little slower to boil a pot of water. Boiling a pint of water to make some tea or coffee only takes a couple of minutes longer with alcohol than it does with propane. If you are boiling a pot of water to feed pasta to a small army, you'll find an alcohol stove not to your liking.
If you intend to use the boat as a live aboard or do extensive cruising, then it may be worthwhile to spend the time and money for a proper propane set up. If the use is short cruises, weekends, in the short Great Lakes season, then the alcohol stove will be more than adequate.
there is also butane portable systems depending on need. (Butane is also heavier than air)
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I have an Origo 6000 alcohol stove with an oven and I like it. No propane systems, it is simple and works well. The two burners are 6,800 BTUs each vs. a propane stove that typically has one 9,000 BTU burner and one 4,000 BTU burner. The difference in heat output is small. May be 20% longer to boil water. If I were to change in the future it would be to electric.
I see you are in Marina del Rey. Just an FYI: if you haven't already heard, denatured alcohol is now banned in California.
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You'll have to add weight to the bottom or it will be top heavy the weight will be too close to the pivot point. Try adding the stove and a pot of water, see how it swings.
Fred . I am following this one closely.
With the weight of the gas cansters so far below the swing axis, I reckon you have a pretty stable design.
Maybe a bit of added ballast, but not that much.
Once you get the physic worked out I will be right behind you on the build.
Gary
With the weight of the gas cansters so far below the swing axis, I reckon you have a pretty stable design.
Maybe a bit of added ballast, but not that much.
Once you get the physic worked out I will be right behind you on the build.
Gary
A full canister of gas weighs less than 2 pounds, 1 pound for the gas and the rest for the canister. A quart of water weighs 2 lbs, plus the pot, plus the burner. That makes the stove itself top heavy and moves the CG up high.
Do some bench testing to work out the bugs first.
Go to images.google.com and search for "single burner gimbaled marine stoves"
Also take at look at this article: The Boiling Point: Five-Way Single-burner Galley Stove Test - Practical Sailor Print Edition Article
Where do you plan on storing these cylinders? My understanding is that these are propane/butane fuel sources. Do you really want to store these inside the cabin. Both propane and butane are heavier than air and any leak will sink to the lowest point. Just asking.
I suspect that, reflecting the risk of fire/explosion, your insurance company will not cover the boat with "portable" LPG or similar-fuel canisters stored inside. Without proof of insurance most marinas will not rent you a slip. You can certainly keep your stove fuel cans stored properly outside, vented properly. Bring them inside only while actually cooking. We used to do something like that several decades ago when cooking on one-burner butane gimbaled stove in our cuddy cabin sailboat.
Think it over carefully, and do not underestimate the risk. Please.
Think it over carefully, and do not underestimate the risk. Please.
I’m mostly going to use the Jetboil pots that lock onto the stoves