Barbecue Grills

[nautikaljeeper]

Re: barbaque grills

I have got the square Magma and I have not had a problem with the burner blowing out. I must add I have not grilled on it when I am sailing only at anchorages and at my slip. What I have found to add to the grill is custom cut grill grates and what a great addition that has been. No flare ups and what is more important to me is even heat distribution. I really look forward to cooking on it.

http://www.grillgrate.com/index.php?/site/science

 

[tommays]

Re: barbaque grills



I made some better mounts as when i got it on sale the mounts sucked and were expensive



The grill is fully on the port side now and has done fine

 

[Pat]

Re: barbaque grills

Our club will not allow any charcoal cookers to be used on boats while in any slip...All our cooking is done at anchor. Propane cookers are allowed to be used in the slips....

 

[Ken Cross]

Re: barbaque grills

We have the new hinged model and it is pretty good. It lights easily and never has blown out. The issue I have is it is too hot for lots of cooking. We put a metal plate on the grill and even bake pizza there. Once again the metal plate is because it gets too hot.

Also I clamp ours to the stanchon not the top rail, so it can't tip over.
Ken

 

[centerline]

We have the new hinged model and it is pretty good. It lights easily and never has blown out. The issue I have is it is too hot for lots of cooking. We put a metal plate on the grill and even bake pizza there. Once again the metal plate is because it gets too hot.

Also I clamp ours to the stanchon not the top rail, so it can't tip over.
Ken

as for the magma mounts, which i think are the best..... the mount rod can be purposely bent in wantever direction you want, so it will work on a leaning upright tube (like a stanchion) so it cant swivel down and dump the contents of the grill...

I have 2 boats with a grill on each,that i use a lot, and when the magma clamp is tight, it takes an unreasonable amount of force to make the clamp slip on the rail.

I have a 3gallon kettle that i use for cooking crab, and with 5-6 crab in it, even in rough/rolly conditions, it has never slipped.

so anyone that has had one slip downward, it wasnt because it is a faulty or poorly designed clamp.. but because it wasnt tight enough....

but i would agree that no matter why the thing slips and dumps the contents in the bay, it kinda leaves a hungry taste in your mouth for a better way...

mounting on a vertical post is much better than a horizontal rail.... just bend the arm and adjust the clamp as needed to make it work.

 

[Richard Bryer]

I made a "shelf" out of 3/16 thick aluminum that clamps onto the stern rail and is braced from the bottom by a length of 1" tubing flattened and bent at one end and attached by 1/4 bolts to the underside of the shelf an the other end to a clamp to the lower rail at the stern. You can see it in the picture, un-clamped at the bottom and swiveled up for winter covering. I by small stainless steel portable barbeques- am on my second one, the first lasted about 8 years. I never pay over $65 for them and they are bigger than most boat ones. They use the small propane canisters that screw on. I find they work very well.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I have been using a Magma Grill for years between two boats. My current boat came with another grill that has a neat stern rail mount that I believe was created by the previous owner.

Either way, the grill is small but works good on my small boat.

The Magma grill worked great. My only issue with one was once the tube that the regulator attaches to fell off, after I had removed the propane tank. It fell directly into the water. Maga didn't make replacement parts for my old grill that were exact so I had to buy a new regulator and tube. This grill also needs a new screen and probably a new gas burner. I have to upgrade to the new stuff that doesn't use the lava rocks.

Any of the boat grill seem to work. Keep charcoal aboard could be a pain but I remember a grill that my Uncle had on his Catalina 27 that was a charcoal grill. It worked great but the coals could be a hassle.

Check ebay for grills and check consignment shops also. They are much cheaper this way and they tend to last okay.

 

[Maine Sail]

Having had a couple round Magna grills I must say that they are terrible because they blow out in any amount of breeze. I now have a Kuuma rectangular and I find it to be much better. YMMV

They have fixed this in the recent models. In the last three years ours has not blown out once even in some very stiff winds. In the winter I mount it to the deck at home and even at home its never blown out. The old ones were awful and blew out if you farted near them!

The new models, with hinged lids, are far better....

 

[Scott B]

Re: barbaque grills

I've used a Magma Catalina model for 8 seasons for almost every meal, weekends and 1-2 week trips every year, with no issues. Clamp on bracket is very tight and the regulator always stays in, with 90 deg. turn to remove. I have a small 5 lbs propane cylinder, same as whats used on the boat.

Only thing I've deep sixed is a few burgers and a steak while flipping

 

[redhead78]

Re: barbaque grills

Thanks eveeryone for input and ideas, Merry X-mas...Red

 

[Chris Patterson]

I mount my Magma on the inside of the rail. I can't see myself hanging OVER the rail to cook a meal.

The secret, I keep it clean. Maybe now and then I have to put a paper towel on the bench to catch a drip, but even if I don't, a quick wipe cures that. And no, it's not in the way of anything.....or I would disembark it..

 

[Pat]

Re: barbaque grills

Our Y.C. does not allow us to use charcoal cookers in the slips....a minor inconvenience...

 

[CloudDiver]

Re: barbaque grills

I had the older kettle style Magma before the hinged top model came out. I never had a problem with blow out, but I also never really used it in windy conditions. What I hated was that it would get so HELL FIRE HOT, even on the lowest setting, that you couldn't take off the top by the knob unless you had a gloved hand. I figured that this was by design since cooking aboard could be windy?
Anyway, after I sold my power boat in 2008 I used the kettle grill with the tripod stand for other occasions. Eventually I sold it for the reason of excessive heat I mentioned above, besides, I prefer smoking my meats as much as possible. I kind of regretted getting rid of it, but with the improvements to the newer models its no big deal now.

I've mentioned in other threads about cleaning stainless steel that I use a Phosphoric Acid based (diluted) cleaning solution that is made for welding prep. This worked wonders on my Magma Grill, inside and out. Better than oven cleaner, just spray and let sit and without scrubbing it takes off the tarnish from the outside and sponge off the black char on the inside and rinse with water. Any welding supply shop will have a similar product, as long as P.A. is the active ingredient. A $5 spray bottle lasts several cleanings. When I sold that Magma Kettle it looked so new I got $75 for it when I had paid $119 3 years before, not bad...

 

[Pat]

Re: barbaque grills

mine deesn't really clamp on....it's tightened by 2 big ss screws....has moved since 1986...but has had a new cover a couple of times...I'd give up too if it fell in the lake...Saga of the sinking rib-eyes...

 

[Gene Neill]

I had the older kettle style Magma before the hinged top model came out. I never had a problem with blow out, but I also never really used it in windy conditions. What I hated was that it would get so HELL FIRE HOT, even on the lowest setting, that you couldn't take off the top by the knob unless you had a gloved hand. I figured that this was by design since cooking aboard could be windy?

You got that right!! I have that same grill, the small, old style Magma kettle without the hinged lid (which I REALLY wish it had, more than anything). I love it, but man, it does get hotter than the hinges of Hell! It dang sure doesn't blow out though, any more than Mauna Loa might blow out!

I don't know if it was designed to use lava rocks, but by putting some in it on top of the screen, it has calmed the heat down to where it's pretty usable now, at the very lowest setting anyway. So all I'm left with is wishing it had a hinged lid.

 

[hewebb]

I have the Magma party size kettle 2 and so far no issues.

 

[Chris Patterson]

I wanna know about the lava rock thing. You put these in a propane grill? Doesn't seem to be a whole lotta space in there for them......I guess..

 

[Ron20324]

...I don't know if it was designed to use lava rocks, but by putting some in it on top of the screen, it has calmed the heat down to where it's pretty usable now, at the very lowest setting anyway. So all I'm left with is wishing it had a hinged lid.

I have the hinge lid, and added the lava rock-cones. Can't say for sure they helped, but the logical says it should. My 2$ worth.

 

[deltaten]

Other than having no other place to stow one, I seen no reason to leave a grill on the rail..
I have a cheap, Lowe's s.s..table-top rectangular grilll that I stow in the stbd 'pit locker; it *just* fits. I pull tthe ply "door" offa tthe engine compartment in that locker and put it across the quarter coaming as a shelf, then the grill atop. Stable..NOT over the water, I can sit to tend it and cools enuff during dinner to replace it when done.

Yes! It's cheesier than Magma; but i can replace it near four times for the same $$. I don't need a boutique grill offa the stern to proclaim me a "GrillMeister" Utility aside; what I saved on the price willpay for steaks for two seasons
Use whatcha got/want I'm happy with mine.

 

[Chris & Lenore]

I found another benefit to our Magma Kettle2 (other than it never blowing out).
With the double wall construction it keeps its temperature regardless of wind speed or temperature. Our older (can't remember the brand but single walled) would cool right down if the wind was blowing.

I also added a lanyard to the gas tube and regulator so they can't fall in the water.

We also use ours in "stove mode" quite a bit - especially for messy things like bacon. You can close the lid over the frying pan and nothing spatters.

Chris