Marine grill.

[bkekst]

I've never owned a Magma but then I can't say my solution was very economical.

My only hesitation with Magma was that they advertise "marine grade" steel. It's difficult to find anything specific from Magma on exactly what steel they use, but several resellors do mention "Made of 100-percent 18-9 mirror-polished stainless steel" (http://communications.mystuffdeals.com/magma-grill). A little research on wikipedia shows this is better than standard steel, but categorized as SAE Grade 304 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_grades).

Most vendors claiming marine grade steel for any product specify SAE Grade 316. Here's a page of grills of which about half are 316, for the most part the items that don't say 316 don't say "marine grade" (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-marine+bbq+stainless+steel/k0). The difference is molybdenum which resists salt.

So how long have these grills lasted for you? I see one person said 20 years, but was that really hanging on the rail the whole time? Unfortunately I see another post that says the old Magmas were not the good ones. Talking to my next door neighbor his first Magma lasted one season uncovered, then it was completely rusted inside and out. His second and current magma has lasted several years so far, however he has replaced the internals once. Clearly a decent cover is worth the investment.

I ended up getting a Galleymate (http://marinebarbecues.com.au/marine-barbecues/galleymate-2000/) which has worked really well. I figure Australians know sailing and bar-b-queuing. I went with the rail mounts, they have a variation of what is shown on that page that works with a curved rail. Then I added the diagonal telescoping rod. Claims to work in winds up to 40 Kts, which I can't say I've tested yet. I can say that the very low settings work well in the calm, but with 15-20 Kts of wind the flames will snuff out at low settings. It's 2 years old and after a decent cleaning it looks almost like new.

 

[Ron20324]

[QUOTE.... My grill was also hot. I complained to Magma and they said I needed the low output regulator. For some reason they use the same one for all the grills,big or small. For $30+ it solved the extreme heat problem.[/QUOTE]

I wonder what the difference in the regulators is? A "jet" size that could possibly be drilled to a happy medium(heat)?

 

[kito]

I don't have a Magna grill but am confused about this regulator. Even with the larger regulator can you not control the flame height so it doesn't get too hot?

 

[Ken Cross]

The range of flame height is limited. I don't know if its controlled by pressure or by an orifice but if you rotate the knob to minimum it still has a pretty large flame. I'm guessing that the large flame is to make it more wind resistant (which it seems to do well.) I didn't know about the low heat regulator, but I suspect I'll have one shortly.

Since someone asked about longevity: Our current grill (the new style) is about 9 years old. I leave it on the rail most of the time but inside a homemade Sunbrella cover. I have removed it for winter a few times. I did replace the igniter once last year. I also cleaned it well and it looks good still.
Ken

 

[centerline]

I don't have a Magna grill but am confused about this regulator. Even with the larger regulator can you not control the flame height so it doesn't get too hot?

I have dealt with this problem when I bought my first grill, which was a kettle II, and spoke with a two different support techs at magma and I learned quite a bit about something so simple as their grills...

the adjustments of the regulators at the factory is not as exact as rocket science, and they are not exactly precision made, so there can be a bit of difference in output when comparing even the hot regulators against one another... when bumped or dropped or a bit of contaminate is present, it can change the output, which could go either way. and the flow is such a small amount, at such a low pressure, a very small change can make a huge difference in the size of the flame

the three heat range regulators arent just one "setting" different from each other, but they try to make them so that with a mid range regulator on its highest setting will be about the same as a hot reg on its lowest setting.. this is quite a difference, but again, they arent precision instruments, but are normally always close and stable enough to cook with.

there are other thing that make a difference in the percieved output... the outside air temps, which if it is cold or/and windy, you need higher BTU output to keep up with the heat loss.
people dont realize how much difference a windy 50degree day vs. a calm 80 degree day makes until they have a regulator that does not have the adjustment range to cover both areas.

magma doesnt care where one uses their grills, in the arctic or on the equator, and so they include the reg that seems to work the best on the average.... but the variables that can cause the reg to deliver a bit more, or a bit less gas is beyond their control... and because of this, and because people have different cooking styles, they offer different regulator options.

some things in life arent always the blame of the manufacture, but its just the way it is without being any ones fault..

it is my opinion that sometimes one should assess the situation with an open mind, and they might find the problem is themselves..... after all, its quite possible some people just arent a good fit for a magma grill... and possibly many other products.

 

[Pat]

We were given a charcoal magma 25 years ago and aside from a new cover or two we've cooked some great meals on this cooker....it is as airtight as you want it to be or you can cook partially open or completely closed....is safe,
never goes out until you are ready and is great for cooking for four...sometimes we use matchlight and sometimes
we use regular charcoal.....it prefer's rib-eyes, medium rare to rare.....

 

[kito]

I will buying me a stern rail mounted grill in the next few months. I was really wanting to go with charcoal but had concerns about safety........ashes,sparks, wave action dumping the coals etc. I'm just spoiled I guess. The old gas grills were almost tolerable when they had the lava rock that would get 'seasoned', but had massive flare ups. The new ones where you're basically just heating up a metal plate just tastes nasty to me. I can actually taste gas in my food.

 

[Jim 5757]

FWIW, we got the Kuuma charcoal grill with rail mount. 5 years now and still looks like new! Yes, it's a bit more than the Magma, but it's made with heavy-gauge 304 stainless which is quite durable, and temp is very easy to control by adding more or less charcoal. No propane bottles to mess with. With the grill mounted outside the stern rail, any sparks, etc. will always end up behind the boat (assuming the bow is into the wind!).

 

[Phantomsailor]

I've owned a Solaire Anywhere portable infrared grill for about 10 years. It has been on the rail the whole time (covered when not in use). It is made of 316 SS and has held up well though I did replace the burner this summer. These are infrared, no open flame, and grilling only - you cannot shut the lid while grilling. I've cooked a lot of steaks, burgers, hot dogs, brats, chicken, fish, shrimp, veggies, you name it on this thing over the years. If low and slow is your thing, this isn't the grill for you. If there is one draw back it is that it is a little sensitive to the wind. The new burner seems to have improved that as the the design is a little different. Made in the USA in Whittier, CA.

 

[marke14]

used goods like minneys

I was in Minney's upstairs/back room recently, and they have a bunch of used ones in there. I didn't look too carefully, and granted some of them were VERY used, but SoCal folks should check out Minney's if you're in the market for such a thing.

God I love Minney's! All kinds of used stuff. If I hit the lottery I'd probably attempt to construct a boat using only stuff I bought there, as a challenge.

 

[dscribner]

Pick up a table top one for $35 and make a mounting bracket from EMT tubing and fittings. In 7 years, toss it and buy new.

 

[druid]

Wow - hearing all these problems with Magma and others, I'm sure glad we have Dickinson and Force 10 up here!

druid