Stern grilling .... which style grill?

[palacegrand]

The recent "Stern grill receipes" thread definitely got some saliva running! I've got one of the smaller Force 10 BBQ's mounted on the rail, and it frankly does pretty much all I need. I'd likely go up a size when I replace it because it can get tight doing meat & veggies all at once. Fine for me solo, gets dicey when there are more folks on board.So just to .... stir the pot a little .... what do other folks feel is the best style for the stern rail mount: the "traditional" round log style (Force 10), the round kettle(Magma style), or the more recent rectangular style (West)Let's set the parameters as: propane, cooking for a couple regularly, occasionally two couples, have a stove top in the galley for other cooking needs like rice pasta etc.Pros or cons welcomed.cheers,Craig

 

[higgs]

My choice

Phil: Are you using charcaol or that propane?I gave up on charcoal and now use a Magma propane - the round kind. I like to leave the grill attached all summer and a larger model would get in the way of outboards, life rings, stern anchor, etc. I do find the Magma too hot a lot of times and the regulator seems to not always shut off when I think it has, thus draining bottle of propane. I have learned to unscrew the regulater from the bottle after each use which, with a better designed regulator would not be necessary. Also, the Magma top does not come with any method to secure it to the grill, so you have to devise one if you are going to leave it on while sailing. Furthermore, if you want to use the grill ashore with the expensive optional legs, it is a pain in the butt to put them on.I started this post thinking my grill was pretty good, but I now see it has a lot of drawbacks. Anyone want a good deal on a used Magma?

 

[Phil MacGregor]

Grillin'

Hi Craig, This grill is a cheap gas grill that uses the one pound throw away propane cylinders. I leave the cylinder attached all the time but did snag the cylinder on a dock post and broke the regulator off. Had to chase the tank and regulator down with the dinghy. $20 bucks and I was back in business with a new grill. Phil

 

[Stu Jackson]

We put a sunbrella cover on our

big party size Magma (the grille came with the boat). It keeps the top on very well.The argument against the magmas is losing food overboard. Just as I was about to take the food off, my wife said: "Don't drop the chicken." Guess what I did. It was an old charcoal magma on a charter boat.We like ours, leave it on all the time, with gas bottle off. Need to make sure that the regulator hole doesn't get stuffed up - need a long thin needle to clear it. How do I know...ran out of CNG last summer, regulator was shot, no needle on board.

 

[Phil Herring]

Ditto Stu

Party size Force 10 traditional style. IMHO, it stays lit better than the round style.

 

[RAD]

I have the Magma

Party size kettle and have all the same complaints as Higgs,last year we installed a bimini and had to relocate the location of the BarBQue from the center cockpit to the aft stern rail and I'm going to buy the Magma Catalina grill this season cause I like a lot of grill space for cooking up a lot of food when we raft up with friends.I use my grill in the winter when I take it with me in the rv and changing from rail mount to table is a pain,which reminded me that when wer'e in marina's I had to put the table legs on my grill and use it by the picnic area so I'll have to see if the new one has the same feature.I thought of making a rail that you can clamp to any table then rail mount the barbque to the rail so I wouldn't have to fuss with the table legsWe also use our stove and oven in addition to the barbque when we cook up pasta,rice,veggies and breads in the oven.

 

[Benny]

Hey Phil from Marquette, you get

what you pay for; The home depot grill may last 2-3 seasons while our stainless steel Force 10 is on its 10th year. (We bought it used at a Marine Flea Market for $30) The Force 10 has a grease trap and collector; your boat is real nice but if any grease spills on that transom it may be hard to clean. Is that why you have the dingui ready? In the Force 10 the cooking grill is held in place with two hooks and the lid is designed not to fly open; I don't think your HD Special carries those features for foul weather cooking. One last feature is that the F10 will stay lit in 20 knot winds. I'm not nocking your idea for short term convenience but for a long term addition, ease of use and realiability get a marine designed unit.

 

[r.w.landau]

Stu, that is funny!

One night while entertaining my wife and my brother (he was tied along side)I proceeded to throw 3 of 6 chicken thighs overboard in a time laps of about 4 minutes in between drops. The best part was the fork that stuck in the grill and flung out of my hand into the lake after the three thighs had gone overboard...I blamed it on a malfunctioning fork!The overboard stuff only happened twice. The second time was a porterhouse. I have since learned to cook on my Magma charcoal grill with a lesser cavalier attitude! I really like my charcoal Magma.r.w.landau

 

[Rob Hessenius]

MAGMA

God I hate MAGMA, they raised their prices, no one knows diddy, I think they hired a young person! I think I will buy something on-line because its cheaper. I will never buy anything from them, except I like to read their "how to do everything" in their "Best in the Industry" manuel. Am I flaming them yet!!! They are just convient, so I just use them.. They have ruined weekends for me. I will never call customer care. I would rather just blast them to the world, rather than take care of my simple issue. Come on, this is what you do to West Marine!!! RH

 

[Stu Jackson]

So, Rob, just what was your problem?

Flaming someone's not unreasonable, but it helps to say what bugged you.

 

[Rob Hessenius]

STU

Stu- My problem is that, this is how people treat West Marine. Just how I typed it. It sure looks wierd when another company gets flamed.. BTW.. I have worked for WM for 10+ years.. Lots of wine tonight. RH

 

[capt ed]

fuel tanks

how many times have we seen the propane fuel tanks stored below or in an inclosed locker. This is a BIG no no ,I have personally seen these tanks leak. Please buy one of the bags that hold the tanks on a rail .Anyone know how to keep the round magma units from blowing out from the wind . I have tried foil around the base but that is a pain .

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

Magma

The lid on my (and probably all) magma has a washer on the inside screw that holds the handle on. This washer is designed to hang the lid on the windward edge of the grill as a wind block. Or, you can cook with the lid closed.

 

[Paul Akers]

I love my Magma for those requirements!

nm

 

[higgs]

Grilling in your slip

I have been in some marinas where thewy don't care if you grill at your slip and others who get pretty testy about it. i can certainly see the hazard with a charcoal grill, but it seems to me that cooking on a propane grill is not a fire hazard and probably safer than using the propane stove inside the cabin. Why is a propane grill considered a fire hazard by many marinas?

 

[r.w.landau]

I don't think it is just the fire hazard, it is

the downwind smoke.r.w.landau

 

[RAD]

I was very late

Getting to a marina where my sailing club was meeting for the weekend and needed to feed the family and the grill was midship on my center cockpit ODay so I asked a member of the club who's boat was next to mine what he thought about me grilling next to him rather than taken the grill off the boat and heading quite a ways to the pinic area and he said I think the grill is safer than the propane stove you have down below, well you'd think I committed a major felony after I started cooking and was asked to stop by a whole lot of other boaters and I ended up finishing cooking on the stove down below in the galley.I think all marina's have that policy of no cooking on a BarBQ on board

 

[John]

magma grill works great

My boat came with a small magma propain grill it works good I have three kids and i have to fill it with food but it cooks in 15 mins with out burning and makeing a mess.My wife thru it in the trash with the garbage .( it was in a trash bag).I tryed a force 10 grill and it would turn into a flane thrower wile cooking and people from other boats would row over to put out the fire.The grill stunk up my stern rail smelling like roted fish and meat .I sent it back after my wife refused to cook on it.I bought a new magma with a steel plate and it works great .I have a large square magma that my sister gave me but it dose not fit on my boat and burns to much gas. I have it on my deck at home on a 20lb tank. John

 

[higgs]

Downwind smoke?

A propane grill with no food creates no downwind smoke. With food, the smoke is minimal and certainly not objectionalbe. Who's going to gripe about smelling their neighbors steaks on the grill.Not all marinas forbid the use of a grill. I think the ban started with charcoal grills, which can be a hazard in close company, and has stupidly carried forward to the propane grill.

 

[RAD]

Me thinks the BarBQ

ban came from the old charcoal grill days and wooden boats, back in the early eightys I had a 61 Chris Craft Connie and one weekend we planned a huge raftup so I put my gas BarBQ from home on the swim platform with a full propane tank and headed out to the raftup,along the way the bay police stopped me and the reason was the BarBQ,and I wasn't even grilling so they gave me a whole story about how unsafe it was *o must have been the 20lb gas tank I ended up using it for the weekend anyway.