Boat stove discussion

[TJim]

I use alcohol in the pan to warm the element and run diesel fuel.  It's hotter, handier and might even
be cheaper. TJ

[Shipscarver]

Come - on folks!  Alcohol is for drinking,     kerosene is for burning. Got it!

[Pappy Jack]

Here is a web site that might help with spare parts: I hope this helps. www.spiritburner.com/fusion/index.php   

Fair winds,

Pappy Jack

[chris2998]

someone posted about a stove called I think a Blake Taylor that is a Kerosene stove boy are those some beautiful stove must be pricey to

[Lynx]

Here is a link for the stove -

http://www.survivalunlimited.com/stoves.htm

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

OK, now for a dumb question from the peanut gallery.  I have an old Optimus backpacking stove that I use white gas in.  IIRC, it roars with the best of them.  The mechanics in it look the same as my Force 10 diesel heater.  Would it be possible to use mineral spirits in both, or am I just setting myself up to make a melting burning blob on the water?

[Bill NH]

It is common with multi-fuel stoves that when you switch fuels you need to change to a different burner orifice...  I suspect you can get a kero tip for the Optimus stove as they were sold all over the world.  Don't know about the Force 10 heater - perhaps check with the manufacturer on that one.

[Gerald A. Gotts]

     What do you guys think of James Baldwins "atom"stoves  with gimbal ?  It seems to me to be a very good choice.  My intent is to leave the dock "someday" to head "out there" so space is a major consideration as well as availability of fuel,parts etc.

                                           

[skylark]

A single burner swing stove is all you really need and will allow you to cook in rough conditions.  On a small boat it makes even more sense because it is small and can be removed.

[Joe Pyrat]

I like to cook and figured over the long haul cooking like I was camping out would get a bit old.  I installed a two burner gimballed stove with both an oven and a broiler and after 5 months aboard I'm glad I did it makes living aboard much more home-like.  Although the top burners see most of the action, toast made in the broiler or last nights Jamaican jerked chicken (marinaded and baked in the oven) are wonderful escapes.  If you are just weekending then something like this is probably overkill, but if you are in for the long haul, it is a great thing to have. 


Stove detail during construction.


Finished installation.

[Auspicious]

Nice.

[Tim]

Nice looking stove, and excellent installation.

[CapnK]

Kaholee has some really nice bling, including but not limited to her stove! Tim did a great job for Allen. Check it out:
The (Re)Making of Kaholee

I'm going a lot cheaper (~$200), and am going to get a Camp Chef Stove/Oven, figure out some way to modify it onto a set of gimbals. If it doesn't seem to be lasting very well, then I'll consider a "real" marine stove. But I think this little cheapie will do fine for a number of years. Fingers crossed. It will be for in relative calm and/or at anchor; underway I'll use my small gimballed 1-burner.

[Godot]

Nice stove.  I wonder how long it will last.  At that price, though, if it lasts two years you might be ahead of the game (marine units are EXPENSIVE).

I wonder, though, why you want to bother gimbaling it if you aren't planning to use it underway.  It seems to me that a gimballed stove is actually more dangerous than a fixed stove while at anchor or dock (if you bump into it you could spill boiling hot food).

[CapnK]

That is what I am thinking, Adam - try it for a while, see how it holds up. Heck, for the price of a "cheap" 'marine stove/oven', I could buy 4 of these things and rotate them out when 1 gets in bad shape.

Gimbals would be for rolly/choppy anchorages, or underway if there is not a lot of motion in the ocean. Even here at my dock, my boat gets rolled a fair bit, depending on weather, tide, and ICW traffic (I am side-to the ICW, sometimes 1-2 ' wakes will make it here, and a SE blows straight in). I'll have to fabricate some potholders if I want to use the stove, but the oven could be used fairly easily underway I think.

[nowell]

http://store.altenergystore.com/Energy-Efficient-Products/Solar-Ovens/Sun-Bd-Corporation-Tulsi-Hybrid-Solar-Cooking-Oven/p3909/?source=froogle

Intresting idea. Too bad it can't really be used in the cabin, but I like the "green" idea.

*edit* I wonder if a gimble mount of some sort could put this on the stern rail. Hmmm

[AdriftAtSea]

Joe-

Nicely done.

[Joe Pyrat]

Thanks guys, I'm really happy with this stove, it is kind of the center of life below, well if  you don't count the computer.   

Regarding gimbal mounts, my stove is gimballed and it comes in handy at anchor or even in a marina when you get wakes from passing boats.  In Rockland ME I was on a buoy and it was the Ferry, here in Charleston SC the Charleston Maritime Center is on the side of Oyster Point where we get all the large commercial traffic.  Every once in a while you start doing these 10+ degree rolls since the slips are parallel to the shipping channel, so having the stove gimballed is handy.  It is also capable of being locked in position, which I learned the hard way is a good thing to do BEFORE you open the oven door.  Another advantage is it allows you to compensate for trim irregularities in trim or people just moving about the boat.  If, for example, you are making something like a key lime pie it keeps the filling closer to level with regard to the crust, or with something like the jerked chicken I made the other night, it greatly reduces the chances of the sauce sloshing out of the pan, although I do use high sided pans for an extra margin of safety.  If you are going to install a full oven system I would recommend doing the gimbal mount.

[Amgine]

I really like your set up, and it looks like I might be able to recreate it on my boat if I ever get around to replacing the alcohol hob there now.

I think you have the Neptune 2000, right? did you check out the Pacific 3000 2-burner, and if so can you tell us what the difference is?

I don't know if your boat had LPG to begin with, but if it didn't, what did you do to add the gas? how difficult was the work?

[Joe Pyrat]

Yes it is a Neptune 2000.  I did look at other stoves, but for the price the Neptune was the best deal at the time.  I got it on eBay, probably 8 years ago (I' was collecting parts for KAHOLEE's restoration for a long time).  The only issue with the stove was the connection provided to the propane system.  Apparently the Europeans use a hose and hose clamp to make the connection.  We had a time finding a fix, but once we did it was an easy fix.

KAHOLEE did not have LPG to begin with the system was added during the restoration, restomod really.  If you go to KAHOLEE.net and follow the link "KAHOLEE's Restoration" it will take you to the project log.  Unfortunately the stove and related systems installation are scattered all over Phase II, but with a little on the custom bracket for the tank in Phase III.  Installation was not difficult, but Tim (Tim Lackey, Northern Yacht Restoration) is an amazing craftsman and what he makes look easy is a real project for me, which is why KAHOLEE made the trip from Truth or Consequences NM to Whitefield, ME.   

Note; the stove to propane system connection fix is in the project log.  You can also visit Tim's forum at http://www.plasticclassicforum.com/ and ask Tim all the questions you like.  The Plastic Classics Forum is a great DIY resource, by the way, for us good old boat owners.