Boat stove discussion

[Kettlewell]

Charlie, what's your mineral spirits consumption and how much do you carry onboard? I like the idea of liquid fuels if there was something that is readily available, relatively inexpensive, and burns hot, clean, and odorless. The odorless stuff I was referring to earlier is special "lamp oil" that works beautifully in kerosene lamps, but is too expensive to use much of.

[DarrenC]

Are mineral spirits the same cheap product I buy in Canada as "Methyl Hydrate"?

[CharlieJ]

Are mineral spirits the same cheap product I buy in Canada as "Methyl Hydrate"?

Nope- Methyl Hydrate is a Methylated alcohol . Mineral Spirits are more akin to Kerosene- a petroleum base.

[DarrenC]

Ok thanks - I'll look at picking some up and giving it a go in the Trangia and my Dietz lantern

[CharlieJ]

I normally just carry a 2 gallon plastic gas can of it, stowed up in the anchor locker. If I was going off, say to the Bahamas for a while, I also have 4 of the aluminum fuel containers that campers use- the spun aluminum kind. Quart size? Don't really know how big. Those stow in a lidded kitty litter bucket in a cockpit locker, along with the siphon I use to fill the stove. Stove gets moved to cockpit to refill, as of course do the lamps

Heading out, they are all full. That's enough for a good many weeks of full time use, unless of course you are canning. Meats take 75 minutes under pressure, the cooker holds 5 - 1/2 pint jars, so 15 jars can take a while. THAT kind of stuff is done stateside,so fuel refills are readily available..

I use either Denatured Alcohol OR red label rubbing alcohol as a primer. Red label is 91%. 70% will work too, but 50% won't burn well, if at all. The prime is done form a tiny squirt bottle, kept in a rack in the galley. Holds about 1/4 cup total and lasts for DAYS. Actual priming only requires about a tablespoon full

Guess I should snap some pics next I'm at the boat ;) Maybe I'll go do that today. Good excuse to go to the marina :D

[CharlieJ]

Ok thanks - I'll look at picking some up and giving it a go in the Trangia and my Dietz lantern

Probably won't work well in your stove- requires a prime of alcohol to get it going in the pressure stove. Will work very well in the lantern if that's a wick style Dietz. I used to use one of those as an anchor light, before I got the LED light.

Pic at anchor, Barataria, Louisiana, JUST before New Orleans.

[Kettlewell]

I just came back from WalMart and odorless mineral spirits there is $12.97 per gallon. That seems pretty expensive to me. 91% Isopropyl alcohol is actually cheaper at WalMart at $2.58 per quart, though I suspect you don't get as much heat output per quart so not sure how it compares. Somewhere I seem to recall that kerosene is now low sulfur in the USA, so maybe it doesn't stink as badly as it used to? Another question I have wondered about is what does burning kero, mineral spirits, or whatever do to the air quality in the cabin and your health? Propane is very clean burning.

By the way, don't burn alcohol in a kerosene stove! From what I read, isopropyl alcohol is not ideal even as a preheating fuel due to burning sooty.

[Kettlewell]

I'm not 100% sure if it is legit to post links to other sites here, so apologies in advance if this is against the rules. I noticed this old article on Good Old Boat comparing stove fuels, and most of it is still relevant except for prices. Good summary of the pros and cons of most fuels. http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/cookingfuels.php

[DarrenC]

I admit to romantic notions for the 'old ways' clouding my practical judgement, but does it not seem the ultimate KISS/self sufficient galley solution would be the ancient concept of the wood/solid fuel stove?

Not an option for a GRP boat or any practical modern cruiser really, but I've often fantasized about being at anchor in pouring rain, snug in the cabin of an old cutter or smack with a fire burning and a crock of beans simmering...Add a kero lamp and a good book and you've got my version of heaven.

[Kettlewell]

Wood stoves are great onboard. I used to have a Tiny Tot made by the Lunenberg Foundry folks up in Canada. It was in a 28-foot Samurai Sloop I owned, and it was just as cozy as you described. Bought the boat in Massachusetts in mid-November and sailed back from Buzzards Bay during some cold weather. I'll never forget being anchored up in Hadley Harbor with the wind whistling through the rigging and taking our wood smoke curling away. We hunted up plenty of wood by finding offcuts outside of boatbuilding and repair shops near the waterfront, so we were frequently burning bits of mahogany in the stove, if you can believe it. Smelled great too. Not great for cooking on though, unless you haunt cold water areas where heating up the entire boat is an advantage. We used to put a kettle on it to make hot tea, but that was about all. In the tropics or in the summer you want a stern grill, and I used a charcoal one for years and burned driftwood in it when I ran out of coal. But, the average charcoal grill is not easy to refuel once lighted without taking the grill off so it is only good for cooking things quickly unless using charcoal, which lasts longer.

[CharlieJ]

I'm not 100% sure if it is legit to post links to other sites here, so apologies in advance if this is against the rules. I noticed this old article on Good Old Boat comparing stove fuels, and most of it is still relevant except for prices. Good summary of the pros and cons of most fuels. http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/cookingfuels.php

No problem posting info like that- but I get "problem loading page" Maybe just me, but check your link

[Kettlewell]

The link works for me, but you can Google "A Clean Look at the "Dirty" Half Dozen."

[CharlieJ]

I'm not 100% sure if it is legit to post links to other sites here, so apologies in advance if this is against the rules. I noticed this old article on Good Old Boat comparing stove fuels, and most of it is still relevant except for prices. Good summary of the pros and cons of most fuels. http://www.goodoldboat.com/reader_services/articles/cookingfuels.php

No problem posting info like that- but I get "problem loading page" Maybe just me, but check your link

And now it works????? Que paso???

[CharlieJ]

Ok, as promised- some pics from the boat on fuel and stowage. Gonna take two posts, so bear with me.

First, the stove itself- The upper part originally was a propane SeaCook which I cut down for the kerosene stove. That is a true antique, from England, pre WW II. All brass. Has Arabic engraving on it. Originally had a "Roarer' burner, but I converted it to a regular Primus. The SeaCook is no longer made, and in my opinion is a FAR better stove than the current Sea Swing stoves. For one thing the pot holder is far superior.

Second pic is the little squirt bottle I use to fill the primer cup with alcohol. It lives behind a door adjacent to the stove

[CharlieJ]

Next is the fuel storage.

First  pic is the 2 gallon gas can I keep stowed up in the anchor rode locker. It's wedged in, never moves. The clear jug above that is some denatured alcohol. Not real happy with that, but so far ok

Second pic is of the spun aluminum fuel containers, and my siphon hose. I have four of the containers. The small one holds exactly enough to refill an empty stove, so I put that much into the other three. These are kept in a lidded kitty litter bucket down in a cockpit locker.

Those buckets are GREAT storage containers by the way- not water proof, but resist splashes, and the ones I have are clear, so you can see what's in them. I got them from friends who keep cats, and have about ten of them

[CharlieJ]

different angle on the stove. Oh, and it generally runs about a week, used at least twice a day, on a filling. Often more

[Kettlewell]

Not sure if these have been mentioned, but has anyone tried out one of those rope-wick type kerosene stoves that seem to be all the rage in the survivalist community? Here's one: http://www.kerosenestoves.net/10wickkerosenestove.html

After doing some further reading around there are quite a few sites that say never use mineral spirits or paint thinner in lamps or stoves. I can't dispute Charlie's real-world experience with the stuff, but I would suggest at least reading the counterarguments out there on the web.

[CharlieJ]

After doing some further reading around there are quite a few sites that say never use mineral spirits or paint thinner in lamps or stoves. I can't dispute Charlie's real-world experience with the stuff, but I would suggest at least reading the counterarguments out there on the web.

Just did a good bit of googling on the subject of mineral spirits in stoves. Haven't found a single place that says do not. Most comment that it is just a more refined kerosene.

Did see ONE comment that using mineral spirits in wick lamps would cause a "runaway" flame, but that was soundly refuted. BUT I saw references to not using it in larger circular wicked lanterns, such as larger Alladin's. Those all point back to one dealers page and I have had`zero experience with circular wick lanterns since I used one in a cabin (not boat cabin) back in the 70's.

I can assure you, I've used Mineral Spirits in lamps and stove since the 70's, on  bunches of boats, with zero problems. If you have a link to something that says otherwise, I'd REALLY be interested in reading it.

[skylark]

The problem with wick kerosene stoves is that if they fall over on their sides, they will leak.  If they fall over while burning, well, I will let you guess the result.

[CharlieJ]

Fully gimbaled- CAN't just "fall over"

Ah- sorry Skylark- JUST noticed the "wick stove" part. My bad ::)