Boat stove discussion

[Kettlewell]

Obviously, you would have to mount a wick stove so it wouldn't fall over, just like the alcohol stoves that use wicks. I'm thinking of stoves like these: http://www.kerosenestoves.net/10wickkerosenestove.html

As to fuel, I'm not really starting an argument, just looking for information. Here's one link on stove fuel issues, though it doesn't give you any information, just a list! http://www.kerosenestoves.net/NeverUseTheseFuels.html

Obviously mineral spirits has worked for you and that is good data. The biggest drawback I see is cost and availability. At nearly $14 a gallon at my local WalMart that would get expensive for full-time living aboard, and I know of many islands and such I have visited that have no hardware store, no gas station, or any other place you could possibly purchase mineral spirits but there is always a way to get propane because everyone uses it. Have you experimented with the clear K1 that is available many places in the USA now (at least here in the north country where everyone has a kerosene heater)? I hear it burns pretty clean and odor free.

[CharlieJ]

Interesting stove. I've never seen nor heard of one before. The only wick type stoves or lanterns I've ever dealt with are the Aladdins. I have an Aladdin wick heater called a "Blue Flame" Used to use it to heat the small cabin I lived in while building my trimaran, and had an Aladdin circular wick lantern I lit the same cabin with (1970's). Haven't run that heater in years. Also have a circular wick kero heater called a "Kerosun" I used on board the tri during day times, never at night. It's been used out in the woodshop on occasion, but not lately. Lately if it's cold, I just don't go out there- benefit of being retired ;D

On the 1-K. I just recently bought a gallon at ACE and put it in the oil lamps here in the house. Did that in prep for an ice storm that missed us, so we didn't lose electrity. Haven't USED any of it as yet, but looks good. Unfortunately, price is within pennies of a gallon of mineral spirits. Roughly $14 a gallon. I bought it because the store was out of Mineral Spirits.

Availability has never been a problem. When I load up with a full load, I can go about 3 months, maybe a tad more on the 2 1/2 gallons I carry. So 30-40 bucks roughly ain't bad for 3 months supply, no matter.

I'd probably switch to propane myself, if I had a reasonable spot to put the stove, tanks, valving, etc aboard Tehani. But I've used kero stoves since the 70's , am comfortable with them, know how to keep them clean and running and have several spare burners aboard (including a whole spare tank and bottom end) so at my age, I'll stick with it.

Oh- and I understand you aren't arguing- this is a discussion, pro and con. Hopefully it will give others info they can use

But ya know, even state side, propane isn't always THAT easy to obtain. In Boot Key Harbor, a friend had to rent a car, and drive to another key, to have his tank filled. THAT was rather costly!! I walked to the K-Mart and bought Mineral Spirits ;)

Edited to add- Here at the house, I'm all Propane- kitchen stove, water heater and heat.

[Kettlewell]

Kinda big, but I always find these Amish kerosene stoves interesting. I guess this is how many (most?) people cooked all over the USA until rural electrification started in the 1930s. https://www.lehmans.com/p-842-perfection-kerosene-cookstoves.aspx

I believe those are wick-type kerosene stoves, and apparently the Amish continue to use them regularly. I wonder what they burn in them?

And here's another neat looking wick-type stove: http://milesstair.com/BF_2418.html

[DarrenC]

I don't know if it;s a problem unique to Canada, but propane prices almost tripled in 2013.  The explanation given by our Minister of Energy had someting to do with it being a bumper year for the corn crop and apparently propane is critical to the drying process or some nonsense.  In typical political BS fashion we have also been assured that they are 'looking into it'.

[CharlieJ]

I don't know if it;s a problem unique to Canada, but propane prices almost tripled in 2013.  The explanation given by our Minister of Energy had someting to do with it being a bumper year for the corn crop and apparently propane is critical to the drying process or some nonsense.  In typical political BS fashion we have also been assured that they are 'looking into it'.

Heard it was also quite high in the NE of the US too. I filled my home tank in Jan for 3.05 gallon, 2.50 with my senior citizens discount. One of the benefits of being old :P

[CharlieJ]

Hey Thanks for the second link :D They have replacement wicks for my Blue Flame!!! Got it bookmarked and I'll get one of those!!

[Kettlewell]

While Googling around I came across an interesting article on Test Results Cook Stove Performance. It is about cooking methods for the third world, but there is interesting data in there comparing various fuels and stoves, and what I was looking for air quality. Apparently indoor pollution from cooking stoves is a major health problem in the third world. It seems to me that on a boat there is a potential to have really bad air quality if you have the cabin closed up tight and your cooking stove is putting out lots of carbon monoxide and pollutants--we don't all cook in the tropics with the hatches wide open. In any case, I have downloaded the pdf of this document (long) from here: http://www.pciaonline.org/resources/test-results-cook-stove-performance

[Chris]

Of course there are definitely safety concerns here and this raised an eyebrow from one boarding Coastie but I have experimented with long term stowage of the butane canisters for those "hotel stoves" buying 90 cartridges April 2013 for my use cruising locally and living aboard. I will have to do an inventory for a count one year later of somewhat regular use but my point here was regarding corrosion. These came in shrink-wrapped sets of 5 cans. These have been stowed part of the time in an upper cabinet in the forward head and the last few months in a more exposed cockpit lazzerette and while there has been some superficial rust I have not seen any sort of corrosion that would raise the least concern. If these were also wrapped in plastic bag then they would most likely still be pristine.

I like the convince and efficiency of these stove and as they are so cheap I can carry a couple of extras for backupnand I have found that I can screw these stoves down if I need to as well as locking in the burner tray and ad metal springs as pot holders though as yet I have not bothered to do that.
More experienced cruisers and travelers than myself seem to indicate that these cartridges were available anywhere there was a hotel. I don' t always want to be tethered to places that have hotels but as I saw I can carry plenty of these things and like it are not I hear that it's kinda hard to avoid hotels in most sailing areas.

I would very much love to here from cruisers here babout their own observations about this availability.

[Frank]

I love the lil butane stoves. Simple n safe. Butane is available at Maxwells grocery store in Marsh Harbor Abacos for "4 for $9.99" as well as Abaco Hardware

[CapnK]

I ran across a website a few days back, will have to see if I can find it again, which was cautioning against the use of mineral spirits instead of kero in lights and such; the reason they had was due to the relative 'flash point' of the fuels - the temperature point where the liquid vaporizes and becomes highly flammable/unstable.

Off the top of my head and likely not accurate so posted here only for illustrative purposes ((IOW - don't do this at home, kids)), it seems the flash point of kero (reg'lar lamp fuel) was like 20 or 30 degrees higher than the temp needed to hit flash point of refined mineral spirits. This was important because apparently heat travels back down the wick and into the fuel, and of course if enough of that happened and your fuel hit flash point, it could go boomy - that "runaway fire" thing mentioned earlier.

Sounds pretty reasonable. They had numbers and science to back it up. Just thought I'd add it here, because I had never seen that reasoning before, and if true it makes sense. Stay away from short wicks. :)

[CapnK]

Here 'tis, them warnings with pertinent info and such about why CJ shouldn't do what he's already been doing for 30 years or so... ;D

http://www.lanternnet.com/faqs.htm

(Just pulling yer wick there, CJ! ;) )

[CharlieJ]

Here 'tis, them warnings with pertinent info and such about why CJ shouldn't do what he's already been doing for 30 years or so... ;D

http://www.lanternnet.com/faqs.htm

(Just pulling yer wick there, CJ! ;) )

Have to call bull hockey. Note that they refer mostly to TUBULAR wick lanterns, which is a VERY different thing

[CapnK]

Flat/round vs tubular wicks - I could see where that might make a big difference in transmitting heat and/or vaporized fuel up towards the ignition point.

[CharlieJ]

I used one of the butane stoves on Necessity and liked it a lot. Enough so that when I sold the stove with Necessity, I went and bought another one, for camping use. Also will carry it aboard Tehani, for cooking in the cockpit.

Grime and his wife Lisa use one on board Miss Sadie too.


Not giving up my Kerosene stove though ;)

Oh, and I've been using Mineral Spirits as a fuel since 1973. That was in an old Vulcano stove, which I still have.

And if my math is right, that's 41 years, not 30 ;D

[okawbow]

I'm not very comfortable using any heavier than air gas for cooking or heating on a boat. Propane and butane can leak and settle in the bilge.

For our last 3500 mile cruise; I built a gimbled stove that incorporated a small pressure cooker, and used large sterno cans for fuel. I could light 3 cans at once for large meals. It heats a little slower than butane or propane, but works fine otherwise.

[rorik]

I've really come to like the Atom stove I bought from James Baldwin. Initially, I didn't, but it has grown on me. Pressurized kero - very simple. Using the Tilley wick to preheat instead of the cup is much easier - and spill proof.

Before I bought that stove, I was thinking of one of the wick type stoves. Both James at www.atomvoyages.com and Paul at St. Paul Mercantile cautioned me against it. Something about larger volumes of kero sloshing about with more than one wick leading to more heat than I required for cooking....  ;D

[CharlieJ]

The Atom stove is very like my SeaCook (NOT a Sea Swing, which I don't care for)

It originally was propane, but I modified it to take my antique British kero burner. Only stove I've used on Tehani so far. I carry an entire spare stove just in case, but so far never needed  it. Also carry several extra burners

[CapnK]

There's a guy at my marina, a welder by trade, I asked him tonight and we're gonna see about making up a simple gimballed stove, maybe along the lines of the Atom stove, or maybe more SeaCook - will update once we get started...