Boat heating,cooking and stoves

[Ozzie]

To stimulate some posting action on our new forum, there is a good thread on TSP on boat heating,cooking and stoves

http://trailersailerplace.com.au/forum/ ... php?t=3825

Ian and I have put our $0.02 in and the post has had a fairly polarised response. Members might want to follow the links in the thread its informative stuff. For the record I used a Maxie twin burner marine metho jobbie on my old Swiftcraft for 14 years without incident other than some singed arm hair from flare ups during the preheating stage. On Spritzig II however I have one of the ubiquitous $20 canister cookers. These work well and I was not knocking the product or the users when I posted. As someone pointed out they are standard equipment on many new vessels coming on the market. I keep only one cylinder on the boat and that is removed and stored in a screw top plastic jar. Also if cooking in the cockpit I move the fuel tank into the anchor well or the tender

There have been sufficient accidents with these things to warrant at least for me second thoughts on using them inside a boat, indeed on boats at all. Those of us concerned on the TSP forum seemed to have been collectively branded as doomsayers

Heres the rub. When I worked in road design I would say to people trying to find loopholes in the standards.......

"You could stick a light pole in the middle of a two lane highway right on the double lines and nobody would probably hit it .........for a while. That does not mean its a good idea"

I think these stoves are great but after reading the info in the TSP thread I have decided to join Ian B
in the joys of the metho burner. As per my statement above I think if these things do fail you could be looking at horrific injuries maybe blindness, I might risk that for myself but not for my family.

If you dont want to troll TSP try this link I credit this photo to the author
http://chemaxx.com/butane_explosion.htm
Comments??

[RobertB]

Good thread Ozzie,

We currently use one of these on Palamida. Currently we only use it in the cockpit -not because it is closer to the fuel tank, but because it is in the open. We are not comfortable using it in the cabin as any leaked gas, being butane, and heavier than air (so I am led to believe) would settle into the bilge and that is not to be desired.

We have had no problems to date with it.

When I sail with my mate on his 33 footer, we use his metho stove, and the smell makes me queazy. On one occassion I was even sick!!!! and I don't suffer from sea sickness. I usually have to get out of the cabin and sit on the windward side of the cockpit to escape the smell. It really upset my tummy. No wonder I don't drink!

I don't really want to move over to metho on a small boat like the Investigator.
What to do?

Cheers, Robert

[Ozzie]

Robert
I see your problem. I find some smells quite nauseating too. My daughter has one of those little air fresh bottle things that sit in front of the air vent in her car. Even shifting it in the driveway turns my stomach and yet both my daughters and my wife think its fine

I dont mind metho stoves, they make me nostalgic. Same with the smell of kero heaters, had one when we first got married and lived in a 2 room miner's shack. But like the car fresh I would not want to be cooped up in an a 563 with something that made you sick.

As per the TSP thread I was leaning to the Coleman shellite stove, they burn very cleanly apparently but one poster on TSP bagged them another has had two and could not speak highly enough. What I liked about them was you could depressurize them after use and even drain the tank so they present no risk at all while in storage. Good on a moored boat. I used shellite neat to wash dirt and pencil off plastic foil plans for 10 years before we switched to computers and CADD and it never killed me so I assume its not hazardous unlit.

I think I will go back to metho mainly because I'm familiar with it and its probably the safest option.
Im looking for a second hand Maxi single but will probably finish up with a twin as I don't think the singles were popular

[BobK]

Ozzie,

We've been using a gas BBQ hung from the aft cockpit railing to date, but for convenience have started to use one of the portable propane canister cookers. Easier when you only want to boil the billy. We'll keep the BBQ for times when we want to grill a steak or some fish.

But I was interested in the accident and the report of the explosion. Overall I'd say that the risks are low. Although of course whenever you light a fire there are risks. It always amused me as a pilot that on an aeroplane such as the Piper Navajo (10 seater piston twin) to heat the cockpit you lit a gasoline burner in the nose of the aeroplane. i.e you literally lit a fire in the aircraft nose!!

We've set up a table that sits in the cockpit so all of our eating/cooking is outside the cabin. To make that even more amenable we are having boom awning made, with front and side panels that are attached by zippers. So our cockpit area will become much like a caravan annexe.

Should be finished tomorrow, and I'll post some pics when we get the opportunity.

[bennyboy]

G"day BOB I was interested in your comments on cooking and in your project 'Bimini' it's design and cost and manufacturer. it might encourage my better half to spend more time sailing! by the way I made an offer when your boat was known as 'BENDER' it was turned, down,and I am happy with the boat I;ve got now, your boat was well fitted out,and the electronics&goodies were really good, and you seem to be putting your stamp on her.I am based in BRISSY and having been busy rewiring and putting in creature comforts etc and plan to get out on the BAY in the very near future.Hope to meet up with you and the rest of the gang sometime soon BENNYBOY

[BobK]

Benny - is that your correct handle? Yes Dean had put a lot of work into BENDER and was firm on the asking price. But I'm satisfied that we got value for money.

Anyway you have pretty well summed up the way we are going. We've put a lot of though and effort into making the boat as liveable as possible. At one stage I wondered if a bigger boat would be more comfortable (as indeed it would) but for a whole bunch of reasons have decided that the Investigator is a good boat for us, albeit on the small side. After having done a month on the Myalls, Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury I found that it is possible to live aboard for "extended" periods, but there are some things that you can do to make the most out of a small boat, and that's what we are doing. The Kevvie Cash has helped.

Be good to catch up some time and we can compare notes. I'm at Hendra. Call me on 0414326804 any time.

[Ozzie]

Bob
I too am trying to create a better living area. I am interested in Emrys increase in poptop height and a fully enclosed boom tent would be great too. I have a bad habit of picking up junk off council throw out piles and one recent "find" was a large family tent with no poles/ropes. Next time Spritzig II is home I am going to see if I can modify this tent to enclose the cockpit and poptop. I remember reading the post on the old forum about how second hand tents are a great source of Canvas, zips and flyscreens , so lets see how I go.

I like the benefits of a small boat because sailing is what you do the most of and small is better, but when you want a relaxing weekend a bit more living room is great. If you then fold it up and stuff it in the car and be small again its the best of both worlds really

I am thinking also of some solid sides for the poptop. These would be thin marine ply with plastic clears for windows, so they would weigh next to nothing and could be stored flat under the bunk cushions. i thought i would duplicate the 563's rear window shape for a bit of style. so far Ive gotten to making a photoshop mockup. This would be stored on the boat all the time. I would only take the tent out for a planned weekend The gey lines are my proposed tent frame most of which is part of what I have now....maybe i should just add a kitchen in the tender

[snoopebj]

Nasty stove accident there. Poor people.
I still like these stoves however from the point of view of their sheer simplicity and stability.
I've used many different types of 'safer' stoves in camping and boating situations and found gas lines/attachments spilt fuel matches etc to be the most common danger areas. I'll stick to the portable stove and use my wind-up timer and checklist for reminders. (handy for everything when you get to my age)

Saw this neat example of ideal pop top set up Ozzie
Will post my effort as soon as this damn rain stops.
Cheers
Emrys
'Current Affair'

[Ozzie]

Hi Emrys

That is a nice poptop. Maybe I can fashion something similar from my throwout tent. I think with the boom right at the top of its track there will be plenty of headroom under it for me to stand up if I can get the PT that high.

Bob, I have been a bit of an aircraft tragic since I was a kid so I looked up the Navajo. Amazing such a modern plane would have a glorified choofer to heat the cabin . Getting back to my design days, that was probably safer than the designer in our office who cleaned his plans with shellite and a lit Rothmans in the same hand I guess its the same with stoves. You have to be unlucky. Its just that Im always aware of Murphy's ghost sitting on the pulpit waiting to make an ***hole of himself

Found a bloke with a 2B Maxie for sale, looking at it over the weekend.

[Micheal&Gab]

Great to be on an add free site finally. I removed to Metho burner after it nearly burnt the boat with a stuck jet. Am sure they where wonderful when new but add a little corrosion and they are deadly. I use a butane one but really only for a cuppa. I lashed out and bought a gas stainless steel kettle bbq which sits in a rod holder (also installed on the back rail) and it is great. Cost about $350 in total but for a great outside bbq while sitting in a bay after a hard days sailing, nothing beats it. Whitworths have them on special now an then and get the one with the hidged lid. Happy to send more infro if needed.