Do stoves need to be gimballed on a mono

[CarinaPDX]

I would say that the stove should be gimballed. I am a big believer in hot coffee in the morning and a hot dinner in the evening, and it is very rare that I would miss them. Coming back across the Atlantic it was a very rough trip due to confused seas most of the way - I cooked every night. I simply cannot imagine doing that without gimbals; with gimbals I don't even need pot clamps. Of course a narrow beam, heavily ballasted boat doesn't have a quick motion so is easier to cook aboard.

Gimballed or not it does take a bit of practice and a lot of caution to cook in rough seas. A pot full of boiling water can be deadly. I think every gimballed stove should have a bar or railing in front of it to prevent hitting and tipping the stove should the cook lose their balance. In harbor I remove the bar and lock the gimbal.

Greg

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Like Ping, I have a POS Smev cooker but it does ok even with heavy full pots on top. It's the bigger 4 burner one which makes a difference,.......

I had the 4 burner ... it was about an inch broader than the 3 that I have now.... in all other respects it is much the same but with crappier gimbals, knobs on the face rather than the top and a stupid 3 part trivet ...
Replaced 20 yo one cos all burners needed replacement, igniters no longer ignited.... and for the 2nd time it needed new oven door glass because some bright spark had decided to let it swing free and had removed the gimbal lock ( pair of Vise grips ) .
The Smev is designed in such a way that if it does get up a bit of a swing the oven door handle comes up against the grab bar and the resulting impact shatters the glass.....

Originally Posted by Dockhead

......... But if I were you, I wouldn't even think about doing it without gimbals. .......

Agreed... if the yacht is heeled then I lock the gimbals so the top is near level.

This also means that when you open the oven door and move the CoG towards you the pots on top don't come down around your ears.....

[oleman]

The last time I was at sea nothing in the galley was gimballed. Food was serving on a serving line like a cafeteria. I have seen rolling so bad that the morning oatmeal rolled from the serving container onto the serving area deck and eggs to order skidded across the grill with the cooks attempting to scramble them. That ship was over 600' long, of course we always seemed to find the worst possible conditions to prove how tough we were.
I would NEVER be on a 42' boat at sea but I can imagine how bad it would be.
Yea gimball the stove for sure if the vessel leaves protected waters!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I had the 4 burner ... it was about an inch broader than the 3 that I have now.... in all other respects it is much the same but with crappier gimbals, knobs on the face rather than the top and a stupid 3 part trivet ...
Replaced 20 yo one cos all burners needed replacement, igniters no longer ignited.... and for the 2nd time it needed new oven door glass because some bright spark had decided to let it swing free and had removed the gimbal lock ( pair of Vise grips ) .
The Smev is designed in such a way that if it does get up a bit of a swing the oven door handle comes up against the grab bar and the resulting impact shatters the glass.....


Agreed... if the yacht is heeled then I lock the gimbals so the top is near level.

This also means that when you open the oven door and move the CoG towards you the pots on top don't come down around your ears.....

You had a different POS from my POS - mine has knobs on top and no igniters.

To the guy who has trouble with opening the oven door - LOCK the gimbal before opening the oven Problem solved ; no sliding counterweight required

Like Ping, I usually lock the gimbal at an angle rather than letting the cooker swing, unless I'm sailing downwind with a big roll going on (which I usually avoid anyway).

[Richard5]

It's not impossible to cook at sea nor will one need to forego their coffee without a gimballed stove. But gimbal does help. If one were given the opportunity, the stove - if not gimballed - should be mounted facing fore and aft, as close to the centerline as possible. Clamps are a very good idea even with gimballed stove.

Also, I have never, ever filled a pot over half full while in rolly conditions or heeled over, closer to 1/3 capacity. That depended upon the viscosity of the food stuff in the pot. (example; boiled potatoes and cabbage vs spaghetti sauce) Even then the pots and skillets had lids tightly secured.

[Mike Banks]

Unless you sail in constantly calm waters--yes it is essential. Only cats or tris can get away with non-gimballed stoves in small vessels. Third degree burns aty sea are a risk not worth the taking. They not only need to be gimballed but they need to be railed as well just in case of sudden movement--and a good galley-strap is also a good idea to hold the cook.

[Cheechako]

"Our Princess stove would empty everything in your lap if you open the oven door in gimbal mode. "
Yep, pretty typical.
My gimbaled stoves had a latch. I seldom released the latch. But if you are doing long passages, like crossing to the So Pacific, it would be best. I had especially deep pans. It gets you as much margin as gimbaling. You must have pot restraint/holders on the stove though. :>)

[seandepagnier]

My electric cooker is wrapped with enough insulation it gets slightly warm on the outside you can wedge it somewhere in rough weather. It uses 6 amps for 40 minutes to cook a meal, so 100 watt of solar is enough. Everyone should have one of these!

Wood stove allows you to just throw potatoes or any vegetable inside the fire. This is simplest in rough weather. Also possible to use galvanized wire to hold a pot on top.

Usually what I do in really rough weather is not eat much. This is probably the simplest option of all. You can literally live for weeks without eating, so if it's just 2 or 3 days, not really a big deal.

Another option is to just open a cold can of soup and drink it from the can. This is a great way to eat without dealing with cooking. I do this even at anchor! All kinds of things you can eat without cooking.

I once had y2k food I ate it in 2013. There were 12 cubes, each one had 3000 calories, and more than 100% daily value of everything! space food, you can eat it right out of the tube. I also had french military rations, they are like MRE but better. Why cook in rough weather?

What about a smart gimbaled stove? It would have a microprocessor and gyroscopes and motor. The motor would be actively driven to ensure water is least likely to slosh out of the pot. Maybe it can it work better than a gimbal? Does it need any other sensors, like a video camera to see the water in the pot to help it learn?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Richard5

. . . Also, I have never, ever filled a pot over half full while in rolly conditions or heeled over, closer to 1/3 capacity. That depended upon the viscosity of the food stuff in the pot. (example; boiled potatoes and cabbage vs spaghetti sauce) Even then the pots and skillets had lids tightly secured.

Even if you have gimbals. This is good advice

[Frugal]

A lockable gymbal is the best of both worlds. But have had trouble with a bad loll when using heavy pots on a gymballed stove. Cheers.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

. . . Usually what I do in really rough weather is not eat much. This is probably the simplest option of all. You can literally live for weeks without eating, so if it's just 2 or 3 days, not really a big deal.

I beg to differ. A crew working hard in rough weather -- and even moving around below is hard work in rough weather -- needs regular, hot, good meals more than anyone. It's crucial to strength and morale. In my opinion, rough weather during a long passage is that very time when you can least afford for people to be hungry, or do without hot food.

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

What about a smart gimbaled stove? It would have a microprocessor and gyroscopes and motor. The motor would be actively driven to ensure water is least likely to slosh out of the pot. Maybe it can it work better than a gimbal? Does it need any other sensors, like a video camera to see the water in the pot to help it learn?

Great idea! I've been lying awake at night trying to figure out how to add complexity to my boat

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I do like your electric cooking, though. A gimbaled microwave could deal with a large proportion of the hot meals you need in rough weather, especially if you pre-prepare a bunch of meals for that eventuality, as someone above suggested

I use the built-in microwave in my boat a lot on long passages. It is rather awkward on a heel, sometimes requiring me to take out the rotating plate. It would be brilliant to have one on a gimbal.

Another thing which is really helpful in rough weather is an electric kettle for making hot water for hot drinks, also something which is extremely important in my opinion. It's much safer than having pots of boiling water on the stove. An ideal boat (complexity, sorry) might go one step further and have one of those under-counter hot water dispensers.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Usually what I do in really rough weather is not eat much. This is probably the simplest option of all. You can literally live for weeks without eating, so if it's just 2 or 3 days, not really a big deal.

IMHO this is a really bad idea. I have found that getting behind on calorie intake results in worsening fatigue, which in turn leads to impaired judgment. Perhaps a young man can get away with it but not so from middle age onwards. Having been inadequately fed on others' boats I simply don't allow it to happen on Carina.

I will admit to taking shortcuts for cooking, however. I really wish I could buy some of the canned entrees here that are available in the UK, particularly the high quality ones that were available at Marks & Spencer. Just cook rice/cous cous/bulgar wheat/quinoa, heat up a can of teriyaki chicken/salmon in taragon sauce/chicken in white sauce, then combine for a hearty meal. Or Dinty Moore beef stew over rice etc. It's not really what I would call cooking but was fast, filling, and tasty - with lots of calories.

I picked up some tasty canned tuna salads in France that were good for a cold lunch. Choices here at home are more limited.

Greg

[sbmesafirstmate]

When we bought our 46' monohull the previous owner had removed the gimballing and fixed the stove in place. It was a nightmare cooking at sea and downright dangerous with hot liquids, hot food, hot pans sliding off the stove and across the galley. I had to stand at the stove with potholders - not great for someone prone to seasickness.

A new gimballed stove was one of our first purchases before we did much more cruising.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

. . . I will admit to taking shortcuts for cooking, however. I really wish I could buy some of the canned entrees here that are available in the UK, particularly the high quality ones that were available at Marks & Spencer. Just cook rice/cous cous/bulgar wheat/quinoa, heat up a can of teriyaki chicken/salmon in taragon sauce/chicken in white sauce, then combine for a hearty meal. Or Dinty Moore beef stew over rice etc. It's not really what I would call cooking but was fast, filling, and tasty - with lots of calories.

I picked up some tasty canned tuna salads in France that were good for a cold lunch. Choices here at home are more limited.

Greg

Maybe we should start a thread on crew-feeding in heavy weather.

I agree with you about quality canned food, and I keep a couple of cases of stuff from M&S Food Hall just for such cases. If it's not too rough to use the microwave then this is fantastic, low effort solution.

But canned food, even the good stuff, is still not really exactly like the real thing, so I always try to cook something real at least once every day or two. We really like hearty lentil stews on passage, and a big pot of that can make several meals, getting better with age. A hearty, hot breakfast is of special importance, in my opinion. Omelets and toast are a favorite.

[Hoodsail]

I fall into the gimbaled camp. Used a gimbaled stove from Bermuda on a island packet 38. I made the mistake of adding too many scrambled eggs into the skillet to cook...very close to the lip...longest 5-7 minutes of my life until the eggs began to cook and congeal...gimballing was priceless. Skipper made a meatloaf in the oven in a loaf pan...with us well-over on a starboard tack. Fortunate that the seas were just rolling. Have used my stove top with burner brackets to heat water for coffee in a kettle and always swinging freely. Thnks