Do stoves need to be gimballed on a mono

[Just Awesome]

We are refitting our galley, and the only stove we could get in a decent size is designed to be installed as a solid fixture, I believe I can gimbal it bet the question came up as to weather it needs to be or not.
It seems to be difficult cooking either way.
We haven't been able to find a definite yes or no as to weather it's critical or not.

[skipmac]

The stove only needs to be gimballed if you ever plan to cook while underway.



Seriously, unless it's gimballed it will be impossible to use at sea. Even at anchor if there's a bit of swell or someone rips by in a big powerboat tossing a wake being gimballed would be good.

[Sailmonkey]

Gimballed for sure. To press home the point, try boiling water at home with the stove tilted to 25 degrees, then shake the house.

[Fore and Aft]

Our stove is not gimballed on our 32 foot yacht. We only do day sails and it is never an issue.
The stove on my parents 45 foot trawler was never gimballed and we cooked and fished in all sorts of weather. The old man had a serious set of potholders that seemed to do the job.
Cheers

[Don C L]

You can do it without gimballing... you just need really big pots that are only 1/4 full.
Actually I have seen folks who had a fixed 2 burner and then a little single gimbal for cooking soup or coffee while underway, and that is ok for short jaunts but really the best way is a gimballed stove/oven if you want to make a hot meal while underway.

[Souzag818]

What Skipmac said...

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Our stove is not gimballed on our 32 foot yacht. We only do day sails and it is never an issue.
The stove on my parents 45 foot trawler was never gimballed and we cooked and fished in all sorts of weather. The old man had a serious set of potholders that seemed to do the job.
Cheers

Pot holders only hold pots. They don't keep food in the pot...

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Just Awesome

We are refitting our galley, and the only stove we could get in a decent size is designed to be installed as a solid fixture, I believe I can gimbal it bet the question came up as to weather it needs to be or not.
It seems to be difficult cooking either way.
We haven't been able to find a definite yes or no as to weather it's critical or not.

Frankly old son, if you don't know enough that your would ask such a question, you don't yet know enough to attempt living on a boat, in a marina to say nothing of at sea. Get a few tens of miles at sea under your belt and then come back and ask questions. This won't be one of them....

The foregoing isn't "kind". It is so, however....

[JPA Cate]

Just Awesome,

IMO, gimballing does make life easier. That said, a fixed installation CAN work; friends who circumnavigated had one such in a 34 footer. You will accommodate, and make it work. Now, Jim and I have always had gimballed ones, and I think I prefer that. In either case, a pressure cooker is your friend.

Ann

[Mike OReilly]

Do you absolutely need to have a gimballed stove? No. Will it make it harder to use underway? Yes. As Skip says, even some anchorages will be hard to cook in without a gimballed stove. Fiddles are useful, but are not as good as a gimbal. And I agree with Ann, a pressure cooker is awesome, regardless of gimbals.

How much of a challenge a non-gimballed stove is will depend on a lot of factors: What kind of boat? What kind of cruising do you do? Where do you cruise? And what kind of cook are you?

Boat life is all about tradeoffs. Only you can know what the right choice is for you. I can tell you, I like our gimballed stove. Makes cooking at sea a lot easier. And good food while underway is important for maintaining health and spirit of the crew. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good galley.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Unless it's gimballed it will be impossible to use at sea.

I cook on wood fire at sea. It is not gimbaled. It's not impossible.

Gimbaled stove would not work in rough conditions anyway. The pot has to lock to the stove, and the lid has to seal to the pot. Now you can make complete 360 and not spill food.

[Benz]

If you can mount it on centerline, athwartships and near the center, and get some good pot-clamps, you should be able to eschew gimbals. I have some tall narrow pots I use for cooking at sea because even a gimbaled stove gets sloshy when it's lumpy out. But I second the pressure cooker, and if I ever find other pots with lockable lids, I'm going to get them.

[HankOnthewater]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Just Awesome,

IMO, gimballing does make life easier. That said, a fixed installation CAN work; friends who circumnavigated had one such in a 34 footer. You will accommodate, and make it work. Now, Jim and I have always had gimballed ones, and I think I prefer that. In either case, a pressure cooker is your friend.

Ann

Ann, Benz, Mike and others are 100% right, however even a pressure cooker, on a gimballed stove, in potholders, still managed to "fly'; contents were saved by the secure lid but handle broke, and dented the cabin sole..... Anyway, cook when you can, then you don't have to do that when weather deteriorates.

Addit: "Just Awesome", just noticed you're not far from where I am, send me a PM if you like

[hpeer]

In what context do you mean “NEED.”

Our 33’ boat had a non gimballed stove for 35 years until some AH surveyor wrote it up as non ABYC compliant on an insurance survey. He also found the 35 yo stern light had to be moved and sternly “let me go” over the fact that I had 2 GC batteries I. A steel boat and that was “not right at all”, you “need” a single 12 volt cell.

So I “needed” to change my stove mount.

BTW, folks like Dickenson sell diesel stoves for boats. None are gimballed. I don’t think it’s even possible. Ditto wood.

[fourlyons]

No, the stove doesn't "need" to be gimballed, I have sailed many miles at sea over 20 years without, and we do cook. Having said that, I have also delivered boats with gimballed stoves and they are nice, nice enough I have decided to gimbal mine.

In my experience, it's more important where in the boat the stove is installed and the motion of the boat in a seaway. But yes, gimbals are nice.

You can usually add them to a fixed installation with some work.