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Old 13-03-2015, 08:14   #16
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

Something to think about in using a hot plate or anything electrical at the dock, if you draw to much current you may develop power cord problems. particularly if you exceed the current rating. Also, it will cost you more for your moorage.
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Old 13-03-2015, 08:15   #17
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

I had an alcohol stove on my first boat, a Cape Dory 33. I hated it and it was easily the most dangerous thing I owned. Dumping it overboard was a happy day.

The sickening stench of the fuel while trying to cook underway and the occasional flare-ups which, with alcohol, are invisible until you smell your hair on fire were just a total nightmare.

The only thing that I can think of which could equal its menace would probably be a British Seagull outboard.

Toss it.

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Old 13-03-2015, 08:28   #18
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Originally Posted by Group9 View Post
I don't understand the alcohol stove hate. I had it on my first three boats and I always loved it. It's hard to see the flame in bright daylight so you have to watch that, but otherwise, for weekend and occasional 2 -4 week cruises, why change it out?
I agree. We used one on our previous boat for several years. Fill it, light it, cook, put it out. No fires, no burned clothing, no emergencies.

If you can't deal with a non-pressurized alcohol stove you should probably just eat cold food. There are a lot more dangerous things on a boat than an alcohol stove.
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Old 13-03-2015, 08:36   #19
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pirate Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dhillen View Post
I had an alcohol stove on my first boat, a Cape Dory 33. I hated it and it was easily the most dangerous thing I owned. Dumping it overboard was a happy day.

The sickening stench of the fuel while trying to cook underway and the occasional flare-ups which, with alcohol, are invisible until you smell your hair on fire were just a total nightmare.

The only thing that I can think of which could equal its menace would probably be a British Seagull outboard.

Toss it.

Dhillen
SHUSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh!!
They are wonderful..
I'd keep mine but.. I want an oven...

Damn... pants caught fire...
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:02   #20
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dhillen View Post
I had an alcohol stove on my first boat, a Cape Dory 33. I hated it and it was easily the most dangerous thing I owned. Dumping it overboard was a happy day.

The sickening stench of the fuel while trying to cook underway and the occasional flare-ups which, with alcohol, are invisible until you smell your hair on fire were just a total nightmare.

The only thing that I can think of which could equal its menace would probably be a British Seagull outboard.

Toss it.

Dhillen
I think they did make an alcohol-powered British Seagull outboard.
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:05   #21
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

Toaster ovens are one of the most dangerous appliances out there. Lots and lots of fires, every year. The problem is that the case is allowed to get hot enough to set anything flammable touching it, on fire. Very cheaply and poorly made. I wouldn't want one on a boat. I have one at home but I put it on its own stainless steel shelf.

In order of danger I would put (most dangerous first)

Camping propane stove with own gas canister
Pressurised alcohol stove
Un-pressurized alcohol stove
Propane stove with correct installation (gas locker, leak detector, solenoid valve)
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:08   #22
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Originally Posted by Group9 View Post
I don't understand the alcohol stove hate. I had it on my first three boats and I always loved it. It's hard to see the flame in bright daylight so you have to watch that, but otherwise, for weekend and occasional 2 -4 week cruises, why change it out?
Agreed. I really don't understand this fear that some people have. Yes, there have been accidents due to alcohol stoves, just like all other cookers. You use it wrong, or don't maintain it properly, and it will try and kill you. I lived with a pressure alcohol stove for five years. We would cruise for up to six weeks at a time with this, anchored out and cooking all the time. Never a serious problem. Yes, you have to keep the burners clean, and you have to use it appropriately -- just like with my current new propane stove.

The biggest problem with alcohol for long-term cruising is its energy density and storage volume. For short-term cruising I'd have no problem sticking with a functioning alcohol stove, be it pressure or non-pressure (although I agree the newer non-pressure versions are better).
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:22   #23
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

Years ago ( many) I had a 24 ft sailboat with a two burner pressure camp type alcohol stove. It was awful. Hard to preheat, caught fire more than once and not very hot. We got used to it and got by. If that is what the OP has I can understand his desire for something (anything) better. I understand the wick type alcohol stoves are much better though. If a properly installed propane system is not in the budget for him perhaps a propane camp stove used in the cockpit would suffice.


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Old 13-03-2015, 09:28   #24
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

As a former 9-year liveaboard who likes to cook and eat decently -- and who has intimate familiarity with both pressurized and non-pressurized alcohol stoves -- I would never put up with either for everyday cooking on a liveaboard boat. They are a major P.I.T.A. Alcohol fumes irritate the eyes and nasal passages and are nauseating. The invisible flame is dangerous.

As a matter of fact, I'm in the process of installing a new galley in my current Menger 19' cruising catboat. We use it primarily for extended weekend cruising, and we try to eat well at anchor. I'm fed up with the Origo non-pressurized alcohol stove it came with, so I'm installing a 2-burner propane cooktop properly plumbed to a 5-lb. propane bottle in an ABYC-compliant locker. It wasn't easy finding a location and designing a proper locker that will drain overboard on a 19' boat, but I've got it worked out and almost completed.

If I can do it on a 19' catboat, doing it on a 31' sloop should be easy. If you are serious about living aboard, a properly installed, ABYC-compliant propane installation will be something you will be thankful for every time you cook a meal -- either dockside or at anchor.
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:34   #25
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

If pressurized toss it!

If Origo... all is good but slow to boil. beware after extended cooking periods causing afterburn once the slide is closed. just blow it out.

Propane is the best because when you do screw up you want remember. Pictures of what is left of your boat will be on the internet.

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Old 13-03-2015, 09:45   #26
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

We recently converted from a single burner Orego, non pressurized alcohol stove to a single burner Seaward Princess butane stove with mixed results.

First, the footprint of the butane stove is wider and shallower than the alcohol so it required enlarging the hole one way and using trim to cover the gaps in the front and back. I used aluminum since it was close at hand but SS would have been a bit better.

We tested a countertop version for a few months before making the conversion however I think the burners on the countertop versions are not as big. We seem to be going through canisters a lot more often than before and sometimes they can be hard to find. Changing them is not as easy as it should be. Lots of sharp edges inside the stove and it is hard to get everything lined up correctly.

Lighting the butane stove is way easier. In cold weather, at high altitude, lighting the alcohol stove was a royal PIA! With the butane stove it is one click and away she goes. With a new canister, the butane stove burns much hotter than the alcohol stove but half full or less and the heat output really falls off.

I really wish I could have figured out a good way to install a propane system but I never found a good place for the propane locker. Not sure I would do the conversion knowing what I know now.

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Old 13-03-2015, 09:58   #27
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Originally Posted by rwidman View Post
I agree. We used one on our previous boat for several years. Fill it, light it, cook, put it out. No fires, no burned clothing, no emergencies.

If you can't deal with a non-pressurized alcohol stove you should probably just eat cold food. There are a lot more dangerous things on a boat than an alcohol stove.
I agree too. For a non-pressurized stove (no pumping, no preheat, etc) -- they're duck-soup simple and safe. No flareups, no drama, etc..

Mine (Origo) even boils water just as fast as the propane cooker in my motorhome. 8K btu is 8K btu no matter what you're burning.

A pressurized type is bad. Hence the comments about 'hard to preheat' etc...
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Old 13-03-2015, 09:58   #28
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Toaster ovens are one of the most dangerous appliances out there. Lots and lots of fires, every year. The problem is that the case is allowed to get hot enough to set anything flammable touching it, on fire. Very cheaply and poorly made. I wouldn't want one on a boat. I have one at home but I put it on its own stainless steel shelf.

In order of danger I would put (most dangerous first)

Camping propane stove with own gas canister
Pressurised alcohol stove
Un-pressurized alcohol stove
Propane stove with correct installation (gas locker, leak detector, solenoid valve)
I guess different people have different risk tolerances. The boat I had my toaster oven on was a 40 year old Grampian 30 with a gas atomic 4. I kept the boat at a marina on a small island so I treated the boat like a Hyundai Accent, I traveled all over the place on her, beer store, grocery store, camp outs, all weather, all single handed. I didn't really regard my toaster oven as the monster in the bushes that was most likely to do me in.

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Old 13-03-2015, 10:41   #29
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Originally Posted by jeepbluetj View Post
A pressurized type is bad. Hence the comments about 'hard to preheat' etc...
Pressure alcohol stoves are no more dangerous than many other tools on a typical boat. Use them properly, and there is no drama, no flare ups. They are not hard to pre-heat if the burner is maintained, and you do it properly. The real issue people have (in my observation) is the fact that you actually have to pre-heat the burner. Most folks want to turn a nob, and have it instant-ready. Pre-heating is a skill fewer seem to want to develop these days. As for the smell thing, never bothered me, and we burned less-refined methyl hydrate. Using proper denatured alcohol should be pretty odourless. But smell, like noise, is a personal and subjective thing. I understand.

I'm not suggesting anyone go out and install a pressure alcohol stove. There are better options these days, and there are excellent reasons to go for propane or some other fuel. But if you have a pressure system that's functioning, and you are not planning to be a full-timer, then there are many better ways to spend your boat bucks. Just learn to use it properly.
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Old 13-03-2015, 11:01   #30
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Re: Getting rid of alcohol stove

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Hi all,
I just recently moved aboard my 1986 Hunter 31. It's only issue is it has an alcohol stove which I will not really use as I am a bit scarred from a fire that my parents accidentally started when I was a kid.
So here are my questions:
1) is it feasable to just have a hot plate and a toaster oven instead of getting a propane stove? Or are there any other options? I know these will suck the batteries, but I won't be using them outside the marina much.
2) is there anything I should prepare for upon taking the alchohol stove out? Is it better for me to hire someone to do this?


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Why don't you look for a propane stove similar to a camping stove, no gas pluming. Hot plate and toaster oven would work at the dock.
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