Induction Heater

[seandepagnier]

I am considering an electric stove for cooking so that I do not need any fuel on my boat. I took a look at induction heaters, but I am afraid they are more likely to break, and can't be used with aluminum cookware, and cost a lot. The advantage of them is they are more efficient.

Has anyone used one on a boat? For induction or not, I cannot find a portable stove (1 burner) which runs directly on 12v, so the inefficiency of the inverter has to be there.

[motion30]

What about a small one burner propane stove? Uses the same fuel as a bbq grill and is cheap Anything that makes heat is very hard on the batteries

[marujo.sortudo]

No fuel would be nice, but I wouldn't even consider this unless you are going be plugged into shore power 24x7, or have one of those boats with a massive electrical system (e.g. washer/dryer, etc.) A typical induction cooktop draws 1800 Watts on the high setting and good cooktops go higher. That's 150 Amps at 12V. You'd need a heck of a battery bank, inverter, and wiring. That's for 1 "burner". Yes, they are more "efficient" in that they convert electricity to heat used to cook food at a high rate. Most other methods spill their extra heat into the cabin. This low "efficiency" can be beneficial if you're in a cooler climate (helps to keep the boat warm and dry), but the efficiency could be a gain if you cruise in the tropics and have A/C. Alas, most fuels are reliable, compact, portable forms of energy storage. If you want to get away from fuel a better alternative might be a solar oven ..... Of course, you'd probably still want a back up for sunless days.

[Lodesman]

Discussion and many links here: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...e-30231-4.html

[seandepagnier]

I currently have a 1 burner propane stove, but I don't want to buy propane anymore.

I have 260W of aimable solar panels and a wind generator. I make plenty of power most days to run a 1800watt induction heater for 10-20 minutes a day. On windy or sunny days, there is extra power, and it would make sense to use it for cooking (save gas)

I like the idea of solar hot water to use hot water for cooking (so you start with the water already hot) to save batteries.

I decided since all my cookware is not induction ready (either stainless steel or aluminum) That I would opt for the cheap $19 (free shipping) 1000W electric stove. Unfortunately it suffers from the efficiency of electric stove (70% vs 90% for induction) and also from inefficiency in the inverter.. but at least it is cheap. I may get an induction one in the future, and this one could be backup (induction ones are complex and sometimes break down)

If anyone finds a 12v induction cooker, let me know!

[Tempest245]

I've used just about every induction unit on the market and would not consider them for primary use on a boat.