I started cruising with alcohol, switched to kerosene, then finally joined the real world and got Propane.
The Alcohol stove I had, I believe was a Hilerange, with large cast iron burners. It was a hot stove, but we were using 3 galons of alcohol a month! A apin to get sometines, and more of a pain to store.
I then found a nice used Kerosene stove. It used a litle less
fuel, but the inside of the cabin slowly got grey. So slow that we hardly noticed it at first. The kerosene stove didn't boil
water any faster than the old alccohol stove. I tested both. with the same pot and a measured amount of
water. I know it's not to be that way, but with these stoves it was.
Finally I was thinking of switching to Propane, and was in a ASurburbane propane store and was able to get the burners, and valves, that I figured would fit my stove. I went to back to the boat to measure, and when I went back a few days later to buy them, The guy wasn't there, and when I told the person that he hadn't given me a
price, she said, "well then, merry Christmas!"
I installed them and it worked fine. Sorry, no
safety thermocouple. I used a solenoid, and had the tank mounted to the pushpit.
a 20# propane tank would last us about 4-5 months!
2 years later I bought a stove with oven/broiler, because the home built one was rusting out.
I kept a PVC tube with 2 small propane cylinders, sealed and strapped under the
helm seat, in case we couldn't get a fill up. Had to use them 1 time.