Kero availability-Caribbean, C & S America

[Lynn Odendahl]

Before we head out for a couple or more years, I'm wondering how tough finding kero will be. At one time (90's) it was at some gas stations. Besides the Caribbean we will be going to Ecuador, Chile, Peru et al. Anyone?

[a64pilot]

Jet-A, is for all intents and purposes a high grade of kerosene. For burning without bad fumes and soot, it seems to be equal or better than K-1. If there is an airport, there is usually Jet-A.
I have found some K-1 available in home improvement stores and paint stores, but price is much higher than Jet-A.
If you only need a little every now and again, I think your OK as you can stock up, but what do you use it for, meaning how much do you need?

[SVTatia]

Good advice by a64pilot. I did exactly that when I bought bad Kero in the Azores and needed a plan B.
However, getting anywhere near an airport with a jerry can nowadays could send you to jail, specially in large cities.
You may be able to reach out to someone around the service gates in small airports, but you need to be creative.

[roverhi]

For most appliances that use kerosene as a fuel, Mineral Spirits/paint thinner works just as well. Used paint thinner for years in our stove and flat wick lamps without issue. Does not work in high output kerosene lamps like Aladdin, Den Haan Trawler lamps because its lower vaporization temperature causes flare ups.

[belizesailor]

I have kerosene lanterns back home in Guatemala. Only a limited number of places I can find kerosene now. Usually hardware stores that will fill a jug for you, but not many.

The local market for cooking is almost exclusively propane now and many more villages have electricity now. So, the kero market is small.

[svdrummer]

Between Louisiana and Panama the only place kerosene was not readily available was in Quitana-roo Mexico (Can-cun, Isla Mujeres). Mineral spirits were not readily available there either. We ended up in a four day fiasco trying to find kerosene around Can Cun and ended up leaving for a passage with a half-liter of mineral spirits bummed from another cruiser. I cut it with diesel (the only time I have ever burnt diesel in my kero stove) to increase the volume and we split, finding kerosene cheaply and easily in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Caymans, Colombia etc... so bring kerosene with you to Mexico, and have a great time!

(oh, but Acitone and Xylene are really hard to buy in Panama, so bring that too!)

[Lynn Odendahl]

Thank you for the info. We were making the final decision on whether to resurrect our old Shipmate or bite the bullet and go to propane with all its safety stuff. So now the Shipmate is shipshape and I am a happy cooker.

We will be heading south doing lots of islands below the Bahamas and on to Columbia, the canal, Ecuador maybe the north of Peru and Chile. Where people still eat real food. Several years with maybe a bit of land and a hut someday, somewhere

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Lynn Odendahl

Thank you for the info. We were making the final decision on whether to resurrect our old Shipmate or bite the bullet and go to propane with all its safety stuff.

'Safety stuff'??
Oh, good grief.
Get propane.
As for the hightened stupidity (sorry A64) of suggesting you walk into the local airport for Jet A1 by the litre, just think it through. How likely?



Sent from a stupid phone that replaces words with weird stuff.

[El Pinguino]

Kero is available at all servos in Chile.
Its also possible in Chile to get propane tanks with US/AUS/NZ fittings filled with only a little bit of fuss... i.e. you have to go to the local depot... not just down the road.

Do not even think of going to Peru.. you will be treated as a 'big ' ship and it will cost you $$$$$$$$$
Speaking with the skipper of an 80 something foot Swan tother day... they had stopped there and it even made his eyes water....