Do you use Oil Lamps

[cburger]

Moon Dance has a couple of very nice oil lamps, I have never burned them inside the boat, concerned about sooting and breathing the combustion byproducts. In the past in the warm weather I would burn one of the lamps on the cabin top for a little charm when we sat outside at night but never inside the boat.

I was wondering how many of the members have oil lamps on their vessels and burn them inside the cabin?

[s/v 'Faith']

I have them, and burn them regularly, mostly on cooler evenings. With a properly trimmed wick, and good oil there is not much soot.

Sure is nice in a cozy anchorage to have some warm light....

[zeehag]

i have used oil lamps fro heat and light inside boats since 1990 and i am not dead yet. i love them. i used to have a trawler lamp which sooted, but somehow magically the burner disappeared, so i gave the lamp to yayas cafe in la cruz de huanaxcaxtle....but i still have my beauties--2 in main saloon and 2 in master cabin. nothing wrong with oil lamps -- they been used inside boats for centuries.
i also use a perko oil anchor lamp.
inside a boat with teak wood interior, there is nothing like the ambiance and warmth given from oil burning lamps.
and i always keep a vent open near the lamps.

[JardiTancat]

We have two gimballed oil lamps in the pilot house of our Nauticat. Weems and Plath sell a lamp oil that is completely odour and smoke/soot free. Except for the hot summer evenings, we use them all the time. And in the cool autumn they contribute to warming the cabin, both with their soft light and heat.

[mrohr]

Have two,prefer them to my leds or cfcs ,very romantic. If weather is warm use them under a open hatch .One serves as anchor light in cockpit and can easily see if it is burning from my berth in the main salon.
Oil lamps are one reason I don't have any battery problems ( 1 100 amp 12v.house),but I don't make ice either ,just prefer to make babies. Did I say they are romantic?

[ReMetau]

We have three. Two in the salon and one small one in the berth. We burn them mostly for ambient lighting and a little extra warmth in the winter.

Good paraffin oil and trimmed wicks are key to no soot.

[symagellan]

We have them and we use them regularly.

[JPA Cate]

One, trawler style, won by Jim as a trophy for a season of singlehand racing out of SF many years ago, used often for ambience; sometimes for warm (but we also have a diesel heater), and when our eyes were younger, used to read by it as well. It is located over the table in the saloon, about 6" from a pair of dorades.

Ann

[goboatingnow]

Mine are insufficient to light the harpoon , and I find the wenches complain .


Dave

[Rhapsody-NS27]

I have one of the Weems & Plath Mini Yacht Lamp that came with the boat. I have no problems using it and enjoy the light that comes from it.

[Ocean Girl]

My last boat had no electricity for a few months. I had a small gimbaled lamp in my vberth and one in the main salon. Sooting issues were usually from the wick not properly trimmed or cheap oil. I buy the ridiculously expensive oil, until I'm ready to experiment with the others. I'm very sensitive to smell so I stick with what know won't stink( weems and Plath).
We use an oil anchor light since our masthead 12v stopped working, I love it. Trim the wick and fill the reservoir every evening and it will burn all night. I keep a light in the cockpit too for extra visibility.

[Abrain]

Whats a good oil? I love my lamps but this oil is expensive. I use paraffin...

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

We use an oil anchor light since our masthead 12v stopped working, I love it. Trim the wick and fill the reservoir every evening and it will burn all night. I keep a light in the cockpit too for extra visibility.

Nice picture of your lamp. Nice traditional feel

[svHannabel]

We had one on our previous boat that we used often. It didn't provide much light, but it was better than nothing and gave some ambience. Even with supposedly "soot free" oil, we had a slight build-up of black on the ceiling above the lamp's diffuser.

[rebel heart]

Like most others we have them, a large trawler hanging between the galley and the salon, and then a smaller one in the v berth (that will probably move somewhere else).

They're especially great on winter evenings when there's a chill. If the temperature is north of 55f they do a decent job of keep things un-cold.

Originally Posted by Abrain

Whats a good oil? I love my lamps but this oil is expensive. I use paraffin...

There's a lot of info here:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post439718

My experience is, in order:

1) Use the "lamp fuel" that stupid expensive.
2) Use low sulfur / low smell kerosene.
3) Use mineral spirits.

In most countries outside the US if you can find "lamp oil" that is actually kerosene.