Diesel vs Propane Stove & Oven

[Ramona]

Gas is the go. Turn off at the bottle after use and install a CO2 alarm. Install a CO2 alarm even if you don't use gas, they can be bought for less than $20 now.

[VanIslandGuy]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

Have you thought about non-pressurized alcohol? We installed an Origo 6000 2-burner with oven and love it. No CO, oven heats very well. Takes maybe a minute or so longer to boil a quart of water. No plumbing or need for a fuel tank or locker. We live aboard all summer in Maine and a gallon of fuel lasts that long. Fuel generally available.

Cozies up the cabin in the morning also. No odors. Cannot flare up like the pressurized versions. Great stove.

Just an idea that works for us on our smallish (31') sailboat.

Cheers!

Jenn and Terry

1+ We retrofitted our old boat with an Origo 6000. It was brilliant, very easy/fast to use compared to diesel, and a fire can be extinguished with a fire blanket in second. No explosive gasses either. It is the simplest to install as well as there is no external plumbing of diesel, DC wiring of propane solenoids, etc. Simply mount it with gimbal swinging room and you can use it immediately.


We have propane in our current boat, installed to ABYC standard by the manufacturer and really like it. (Not more than the Origo, but I wouldn't replace it while it works either.) I would only consider a diesel range if it was primarily used for cabin heat rather than cooking as they do great double duty in that regard.

[billknny]

When you see someone say how much they love their diesel cooker, look at where they are from. If you boat is in Northern Europe, the PWN, Alaska, they are great.

Get back to me when somebody in Baja in July talks about how much they love the diesel heater--I mean deisel cooker.

Like so many things on a boat, they are neither good nor bad. But they have situations where they are great, and situations where they TOTALLY suck.

When you are thinking about the availablility of propane, that is so totally a non-issue. The average cruising boat carries two or three tanks of propane, and that will cook your food for 3 months each. You'll get some in the mean time.

Those people who think that kerosene is more available, are relying on information that is a generation old. Heck, I can't find reliable kerosene sources in the USA!

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

PS - where you consider propane as a viable option comes down to you take on safety. I won't have it on board and definitely would not consider it for cruising. If you must have it cylinders need to be mounted outside the rail and turned off at the cylinder after EVERY use. Gas lockers and remote shut off 's can fail. The problem with propane is that if you get a fire it destroys the boat and kills everyone onboard before you even have a chance to shout 'fire'. What the RYA video that simulates a gas leak, it's pretty sobering.

Gees, you should tell that to West Marine, from what you state they have it all wrong.

https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvis...-Installations

[Lepke]

I'm 70 and I've used diesel stoves all my life. I used propane once that came with the boat, and I replaced it. I'm always in a cold climate, but use a couple induction plates in hot weather or bake in my bbq. None of the diesels stoves I've used have any electrical needs except for a fuel pump, and some had an overhead tank.

Propane ovens may be vented, but the burners exhaust into the cabin, adding to moisture problems. Moisture is a by product of propane burning.

I have seen one large yacht propane explosion about 50 yards away and the aftermath of several boat explosions. Once installed propane lines, tanks, valves and detectors get little care. It only takes once.
The car was carrying home a gas bbq from a party. The wife lighted a cigarette. The Uhaul was hauling a gas bbq. The mobile kitchen cooked with propane. The boats had a propane leak. On the land, mostly burns and little hair left. On the water mostly dead.

I don't allow propane inside the hull. My bbq is on the open stern. I don't think it's worth the risk for the ease of cooking with gas.

[hpeer]

A few corrections and additions: In all cases I’m talking about PRESSURE kerosene stoves; Taylor or the like.

Someone commented on needing “special training” to light a kerosene stove. In fact you fill the pre-heat cup with alcohol, light it, wait a bit till it burns down, turn on the burner. Period. If you can’t handle that you’ll never master scrambled eggs.

If you muff it up, you will get a tallish yellow flame that will quickly die down. This can be startling but is not dangerous. Any galley can have a fire because of spilled or over heated cooking oil, which will be much worse because of the volume of oil is far greater in a cooking fire than with a kero stove.

Different people have different tolerance to kerosene, seasick or not. My Wife gets seasick but kerosene and diesel do not make it worse, for her. It’s a very personal thing.

————-

My PERSONAL opinions are:

DIESEL: To hot for the tropics or Chesapeake summer. Pot burner types take a good while to heat up and cool, largish stack. No opinion on Wallas type.

PROPANE: Must be well maintained to be safe. Not for slackers. Listening to the VHF folks are constantly on the look out for fill opportunities, even in places like Georgetown, Bahamas. Explosion risk.

KEROSENE: Burns much like propane, fuel can be a pain to find but easy to carry enough for a very long time. No special lockers needed. Stoves can last indeffinetly, complete spares are readily available from multiple source. 100% owner maintainable. Some folks find smell objectionable.

[SV Elizabeth]

We just cruised Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas. Although getting propane sometimes involved a cab ride or sending it out from a marina's office, it was not terribly expensive. We use a Force 10 3-burner stove/oven for cooking, and a Dickinson propane heater (not on THAT trip!). A 20-lb bottle would typically last a month or more.


Another,maybe more important consideration: my wife is a good cook and likes our stove, finds it easy to use and much like the gas stove at home. There are enough strange gadgets on a boat for her to get used to, since I'm the more experienced sailor and she is adapting to my dream. As the saying goes, happy wife, happy life.

[KP44]

Propane is safe for cooking and you have immediate stove-top burners and reasonable oven heating. Propane ranges are comparable to land-based natural gas ranges.
I hear that diesel ranges are slower to heat and put more heat into the galley and cabin; not something you want in warm climates.

For cabin heat, a propane heater uses "a lot" of propane. Unless you carry plenty of fuel, a diesel cabin heater makes better sense. There is a lot more heat in diesel, so to speak. A gallon of diesel gives a lot more heat than a gallon of propane. If you're not in cold climates or crossing oceans, a propane cabin heater is OK.

[john61ct]

Cannot just make a blanket statement that propane is safe.

To **make it** as safe as diesel for example, takes a lot of attention to detail, and constant vigilance.

Even navy boats blow themselves up.

[Cheechako]

Propane is acceptably safe. But of course no ....not totally safe. It's used in homes along with natural gas also. Homes or businesses explode regularly from gas, they are on the news all the time. But the odds are very very low. Still... it happens. Inboard gasoline engines do too. Still, they are used. There are few good alternatives for boating cooking though, due to the reasons noted in posts above.

[nelly]

I've used a Coleman camp stove with Coleman fuel many years camping: thing is awesome and indestructible. I feel like the fuel vapor is heavier than air, though?

I like the alcohol stove. I'm in the same situation right now: I think I've narrowed my choice between alcohol stove + oven or just stove. I'm leaving stove for the cost (and buy a stovetop oven for bread).

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Cannot just make a blanket statement that propane is safe.

To **make it** as safe as diesel for example, takes a lot of attention to detail, and constant vigilance.

Even navy boats blow themselves up.

“Acceptably sage”. I always laugh when I hear folks talk about kero being unsafe or dangerous or a fire hazard. Well, yes it is, if you behave irresponsibly. But less so than propane and the consequences are far less explosive.

All of these options work, it’s a personal choice in part driven by boat use and personal preference. No “best” choice, only “best for me here and now.”

[Kelkara]

Originally Posted by odonnellryan

I've used a Coleman camp stove with Coleman fuel many years camping: thing is awesome and indestructible. I feel like the fuel vapor is heavier than air, though?

Coleman fuel is not that different from gasoline ... treat it accordingly.

[nelly]

Originally Posted by Kelkara

Coleman fuel is not that different from gasoline ... treat it accordingly.

Yes, I figured as much since you can use gas in the stove if you need to or would like to

I don't use it on the boat.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by odonnellryan

I've used a Coleman camp stove with Coleman fuel many years camping: thing is awesome and indestructible. I feel like the fuel vapor is heavier than air, though?

I like the alcohol stove. I'm in the same situation right now: I think I've narrowed my choice between alcohol stove + oven or just stove. I'm leaving stove for the cost (and buy a stovetop oven for bread).

Yes, Coleman fuel ("white gas") is very similar to unleaded gasoline. Your car will probably run on it just fine. Yes, fumes are heavier than air, and the same blower setup you would want with a gasoline engine, you would want with a coleman stove or knockoff, and white gas, for safety.

Me, I would never have a stove or lantern on board that burns that stuff, but having used it camping and in emergencies, I will say it is darn easy to light and it burns with very little soot. The genuine Coleman gear is fairly cheap and works without a lot of care. Unleaded gasoline works in just about everything, including pump style mantle lanterns. I can see why someone might want to cook on Coleman, but anybody doing this, please run those bilge blowers.

Worst thing about alcohol stoves is the cost of the fuel per BTU. Best thing is you can drink it, assuming it is ethanol and not methanol or some other spirit. I use Everclear to prime my diesel burner and to make certain cocktails a little livelier. Only takes a teaspoon full to heat up the diesel burner. Filling the Origo took quite a bit and I substituted stuff from Home Depot for that.