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zeehag · 04-09-2009, 13:22

disadvantages of induction cooking on a boat--try to find a use-able unit for marine use--they donot exist-----probably why the dashews, with nmore money than god, use propane!!!! LOL.....

Lodesman · 04-09-2009, 18:58

I don't know what the Dashews are using at the moment - this article is dated, but their review seems favourable: SetSail » Blog Archive » Testing an Induction Cooktop for Wind Horse
Has anyone seen a follow-up to this?

gosstyla · 05-09-2009, 11:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lodesman

I don't know what the Dashews are using at the moment - this article is dated, but their review seems favourable: SetSail » Blog Archive » Testing an Induction Cooktop for Wind Horse
Has anyone seen a follow-up to this?

Latest photos of Wind Horse on their web site show a propane stove in the galley.

gosstyla · 05-09-2009, 12:06

I just looked at the Dashew site and found this posted 9/3/2009

SetSail » Blog Archive » Induction Cook Top - Verdict After a Season Of Use

It seems the propane oven/stove top was originally installed and they have been using it for the oven. However, they have been using a "portable" induction cook top and now plan to have a permanent one installed and an electric oven and remove the propane.

Since they usually power the stove top with inverters it seems they don't have problems with high start up loads. Also, they do not mention having problems with RF.

Think I will give a portable induction cooktop a try it, plus the microwave, may take care of my cooking needs.

cal40john · 05-09-2009, 13:25

The Fagor draws 1300W at full power. So you need one of the bigger inverters and the capability of drawing 100 amps out of your batteries for the duration of cooking. But, 6 minutes on high power is 10 A-hrs used.

Click on the details bottom right
Fagor America : Portable Induction Cooktop

John

Lodesman · 05-09-2009, 15:19

Gosstyla - thanks for finding the Dashew's verdict. I feel a sense of vindication

I hadn't even considered the moisture produced by propane - another reason favouring electric. Of course Wind Horse is a power-driven vessel, so electricity is easy to come by - I concede induction would be harder to manage on a sailboat, but Dashew's report of electricity used shows it's still possible.

I wondered to myself, with a propane installation the safety gurus demand a propane sniffer (or two or more) presumably because it is possible to have unburned propane flow from the hob, where it will pool in the lowest part of the hull. When the sniffer alarm goes off - presuming it does go off as advertised - and you're in the middle of an offshore passage - what do you do? You can't tell how much propane has been spilled, and it won't evaporate, so how do you get it out of your boat? Do any of the propane proponents have an emergency plan?

S&S · 06-09-2009, 08:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lodesman

I wondered to myself, with a propane installation the safety gurus demand a propane sniffer (or two or more) presumably because it is possible to have unburned propane flow from the hob, where it will pool in the lowest part of the hull. When the sniffer alarm goes off - presuming it does go off as advertised - and you're in the middle of an offshore passage - what do you do? You can't tell how much propane has been spilled, and it won't evaporate, so how do you get it out of your boat? Do any of the propane proponents have an emergency plan?

Pump it out with the manual bilge pump.

donradcliffe · 06-09-2009, 11:52

I would like to hear from anyone who has used an induction cooker away from the dock. I read a Nigel Calder article which reported problems with matching the cookers to gensets, due to their inductive load nature.

As far as efficiency goes, a previous poster got it exactly backwards--even if 100% of the power used by an induction cooker goes into the food, the source which generated the electricity from fossil fuel is at best 33% efficient--from a green standpoint, you are far better off cooking with gas.

zeehag · 06-09-2009, 16:51

my boat has no problem with moisture from propane ever--i reside aboard and cook for real...goooood luck with the electricity--hope you can afford to male or use enough to keep the electric stove going .....LOL

Lodesman · 06-09-2009, 17:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by S&S

Pump it out with the manual bilge pump.

You can see water - how do you know when you've got all the propane out?

Lodesman · 06-09-2009, 18:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I would like to hear from anyone who has used an induction cooker away from the dock. I read a Nigel Calder article which reported problems with matching the cookers to gensets, due to their inductive load nature.

As far as efficiency goes, a previous poster got it exactly backwards--even if 100% of the power used by an induction cooker goes into the food, the source which generated the electricity from fossil fuel is at best 33% efficient--from a green standpoint, you are far better off cooking with gas.

You may have a point regarding energy-efficiency, but that depends upon how much electricity is generated from solar/wind/re-gen. If you can provide the Calder article, I'd be interested in reading it.

zeehag · 06-09-2009, 18:14

check for leaks prior to using or blow up and die...is easy.......

Lodesman · 06-09-2009, 18:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeehag

my boat has no problem with moisture from propane ever--i reside aboard and cook for real...goooood luck with the electricity--hope you can afford to male or use enough to keep the electric stove going .....LOL

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." - Mark Twain

cal40john · 06-09-2009, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lodesman

You can see water - how do you know when you've got all the propane out?

Maybe try catching some in a bucket and sniffing it.

According to what I've read call emergency services to deal with propane in the bilge, but I've had the the same question for when emergency services aren't available. I've heard that a bilge blower is an appropriate device to have on a boat with propane for the same reason you have it on a boat with a gas engine, but I haven't seen that written anywhere.

John