How much cooking fuel?

[Mendana]

Well, I've decided to enter the MOD around the world race in 2019....I will have to make quite a few modifications to my set up...away from cruising and into solo, non stop circumnavigation.

My first question is about LPG (propane gas) and is this...

At this point I haven't been on any trips, solo, non stop for more than 10 days and I have no idea how much gas I use for cooking... I have 2 x 3.5kg gas bottles that sit tightly in a specially designed fixture on my pushpit...

Is this enough for 9-10 months at sea?...If its nearly enough I will buy a small kerosene stove and a few litres of Kero.... If its not even half what I need, I will have to think of replacing my gas stove with a kerosene or other stove (I don't really want to do this)..

Any thoughts...

[El Pinguino]

I think you will have to do your own research... you have four years to do it... living quite well I get between 30 and 40 days from 4.5kg with two people but that can vary an awful lot. I also carry a trangia ...

As I say... you need to keep a log and just work out how long you take to use a bottle..... my record one way is 15 days... the other...50

[FSMike]

There was an interesting anecdote years ago from one of the crewed around the world races. It seems that several boats had taken on propane at one stop that was contaminated, with water IIRC. Nobody could cook until one boat discovered that a cigarette filter inserted in the gas line solved the problem. Now at least everybody who had a smoker on board could cook.

[OceansFive]

I keep a careful note of propane used, hope this may be some help.

32 foot Tahitiana, single handed in Labrador ( cold winds, fog, drizzle)
2 x 20 lbs propane feeding a 2 burner Force10 stove.

Using a Simplex kettle (about 17% faster than regular kettle - I tested) to boil only enough water to be used ie. 1 cup for a cup of tea etc. any surplus is put into a vacuum flask for use washing up etc.

Oven baking twice a week bread, cakes and scones. Occasionally roasting a chicken if available in port.

One 20 lb cylinder lasts 9 weeks. That had been pretty consistent over 5 years.

[barnakiel]

You just grab the cooking device you have and read its specs. Manufacturers clearly quote how much gas the unit consumes per hour.

You will allow for both your lifestyle (some eat everything cooked, some eat everything raw, look up Webb Chiles' blog for more) as well as for varying wx requirements. No tea and coffee in the tropics perhaps, but plenty in the Southern, etc.

In our boat of two, in the tropics and sub-tropics, we seem to use about 3 kg of (butane) gas each month. This would translate into 1.5 kg of gas per person per month in hot climates. This is when we are full time out (on a crossing or anchored, NOT at the dock).

If you count on 300 days at sea, you may want to carry at least 25 kg of cooking gas. Or 4 x 6 liter bottles. Plastic bottles will save plenty of weight.

Double check my maths prior to any commitments.

Get a twin hob stove. Hobs tend to die on you at times.

Get a spare regulator. Regulators tend to die on you at times.

Etc.

b.

[farm sail]

I would be very surprised if a cruisers fuel consumption is going to be even remotely relevant for a solo non stop race. I doubt you will have anything fresh after a month or so. I would suspect a lot of boiling water and " heat n eat " stuff. A good " jet boil " type set up will cut your boil time/consumption down alot. You will know before you go what your foods will be. Your consumption will be closely related to your type of provisions.

I would read up on other solo non stoppers find out how they provisioned and their fuel consumption.

With a little planning in the provisioning department i suspect your fuel consumption will be much less than your thinking

[donradcliffe]

In the tropics, a 4.5 kg cylinder would last the two of us 90 days. I could predict within a week of when a cylinder would run out (unless they weren't filled properly).