Diesel Stoves For Cooking

[red_marine_28]

Need some advice about using diesel cooking stoves.
I am thinking about putting one on my sailboat.
What are the advantages and disadvantages?

[roverhi]

Diesel stoves require an exhaust stack vented to the outside. That can be an issue for location of the stove and possible back drafts. They are not instant on cooking and require a bit of warm up so are inconcenient for heating up things like left overs, or boiling water for coffee or tea, etc. The fishing boats in the northern latitudes love them as they turn them on at the beginning of the voyage and never turn them off till they get back. The stoves double as a cabin heater in the not so warm that the boats are in.

If you like the safety of diesel but not the inconvenience, you might think about kerosene. Getting hard to find new stoves but used come up reasonably often on ebay. Kerosene does require a preheat with alcohol but puts out lots of heat unlike alcohol stoves. They don't require all the vapor tight storage issues of propane and fuel is usually available conveniently to most any where boats congregate and you don't have to schlep heavy awkward bottles to refiuel.

[Glenn.Brooks]

Second Roverhi. What climate are you in? Diesel stoves are fantastic- for northern latitudes, but you will swelter when the ambient temperature climbs above 70 F. personally I like diesel stoves for warmth on fishing boats, but in sail boats the old Homestrand two burner alcohol stoves for cooking. Alcohol cooks fast and cleanly - and is particularly well suited in warmer climates. Unfortunately they just don't produce much if any cabin heat. The new generation of alcohol stoves employ some kind of saturated aluminum or metal mesh in the burner. The mesh acts like a sponge to hold the alcohol and let's it burn off as you need it to cook a meal. Doesn't spill or slosh around apparently. This might be an alternative to consider....


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[hpeer]

Make that a third. I have a Dickenson Adriatic in my hunting cabin and use it for cooking as well as heat. I would not use it on a sailboat for a number of reasons I will list if asked. In fact I have a small two burner kero unit I intend to take up there next trip, for use when it is warmer.

On our boats we have two burner kero units with ovens, they can be a bit fiddley and there is a learning curve, but I feel they are worth it. They cook really well, bake bread, etc. without excessively heating the boat. They are safe and you loose the damn propane tanks ( but get a small Kero tank.). Each boat also has a Kero bullhead heater for auxiliary heat. Each boat also has an Espar D4 hot air heater.

We lived in our big boat much of last winter, down to 1°F. It was OK.