Cooking / Heating ?

[farotherside]

Hey folks,

I've been living aboard my 39' Searunner trimaran for about a year and a half now. I'm looking to replace my Sigmar diesel oven/stove with something a little more modern and a lot more user-friendly.

The thing I hate about the Sigmar is the handling - it takes at least 20 minutes to get the stove up to the point where it could boil water, another 20 minutes to boil that water. There is absolutely no control over the temperature of the stove or the oven, just "on" or "off" basically. Finally, the entire top surface of the stove is a sheet of cast iron, which in a PNW winter is lovely but it renders the stove all but unusable in the summer... and my longterm plan is to head for the tropics, so that just won't do. Furthermore, once it starts "sooting up" - ie every two months or so - the cleanup is a really unpleasant job.

I've been doing heavy research on other diesel stoves, with the Wallas stoves being the frontrunner so far. I'd like to stick with diesel for the convenience - ie, you can get diesel or kerosene anywhere. The problem is that the Wallas stoves don't seem to be built for liveaboard use - they say they're expected to be used about 200 hours per year, and come in for service every couple of years... I don't expect to be anywhere near a Wallas service center in two years, and I plan to use the stove probably twice a day, every day, with a lot more in the wintertime!

I do not currently have my boat plumbed for propane/lpg, and I kind of want to keep it that way if possible, so that I don't have to keep yet another kind of fuel onboard, and so that I don't have to try to transport propane cannisters around on my bicycle. However, I also have a young lady about to move onboard and she's a phenomenal cook, so I really want to provide her with the tools she needs, and that includes a multi-pot stovetop and an oven.

What are you folks using for your daily cooking and/or heating?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by drew23

However, I also have a young lady about to move onboard and she's a phenomenal cook, so I really want to provide her with the tools she needs,

Well I think you just done yourself right there, pal! You'll be wanting a nice new GAS stove with oven!
Yes, you will be getting fit on your bike with a propane bottle in your backpack!

I just replaced our old stove with a new one - with electronic ignition - its so kewl. But I still keep going to the draw for the lighter....

Its about $1,000 USD and yes, you'd have to plumb gas (but not electricity as the electronic igniton is from a AA battery.

Its such a sexy lil beast!!!!!!!!!! Boils water in a jiffy Cooks cows in no time.

And think of this: If she is a great cook think selfishly: Whos gunna do all the eating?!


Mark

[rebel heart]

We installed a Seaward Princess three years ago (and have been living aboard that long): Rebel Heart - Sailing, cruising, liveaboard blog and website - Eric's Blog - Meet our new*stove!

It's been terrific. Except for the knobs snapping every year or so (so we just have a bunch of spare knobs now), it has worked flawlessly. No priming, no stink, no mess. We have the tank lashed to a boomkin rail on deck with a canvas cover. We went with one of those see-thru tanks (as opposed to metal); it's been great as well.

We're two people and a baby who eat onboard almost every meal, including breakfast in the mornings, grilling on the bbq, and stove-top popcorn in the evening. We go through a tank every 2 months and costs ~16$ to refill.

We even make thanksgiving and christmas hams and turkeys. Can't say enough good things about it. My wife would not be happy if we still had the kerosene.

[Brent Swain]

I spent years avoiding propane, until on a trip to Tahiti I found myself admiring the propane stoves in the magazines after flare ups with the kerosene stoves . Switched as soon as I got home and have had no regrets. Harbor Freight has the best propane stove I've seen , made in India of excellent non magnetic stainless for $50 . They don' t ship outside the US, so get a yank to buy you o, and bring it up or put it in the mail. . You won't find a much better oil stove for winter heat than the Sigmar or Dickenson.

[boatman61]

Camping Gaz/Propane.... you cant beat it... instant heat... grill and oven... 2 burners.... easy to keep clean, Force 10's for me.... and if gaz in the bilges is a concern.. a few pumps on the bilge pump every so often will keep things vented...
or fit an alarm.
As MarkJ says... humping that fuels worth the effort.

[fishwife]

Propane every time. If you can afford the A/h the a microwave is a great addition. A microwave/convection oven is the biss.

P.

[barnakiel]

I have seen the Webasto system and it worked fine in the UK climate.

But I think a dedicated heating system will be more efficient.

I have investigated as I am interested in going to the Antarctic for winter. They say the diesel heating is best - easy to get the fuel, easy to fix and dependable.

In Scandinavia there is a maker called Wallas, then there is the Webasto and Eberspacher seems to be widely present too.

Some boats have very basic systems (coal, wood?) and it works, but to me it is Mickey Mouse for offshore.

In the marina nothing beats the electric heating I guess.

And in a boat with propane galley, LPG heating is a nice option methinks.

b.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by drew23

I plan to use the stove probably twice a day, every day,

Thats also I note I wanted to comment on....

Dang twice per day? Mines on twice before breakfast making coffee, then breakky, morning tea, lunch, arvo-smoko, dinner, hot chocolate, midnight toddy warmer.....

3am grilled cheese on toast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[svcambria]

the entire top surface of the stove is a sheet of cast iron, which in a PNW winter is lovely but it renders the stove all but unusable in the summer... and my longterm plan is to head for the tropics, so that just won't do.

No, it won't do in the tropics - you will be doing everything you can to get heat out of your boat. But it sounds like you want a single solution to four problems - heat in the PNW for the near future, a stove that a cook would want to use, "coolth" in the tropics down the road, and no new fuel sources. IMHO, it ain't gonna happen. Go with the cook (and propane) as top priority. With the amount you intend to spend on a Wallas I would suggest looking at the Dickinson propane stoves:
DickinsonMarine.com - Marine Stoves
As an intermediate compromise, you might check out propane BBQs (mounted outside) which come with accessories that allow for other kinds of cooking, such as Magma:
Marine Kettles
Good luck.

Michael

[Bash]

Originally Posted by drew23

I do not currently have my boat plumbed for propane/lpg, and I kind of want to keep it that way if possible, so that I don't have to keep yet another kind of fuel onboard, and so that I don't have to try to transport propane cannisters around on my bicycle. However, I also have a young lady about to move onboard and she's a phenomenal cook, so I really want to provide her with the tools she needs, and that includes a multi-pot stovetop and an oven.

Time for us old married liveaboards to sit you down and talk about the facts of life. Are you seated...? Ahem... Young man, even if you're the most incredible lover on this forum, you're not good enough to keep a young lady happy on a boat with a diesel stove. You have two choices: (1) install the best propane stove you can afford; (2) perfect your singlehanding abilities.