Single burner gimballed stove

[RickG]

We just completed a passage from Grenada to the USVIs and using the gimbaled propane stove was a challenge. We had quartering waves and 15-20k/30g. The only thing I could keep on the stove with fiddles without holding it was the kettle. I had a sauce pan literally jump vertically out of the fiddles and fall back down into the fiddles. The heavy pressure cooker was like a hot football that wanted to fly and be free. I resorted to the Admiral's Instant Pot in the galley sink; that worked fine, but pulls 80 amps at 12.8V.

Looks like Forespar and Force 10 used to manufacture a bulkhead mounted single burner gimbal stove. I can only find these products used. Does anyone have a preferred product or a source for these? Thanks!

Cheers, RickG

[JPA Cate]

One option is to slow the boat down a little for the time you're cooking, till the pots stay put. If necessary, to just 3 or 4 knots. When you stop bashing, the pots quit jumping.

Another option, especially with really confused seas, is to heave to for cooking and eating. It won't make much difference with your arrival times, unless you're behind the curve already, for catching the tide.

Bashing leads to tired boats and tired crews, so letting off the pressure for 1/2 hr. or so, is not a big deal, unless you're racing.

Ann

[RickG]

Agreed, heaving to helps. It doesn't make the short period 6-8 foot waves go away.

[roverhi]

Sea Swing is the best single burner stove mount. They would probably go through a roll over and still have the kettle going for a cuppa afterwards. They were originally designed to use Sterno Cannisters but are easily modified to use kerosene or propane burners. Used my kerosene burner one on a Single Handed Trans Pac and only problem was a lurch of the boat threw me into stove and tore it off the bulkhead. Picked things up, redrilled the holes, screwed it back on and I was back in business. Don't have a place to mount it on my new boat so sold it on eBay within hours of listing.

Owned the Forespar stove also. It's a flimsy piece of junk. Look at it wrong and it bends out of shape. Okay if you can guarantee you'll never bump into it.

Unfortunately they are long out of production so Ebay is your best bet. If you find one, make sure the wall mounting bracket is included. Have often seen them for sale without the bracket. You could probably fabricate a bracket but it's another expense and the stove is useless without it.

[Kelkara]

There are some gimballed mounts available for JetBoil stoves eg.
https://www.safire.uk.com/store/The-...Stove-c6682124
but they're pretty small simple stoves, ok for simple boiling/reheating, but not much more.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Sea Swing is the best single burner stove mount. They would probably go through a roll over and still have the kettle going for a cuppa afterwards. They were originally designed to use Sterno Cannisters but are easily modified to use kerosene or propane burners. Used my kerosene burner one on a Single Handed Trans Pac and only problem was a lurch of the boat threw me into stove and tore it off the bulkhead. Picked things up, redrilled the holes, screwed it back on and I was back in business. Don't have a place to mount it on my new boat so sold it on eBay within hours of listing.

Owned the Forespar stove also. It's a flimsy piece of junk. Look at it wrong and it bends out of shape. Okay if you can guarantee you'll never bump into it.

Unfortunately they are long out of production so Ebay is your best bet. If you find one, make sure the wall mounting bracket is included. Have often seen them for sale without the bracket. You could probably fabricate a bracket but it's another expense and the stove is useless without it.

The Sea Swing is the one I've seen. I'll look for that. Thanks!

Cheers, RickG

[bailsout]

Kerosene 2 burner gimballed Optimus and Sea Swing Optimus are on my wooden boat.

[Don C L]

I felt really lucky to find my sea-swing stove. Keep checking eBay and anywhere else.
These guys may be open now and may have one:
http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/

[GafferMate]

I don't think this photo is going to work but can be found in my photo album, Picture 4 of 5 from Album PILAR. (edit: photo didn't work so just check out the album)


Yes to the Sea Swing but with modification it can be even better: the shape of the basket (for lack of a better description) is tapered, great for wedging SMALL pots but lousy for even a decent-sized tea kettle or pressure cooker.



On Pilar, our Sea Swing was modified with a cast aluminum stock pot, found at a Flea Market, then reshaped on a bandsaw, cutting tabs to fit outside the arms of the gimbaled bracket, a hole drilled for the burner flame, three small rectangles of aluminum stock screwed inside the pot's base (for air spacers beneath pots), and three holes drilled and tapped for attaching the Kerosene burner and tank below.



I've baked breads on our Sea Swing during rough passages using cast iron pans, and by using double boiler pots more than one course can be cooked at a time.



Go for it! It works BEAUTIFULLY!

[Boatwright]

We had a Sea Swing a couple of boats ago. Combined with a "SOLO" brand alcohol burner it made for handy cooking in rough conditions.

The SOLO burner is sold through back-pack suppliers. It's a nifty, no moving parts rig that produces usable heat, uses hardware store solvent alcohol (shellac thinner), and only costs $20.

[jjccp]

Here you go:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ve-241941.html

[Spot]

Originally Posted by GafferMate

I don't think this photo is going to work but can be found in my photo album, Picture 4 of 5 from Album PILAR. (edit: photo didn't work so just check out the album)


Yes to the Sea Swing but with modification it can be even better: the shape of the basket (for lack of a better description) is tapered, great for wedging SMALL pots but lousy for even a decent-sized tea kettle or pressure cooker.



On Pilar, our Sea Swing was modified with a cast aluminum stock pot, found at a Flea Market, then reshaped on a bandsaw, cutting tabs to fit outside the arms of the gimbaled bracket, a hole drilled for the burner flame, three small rectangles of aluminum stock screwed inside the pot's base (for air spacers beneath pots), and three holes drilled and tapped for attaching the Kerosene burner and tank below.



I've baked breads on our Sea Swing during rough passages using cast iron pans, and by using double boiler pots more than one course can be cooked at a time.



Go for it! It works BEAUTIFULLY!

Another one from a boat I got to sail 'in', the Arcebus. In the skipper's own words:

"My gimballed stove worked great! I concocted this with some old skateboard wheels, copper pipe, and scrap 1/8" aluminum."

[roland stockham]

Take a trip to you nearest mountaineering shop. They make lots of small propane stoves designed for climbers to use hanging from a hook. A small supply of freeze dried emergency food is also good. The mountaineering/backpacking ones are designed to just pour boiling water in the stand in the sink for 5min before eating out of the bag, ideal as extreme weather food. The trick for making a hanging stove work on a boat is to attach an elastic chord from the bottom of the stove to something below, should be fairly light chord. This limits and damps the swing and used to be common it the days of hanging lanterns.

[esarratt]

If you are interested in pressure kerosene stoves (and some others, Coleman, etc.) I have used this forum to great delight: https://classiccampstoves.com/

The Sea Swing is a classic!

James Baldwin, who double circumnavigated, came up with his own version of a gimbaled stove. He used to sell them, but I don't know if he still does. The directions and parts list to make your own are on his website: https://atomvoyages.com/cys/126-atomstove.html

Sailorman in Fort Lauderdale has lots of great used gear: https://www.sailorman.com/ I have wandered around their store for hours looking at cool nautical stuff.

Save your search for Sea Swing on Ebay and have them email you when items are posted.

Use Google Advanced Search to search on Craigslist.org for the whole country.