To what extent is a gimballed stove necessary?

[Jammer]

I've read through some of the many threads on various fuel sources for cooking. Realizing that this can be a controversial topic I would like some help understanding, specifically, to what extent a gimballed stove is necessary in the galley of a monohull cruiser. We do not cook while under way in our 26' boat except perhaps to make a cup of tea; our boat has an Origo cooktop that is not in gimbals. So I lack firsthand experience


Regardless of fuel choice, a gimballed stove uses more space and poses layout constraints that would not otherwise be present. There are some stoves, notably the Wallas diesel cooktops, that cannot be gimbal mounted due to the unavailability of a flexible exhaust connection.


We do not plan any extensive or lengthy passagemaking but would appreciate the wisdom of others in this area. I note that there have been some suggestions in other threads that it is wise to heave to under some conditions to allow meal preparation to be safe and practical and find this to be sensible advice as far as it goes.


Also wondering to what extent some of the very modest gimbal brackets for small campstoves solve enough of the problem to be useful as an alternative that uses less space, e.g. https://www.safire.uk.com/store/Stab...cket-p25243476

[roverhi]

If you plan on cooking underway you'll need some kind of gimbaled burner. Sailed to Hawaii using a Sea Swing Stove mount with a kerosene burner and was perfectly happy though I'm not a gourmet. If there is no gimbal set up for your stove of choice it's not too hard fabricate a set up. That will take up a bit of space that a purpose built gimbaled stove may use more efficiently.

Some people have gotten by using tall pots secured with fiddles on non gimbaled stoves but the idea just doesn't seem safe to me. Suppose you could change your point of sail or heave-to to ease the motion and make cooking easier if you go without a gimbal

[gamayun]

People on small boats without galleys will use a Jet Boil on a gimballed holder if all you do is heat water or need to make oatmeal. One person I know would boil his egg in the water and then make coffee out of the water. Efficient gourmet dining at its finest!

[Pete7]

Sailing Uma did a YT video of them ripping out there old fixed has hob and replacing it with a gimballed Origo. They then fitted it to a sliding unit so it slides out of the way when not in use. Okay a bit OTT, but you might copy there gimballed mechanism.

Even coastal sailing we need a gimballed stove, not just to make tea which is so important but to cook too.

Originally Posted by gamayun

People on small boats without galleys will use a Jet Boil on a gimballed holder if all you do is heat water or need to make oatmeal. One person I know would boil his egg in the water and then make coffee out of the water. Efficient gourmet dining at its finest!

Sounds like the

Petit Bateau crowd

, mad as a box of frogs that lot.

Pete

[Peeew]

If using a jetboil type stove, perhaps this is obvious, change fuel canisters out of the cabin. Heavier than air.
I use my gimbaled stove when heeled and cooking. But probably 90% of the time locked into stowed position.

[Adelie]

The Pardey’s didn’t use fiddles on either boat. But the mounted the stove so you stood aft of it.
If the stove if mounted so you stand athwart then you run the risk of it spilling on you on one tack.

[Shrew]

I would answer your question with a question.

How frequently will you be cooking underway?

We rarely cook underway. We have a long steam down a windy, narrow channel to get out to open water and most of it is all no wake. When we do cook underway, it's breakfast if we want to leave early. But then, we often just do something easy like muffins or cheese danish, yogurt and fruit.

Are you planning on multi-day passages? IF not, they I honestly wouldn't worry about a gimbaled stove.

[Lepke]

I've used fixed diesel stoves most of my life. Proper marine stoves have rails to hold pots and pans in place. The rails can be made and added.
Commercial fishing, the stove usually had a coffee pot and sometimes something cooking. While powerboats don't have a constant heel, they can roll as much as a sailboat heels. And I fished in weather most yachties won't go out in.

[hafa]

A gimbaled stove is not only necessary for heating water while underway, but is very handy for pouring and preparing liquids. Even for overnight runs, I'd consider it a necessity. Then again, we have a wing keel and 14' seas and 25 knot winds constitute a mild day during the trades...

[Cheechako]

I've never gimballed much either. I could see it on a long tack in benign weather, but at sea, it seems to me the stove swings all over when gimballed because it's seldom smooth going!
Seems a mini pressure cooker would be good due to the locking lid, vented with a sealed lid.

[hafa]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

...it seems to me the stove swings all over when gimballed because it's seldom smooth going!

A gimballed stove will stay level in relation to the beam regardless of variation of heel. I can put a cup of coffee on the stove surface on a close reach in 25 knot winds on 14' seas and nary a drop will be spilled.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Sailing Uma did a YT video of them ripping out there old fixed has hob and replacing it with a gimballed Origo. They then fitted it to a sliding unit so it slides out of the way when not in use. Okay a bit OTT, but you might copy there gimballed mechanism.

Even coastal sailing we need a gimballed stove, not just to make tea which is so important but to cook too.
Pete

Here is the Uma video and a still. Apparently it's the factory gimbals with oversized bearings and some weight below the stove. I thought part of the factory mechanism was to lock and unlock the swing as well (? ) I would like gimbals but the 130$ US price on them will most likely drive me to design another solution for my single-burner Origo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJRsdY4tR3w

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by hafa

A gimballed stove will stay level in relation to the beam regardless of variation of heel. I can put a cup of coffee on the stove surface on a close reach in 25 knot winds on 14' seas and nary a drop will be spilled.

I will say, close heavy chop may be worse than big rollers. I think the issue is often gimballed big stoves need more ballast so they dont react so fast. All my cruisers had a stove bolt on the bottom to keep from swinging wildly.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Spot

I would like gimbals but the 130$ US price on them will most likely drive me to design another solution for my single-burner Origo.

That's ridiculous, you try these, but an hour in the shed with some plate and a drill will probably produce the same thing:

https://www.norfolkmarine.co.uk/lp-s...500-oven-units

I like the idea of pillow blocks, but would have used flat diving weights instead of his round bar.

Pete

[Marathon1150]

We have used gimballed stoves and fiddles both at sea and in lumpy anchorages. We use frequently a pressure cooker but tend to cook as if we are at home which means using other kinds of pots and pans as well. A gimballed stove is invaluable but as others have noted, not essential.

I had the opportunity to tour "Camper" the Team NZ entry in a past Volvo round the world race. They did all of their cooking on a single burner stove hung from overhead. But they only ate freeze dried food and hence only needed to boil water.