Why Not Kerosene?

[chala]

I have electric (hot plate, skillet, microwave) alcohol and LPG and would happily replace the lot for kerosene if I could find a reasonably affordable two burner. On the previous boat I had a primus two burner, a Tilley lamp (good for frying mozzies) and few non-pressure little night lamps. So simple.

[Wotname]

FWIW, I went to lot of trouble to source a two burner kero stove. Finally found a second hand one, polished up the stainless, overhauled the burners and tank and I am very happy with the result. Had to get some of the burners parts from the UK.

I have had kero, gas and alcohol in the past and never want to go back to gas or alcohol. Yes, gas IS quick to light but that is the ONLY advantage IMO.

[wolfenzee]

I *will* be installing this stove, I was just give kerosene as not only a feasible option, but a better option than diesel for a Dickinson Bering diesel cookstove/oven. I will be keeping my two burner propane cook top and propane sea-swing (for when I am hooked up to shore power I have a 110 toaster oven/convection oven and crock pop both will fit on top of the Dickinson stove when not in use..see picture below).

[Cheechako]

I had one boat with Kerosene stove. It's a PITA. You have to have alcohol also to preheat etc. Once heated and going it's a nice cooking unit, although false starts prevail alot..
You can burn kerosene in most diesel heating units. It burns much cleaner and will help prevent sooting and maintenance problems in Webasto and Espar units. I had a little Toyoset forced air freestanding unit on one boat, and once I worked the bugs out it was great. I had to have the company rep out when I first started up though due to a defective "flame mat".
Installed properly, propane should be very safe, it is used in millions of recreational vehicles and boats for cooking and for refrigeration.... not to mention houses. many houses up here in the NW use propane where natural gas is not available. Living aboard, one tank lasted me about 5 weeks. Think of all the times you would have to to preheat with alcohol, refill the kerosene tank etc in 5 weeks. It's easy to smell a propane leak.

[wolfenzee]

You have to preheat with diesel also. The way Dickinson tells you to preheat for a diesel stove of heater (and the way I preheated my kerosene heater) is to open the valve long enough to allow a small puddle of fuel to accumulate, close the valve, make a small cylinder of toilet paper (or some such thing) let it wick up the fuel, light it, when the puddle of fuel is gone, the stove/heater is ready to go. I did this in my kerosene heater, but replaced it with a wood heater between my main cabin and forward cabin.....I am lot happier with it. I am not thinking about replacing my propane cook top, just adding a diesel cook stove w/oven. There exists a myth some where that everyone that has a boat automatically has lots of money...I thought that myth only existed among landlubbers. I got this diesel stove in a trade for something I had no use for......that is a lot cheaper than buying a 3 (or4) burner propane stove and oven designed for marine use ($500 used at the local marine exchange), also it will fix the list I have that resulted from the previous owner replacing the "real" head, holding tank and plumbing with a plastic port-a-pottie.