Gas or spirit?

vyv_cox said:
Yes, loads on line. This might be the cheapest but plenty to be found at not much more http://www.clickonstore.net/bs102-p...oor-with-flame-failure-device-origi-p-61.html
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Ah, I was imagining the classic "briefcase" two-burner with a hose to a bottle, that I remember from camping holidays in the 80s. The flat single-burner tabletop type with an aerosol can don't seem like much of an improvement on the OP's gimballed Origo.

(I think in his position I'd have kept the old cooker, it looks in reasonable nick in his blog pics, checked over the gas system and replaced any elderly hoses etc, added a gas alarm if not already present, and been rigorous about turning off at the isolator tap when not in use. But it's not my boat, and if he's happier with the meths stove then great.)

Pete
 
vyv_cox said:
Yes, loads on line. This might be the cheapest but plenty to be found at not much more http://www.clickonstore.net/bs102-p...oor-with-flame-failure-device-origi-p-61.html
Click to expand...

prv said:
The flat single-burner tabletop type with an aerosol can

(
Pete
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There was big scare about some of these a few years ago, mainly in connection with poor design aspects, but there continue to be accidents with them and they are not recommended for use on boats.

http://www.boatsafetyscheme.org/abo...5-005-never-use-lpg-camping-equipment-aboard/

I would not swap my fixed gas installation for a spirit stove or one of these portable cassette gas stoves
 
prv said:
The flat single-burner tabletop type with an aerosol can don't seem like much of an improvement on the OP's gimballed Origo.
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Had one for a while on an old boat. Too its credit, it boiled the kettle fast and cooked well. It was sometimes hard to get a good seal on the gas bottle though which caused me no end of paranoia.
 
I've got the Origo 6000, which has the oven included and wouldn't consider parting with it! The fuel doesn't smell as long as it's not UK maths. If one uses bio-ethanol it's odourless, and cooks as swiftly as anyone could want. Gas does boil the kettle quicker I'm told, but in the manner of sailing which I enjoy, pace isn't important.
 
Origo man me

the reason is that I know exactly how much fuel I have left - it can be bought everywhere - even tescos at a push - and I try to use cooking alcohol when I can get it

I am currently living in the land of the pasty - so I heat them up using one of these

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515i6I8OFQL._SX425_.jpg

I stand the pasty on a pie cutter

all round heat

good eh!

I do miss a grill - but a dry nonstick frying pan does excellent toast

five of us lived from the Origo for three weeks

no probs

D
 
dom said:
Could I sigh up Mrs d for a few lessons per chance :D
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Maybe skip the throwing-it-all-over-the-cabin-sole bit, though? :p

I believe Chris mostly acquired his passion for cooking by watching endless downloaded episodes of MasterChef Australia while stuck in hotel rooms for work :)

Pete
 
There's nothing much wrong with an Origo, but I wouldn't want to return to using one. We lived with one for many years, on a boat with a petrol Dolphin engine, and thus two potential fire risks. As well as maintenance, good working practice with gas is part of the obligation to the user, especially isolating when not in use.
 
I was going to convert from the Origo to gas, i have decided not to.
Gone through the stinky meths left on board and now on Bio Ethanol from B & Q ( cheapest i have found ) it boils me a kettle quickly enough, havent tried toast yet so cant advise there
 
marie galante said:
A ( very ) few friends have spirit cookers of one form or another and insist they are much safer. They are all beardy, fisherman-smocks and wellies types.

Could they be right?
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Yes, indeed they could -- and indeed they are. It's not so much a question of flammability of the fuel though, as of the density of the gas. Gas is heavier than air, so if it leaks from anywhere it sinks. If the leak is inside the boat, then the gas flows down into the bilges. And if that happens your boat has become a time-bomb, waiting for the spark that could destroy it.

So if you want to use gas, make sure to take all the safety procedures others have mentioned above. I'd also advise storing your gas bottle(s) in a cockpit locker that drains overboard. (And if you can hack it, install the stove in the cockpit too and do your cooking there.)

Personally I'd go for shellite over kero over meths over gas every time, but I guess you pay your money and take your choice. (I had a gas stove in Sanderling that I never once used.)

Assuming the boat has electricity, do make sure to install a gas alarm in the lowest part of the bilge.

And yes, I do have a beard.

Mike
 
I carry a 2 litre bottle, if i fill one of the pans its about 1/2 litre i think, if its just days out i leave one pan fuelled up if its a weekend or even better a week away then i fill both. I keep the spare below decks wedged in in the wet locker. Thinking about it i could probably carry a 1/2 litre and in the stern locker
 
I have an origo and I'm not a beardy smocky type.

I prefer spirit to gas as it is much safer. Flammable liquids may catch fire, which you may or may not be able to manage if you are quick. Gas can just explode, which you have no chance of dealing with.

Let's face it, people who say gas is safe rely on a lot of safety devices - cut-outs, sensors and valves. Which implies to me it's dangerous. All you have to do with spirit is make sure you don't spill it!

On a new boat, gas is probably a good option, but as the boat gets older and the gas system ages, then converting to spirit is a good idea.
 
Ask yourself how many boats are there with gas for cooking. I would hazard that many of them also have ancient installations with no safety features and yet explosions are very, very rare.
 
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