How many Gas bottles ???

[aquaholic]

have a 2 burner cooker with oven, and currently 1 x 4.5kg calor bottle.
Do most people carry a spare for when it runs out or do you just try and guess it ??

 

[NormanS]

You carry a spare.

 

[Bilgediver]

You carry a spare.
********************

However your insurance company will not like this unless it is in a locker sealed from the interior of the boat and fitted with a drain overboard just like the working bottle...Don t just sling it in the lazarette or under Swmbo's bunk.

 

[Quandary]

Safe storage is the issue. You can get away with a single bottle aboard and a spare at home in the garden if your cruises are short,but it can be miserable to run out if you use anchorages rather than marinas. With a similar cooking arrangement and only eating out once every couple of days we seem to get about 30 days out of a 4.5kg bottle. In a typical season we log about 3 bottle changes and we like toast in the morning. If you have a roomy self draining cockpit you may be able to store your spare bottle there, if you dont use your anchor much you might have room to secure it in the anchor locker but this adds to the dreaded weight in the ends problem.

 

[VicS]

A spare is vital. They only ever run out while you are using them. A double sized locker with space for the spare is the answer. A change over valve if you want to gild the lily.

 

[Searush]

[ QUOTE ]
A spare is vital. They only ever run out while you are using them. (cut)

[/ QUOTE ]

usually with a party of friends on board & several hours sailing from a supplier, or even a restaurant. Oh, and in very hot weather where the part cooked meal will be off before you can complete the cooking process.

Not only do I carry a spare, I also have a barbie & coals aboard just to be sure. I find a caravan sized small blue bottle lasts us about a fortnight of liveaboard cooking.

 

[discovery2]

Store the spare (and petrol for the outboard) in the anchor locker if there is room. These (usually) have a drain overboard.

If necessary, sikaflex a piece of ply to the side and use bungy straps to hold in place.

 

[richardabeattie]

I just cary a small camping gas stove as a back up - enough to boil a kettle.

 

[jonjo]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have a roomy self draining cockpit you may be able to store your spare bottle there

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh I can see the indelible rusty footprint of the bottle in the grp already.

 

[jonjo]

[ QUOTE ]
Don t just sling it in the lazarette or under Swmbo's bunk.

[/ QUOTE ]
My previous yacht was a Nicholson 38, considered quite posh in 1971. The main gas bottle was fitted directly under the cooker without a drain hole in sight. The yacht had been to Brazil and back in the 30 years before I owned her, how did the executive classes survive?

 

[jonjo]

[ QUOTE ]
Do most people carry a spare for when it runs out or do you just try and guess it ?

[/ QUOTE ]
I keep a rough mental note of the amount of cooking done from a new bottle and load the spare when the main is half empty. I store it where I should not but this thread has got me thinking about using the anchor locker.

 

[charles_reed]

I live aboard and have a similar stove.

In marinas a 3kg Gaz bottle lasts 48 days, anchoring 30 days. Mostly I cook aboard. The difference is down to having and electric kettle on shorepower. The 6kg Butagaz Cube lasts about 3 months.

not in UK so don't have anything to do with Calor (or Gaz for that matter) as they are grossly overpriced products.

 

[Gin]

Yes, but last season that spare located in the anchor locker, was red with rust by the time it came into play and the chandler wasn't at all impressed with the condition of it when I took it back for exchange.

So, today I'm off to Aldi in the hope that their £6.99 dri-bag on special offer today will be big enough to take a 907 which should overcome the problem for the future

 

[Hermit]

If storing is a problem then you can get magnetic gauges which give you a rough idea of how much is left in the bottle. I can't find the link and have no idea how well they work though!

All in all a pretty useless response from me then... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Gin]

No, not useless. All input provides opportunities.

However, I did have one of those magnetic indicators- not much good but better than nothing but actually I lost it over winter and having paid a ridiculous £5.75 from the caravan shop I tried to get another yesterday.

They no longer sell them,(I wonder why) but from E-bay I've now bought two, one for the BBQ and one for the boat

Price? £0.99 each plus £1.75 postage discounted for two items so a total of a fiver for the pair- quite good really.

So our comments may be helpful to others?

 

[Liz_I]

Yes, carry a spare.
As for checking what's left in the bottle how about a set of scales?
We have 2 x 13kg bottles and use 1 during the summer (5 months) at anchor.
To check the remaining gas, place bottle on bathroom scales. Every bottle has it's tare weight stamped on it. Anything over that is the amount of gas left /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[shmoo]

I keep looking at the luggage scales on the travelers' gadgets display in the supermarket (along with sleep masks, inflatable cushions and so on). Must get one...

Our boat came with vented storage for the spare bottle. We carry a red one for winter and a blue one for summer. If the blue one runs out we pop the red one on just until we get a replacement blue.

 

[aquaholic]

Thanks for all the advice, never thought it would get such a response.......like the idea of storing it in the anchor locker, loadsa room there.
Just need to make I sure I dont go Ramming anything too hard /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Gin]

Aldi came up trumps, the DriBag is very large and well able to cope with a 907- useful as a grab bag or on a wet boat it would hold a load of clothing.

Very pleased with my purchase

 

[Refueler]

I have the standard small blue Butane canister in its special locker ... 4.5kg job. I can do a 3 week cruise cooking brekkies and odd dinners on it and still have most of the bottle left at end of cruise. I only carry the one - a) because I have nowhere else apart from on deck to carry a spare, b) I haven't had call to carry a spare yet .... Oh drat - shouldn't have said that - I will have NOW !!

I am lucky of course that I can refill my bottles at any time I wish for free ... Butane or Propane as I want ... so at beginning of cruise I start with a full bottle.