How to install gas & hob in a small sailing boat

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Boat148493

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I have a ruffian 23 which im slowly doing up and kitting out, have no way to cook at the moment. I know if i am to use propane and a small hob i need to be careful as gas can build up inside the boat
1) isit worth putting in a gas system, would a camping stove be easier?
2) what do i need to install a simple but safe gas system?
 
I used a Trangia for years on a small boat, loads of advantages and very few drawbacks. I would not recommend installing a full gas system from scratch for just a hob, it really is a load of aggravation for little advantage on a 23 footer.

I have never used the camping units with disposable cylinders, I think they could be used safely with some form of gas sniffer as part of the set up. I have a portable pen type....but honestly, when I test it, I can smell gas long before it alarms.

.
 
The canister should be above the deck, in a compartment that freely drains over the side. Calor have a free handout regarding the current regulations. on my boat all the internal pipework is solid copper, it passes though bulkhead fittings and terminates in a gas cock, which is directly connected to a flexible armoured gas hose leading to the gimballed cooker. The regs in place when I installed mine called for the pipe to be clipped every meter in length but I clipped mine roughly every two feet (600mm) or less. None of this is beyond a capable mechanic but before using it you will need to get the system checked out by a certified gas engineer.

I have a friend with one of those camping hobs with a screw-in litre gas canister underneath and another who has a small bottle picnic hob but I wouldn't use either inside my boat or even contemplate keeping it in a locker without a gas alarm.
 
doug748 said:
I used a Trangia for years on a small boat, loads of advantages and very few drawbacks. I would not recommend installing a full gas system from scratch for just a hob, it really is a load of aggravation for little advantage on a 23 footer.

I have never used the camping units with disposable cylinders, I think they could be used safely with some form of gas sniffer as part of the set up. I have a portable pen type....but honestly, when I test it, I can smell gas long before it alarms.

.
Click to expand...
By trangia do you mean the alcohol models? Ive been looking for origo ones but their not made anymore. The camp stoves work well its just the canisters dont last very long. Ill be having a carbon monoxide alarm whatever option i pick.
 
Topcat47 said:
The canister should be above the deck, in a compartment that freely drains over the side. Calor have a free handout regarding the current regulations. on my boat all the internal pipework is solid copper, it passes though bulkhead fittings and terminates in a gas cock, which is directly connected to a flexible armoured gas hose leading to the gimballed cooker. The regs in place when I installed mine called for the pipe to be clipped every meter in length but I clipped mine roughly every two feet (600mm) or less. None of this is beyond a capable mechanic but before using it you will need to get the system checked out by a certified gas engineer.

I have a friend with one of those camping hobs with a screw-in litre gas canister underneath and another who has a small bottle picnic hob but I wouldn't use either inside my boat or even contemplate keeping it in a locker without a gas alarm.
Click to expand...
Seems like an awful amount of work in such a small boat, i dont even have a locker above deck! Ive seen people use those jet boils but probably have the same risks
 
What i had in mind was to put the gas bottle in the lazerette where there are through holes to drain the cockpit, connect both cockpit pipes to the same throughhole leaving one free for the gas to go if it leaked,/or keep the gas bottle outside in a bracket on the railing. then run hose the 3 metres to where the hob would be with a bubble and carbon monoxide alarm.
 
Topcat47 said:
The canister should be above the deck, in a compartment that freely drains over the side. Calor have a free handout regarding the current regulations. on my boat all the internal pipework is solid copper, it passes though bulkhead fittings and terminates in a gas cock, which is directly connected to a flexible armoured gas hose leading to the gimballed cooker. The regs in place when I installed mine called for the pipe to be clipped every meter in length but I clipped mine roughly every two feet (600mm) or less. None of this is beyond a capable mechanic but before using it you will need to get the system checked out by a certified gas engineer.

I have a friend with one of those camping hobs with a screw-in litre gas canister underneath and another who has a small bottle picnic hob but I wouldn't use either inside my boat or even contemplate keeping it in a locker without a gas alarm.
Click to expand...
What 'current regulations'? There are none for private, seagoing yachts. BSS applies only to inland waterways.

'Gas Safe' certificates (ex-CORGI) don't apply to anyone 'inspecting' seagoing, private yachts.

There's lots of free sensible advice available, which you should be guided by, but it's not law.
 
Gary Fox said:
What 'current regulations'? There are none for private, seagoing yachts. BSS applies only to inland waterways.

'Gas Safe' certificates (ex-CORGI) don't apply to anyone 'inspecting' seagoing, private yachts.

There's lots of free sensible advice available, which you should be guided by, but it's not law.
Click to expand...

Try telling that to your insurance company.....
 
Rberrow1 said:
I have a ruffian 23 which im slowly doing up and kitting out, have no way to cook at the moment. I know if i am to use propane and a small hob i need to be careful as gas can build up inside the boat
1) isit worth putting in a gas system, would a camping stove be easier?
2) what do i need to install a simple but safe gas system?
Click to expand...

Predictably, you're getting "regulations" quoted, which don't apply to seagoing boats. You're obviously aware of the risk, so an LPG camping stove could be a possibility (and I'm sure you'd fit an LPG alarm too).

Before the usual suspects get too excited, can I mention that the Westerly Centaur - one of the most successful British boats - was supplied with a stove fitted with an LPG cylinder underneath it. I know, I bought a new Centaur, and I lived to tell the tale.
 
Rberrow1 said:
By trangia do you mean the alcohol models? Ive been looking for origo ones but their not made anymore. The camp stoves work well its just the canisters dont last very long. Ill be having a carbon monoxide alarm whatever option i pick.
Click to expand...


Yes, this sort of thing:

TRANGIA CAMPING SET WITH PANS | eBay

There was a recent thread about Origo stoves, I think they are still around under a different name.

.
 
Toplicht chandlers in Hamburg sell reasonably priced alcohol cookers for yachts, they have an online catalogue in English and excellent customer service.
 
Topcat47 said:
None of this is beyond a capable mechanic but before using it you will need to get the system checked out by a certified gas engineer.
Click to expand...

I agree, no such regulation, not that you said it was a regulation.

To be fair it isnt a bad idea for your own peace of mind if you arent accustom to working with gas. It is also an even better idea to have a gas detector in the bilges. Leaking gas and the constraints of a hull are not good companions. :)
 
Funnily enough, recently had a chat with a relative who’s a British Gas engineer and asked him if he could check my new install on the boat and he said he didn’t have the right tester, would have to get one off a mate. Dunno any more than that. But would all domestic gas installers have kit/knowledge to test LPG?
 
Trangias are excellent stoves & by design would lend themselves to being made gimballed, e.g. with a couple of lengths of flat aluminium bar. In your position I don't think I'd bother with gas...
 
Rberrow1 said:
I have a ruffian 23 which im slowly doing up and kitting out, have no way to cook at the moment. I know if i am to use propane and a small hob i need to be careful as gas can build up inside the boat
1) isit worth putting in a gas system, would a camping stove be easier?
2) what do i need to install a simple but safe gas system?
Click to expand...
What are your plans with the boat? Day sails or multiple day passages?

I'm not a fan of a Trangia Stove in a pitching sea due to its liquid fuel even on a gimbal as you still need to fill it.

I spent an enjoyable passage on a big ocean going racing dinghy last summer and between the excitement of a F9, 20 knots SOG and surfing a wave for about half a mile we used a JetBoil. Basic but provided hot food and drink when needed.
 
Buy this, whatever the price endus up at. Its a great hob and you don't have to worry about gas locker, inspections, blowing your head off.

I have one on my 24 footer

ELECTROLUX ORIGO 1500 SINGLE, BURNER SPIRIT ALCOHOL BOAT CARAVAN STOVE | eBay

Best of all, even if you spill the meths and manage to set fire to it (as a crew member once did) it wont be hot enough to set fire to wood or GRP and can put put out with a jug of water. If you don't like the smell of meths, buy Biofuel from B&Q and add 10% water. I love mine and we shall never be parted!
 
dankilb said:
Funnily enough, recently had a chat with a relative who’s a British Gas engineer and asked him if he could check my new install on the boat and he said he didn’t have the right tester, would have to get one off a mate. Dunno any more than that. But would all domestic gas installers have kit/knowledge to test LPG?
Click to expand...
Not all gas engineers are certificated to work with LPG. There are subtle, but important differences! A few years ago, we built a new sports/social pavilion and contracted a local CORGI registered plumber to install the LPG boilers - when we got an LPG qualified engineer to commission the system, he had to change all the fittings as the olives were the wrong metal. Apparantly LPG reacts with the alloy in brass.
 
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