marine barbecues

[sphero]

Can anyone out there recommend a marine bbq that can be set up in the cockpit, or mounted on the pushpit rails? A friend swears by his Magma gas bbq, but I gather these are expensive (around £200). Has anybody else got one of these, and if so do they keep them permanently mounted during the season?

 

[ongolo]

I had a force 10 and gave it away, was ok, but I could built one for BBQ and smoking snook as well. One day.

regards ongolo

 

[lockwood]

Call me a cheapskate if you want, but I use those cheap disposable BBQ's in the cockpit. Cheap, light and disposable.

Remember the base gets hot, I just put the BBQ on top of an upturned frying pan.

 

[DanTribe]

I've recently been converted to the Cobb grille. It's insulated, so you can move it about whilst alight, and set up anywhere on the boat or ashore. It can be used for or grilling roasting and uses very little fuel.
Downside is it's not pushpit mounted, so you miss the fun of crouching on the aft deck and dropping your burgers in the 'oggin, and you can't tip the hot ashes straight into the dinghy.
Dan

 

[Sans Bateau]

The best fun I had with a push pit mounted BBQ was in Gozo, Malta, anchored up, there was so much of a swell running together with the effects of the PDD's we lost more food over the side than we ate!

That BBQ was on a steel ketch, I cannot bring myself to lighting charcoal on a plastic boat. Sort of scares me when someone lights up on the inside of the raft on a plastic boat, just over a metre from their outboard. Even more unhappy when its a BBQ!

 

[BSSOffice]

It's also worth remebering that BBQ's can produce a lot of carbon monoxide aka the silent killer or CO. It's so toxic that you may not be aware you're being affected until it's too late, especially when alcohol has been injested and has got into the bloodstream.

Keeping the combustion gases out of craft interiors is a good idea.

We've got some more info on carbon monoxide and how to avoid it in a leaflet available by print or email. we're happy to send on to requests made to bss.enquiries@boatsafetysch etc .com
Regards

 

[Sea Devil]

I had a Magma - got it in the States - still not cheap but it was really good. Had it and the gas bottle permanently on the stern rail with the BBQ out over the water - lots of fun for meat and fish and great at party times... Good design.

 

[jerryat]

The trouble with the Magma on our friend's boat, was that the fixing point was so flimsy. The fixing bolt appears to be just passed through the base of the 'bowl' and that is made of thin S/S, so we found it moved alarmingly especially when heaped with goodies. Other friends have the Force Ten type which is, IMHO, a far better made product, rock solid but a hell of a lot more money!!

Cheers Jerry

 

[ccscott49]

I have a force ten, gas one, excellent, if a touch expensive, but does great grub! or is that the chef!!

 

[FullCircle]

Bought a stainless steel one with a lid that locks for 9.99 at Homebase. Stands on 4 legs about 100mm off the deck. Superb. Don't actually believe the Carbon Monoxide joke as it is nearly always blowing fresh air wherever it is used. Also wait until it is fully burnt through before committing the ashes to the deep. Is it possible to waft Carbon Monoxide from an open cockpit down below in sufficient quantity? Only those who can prove that scientifically need answer. The rest of the apocryphal tale promulgators go boil your head.
For the safety conscious amongst us, I have a 3kg Dry Powder in the cockpit locker (actually intended for me to fight my way back into the cabin in the case of an uncontrolled thermal event below).
BBQs are the last civilised bastion of non PCness - I'll have 2 then.....


Jim

 

[fireball]

I've been TOLD we have to have some sort of external cooking device ...
Got as far as aquiring a SS washbowl that I can modify into a BBQ ....
Now SWMBO is looking at a skottle ... thinks we might be able to screw it directly onto our gas bottle still in it's locker... sounds more expensive to me!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bob_tyler]

Dictionary definition: Barbecue n. A device for blackening, burning and ruining good food.

 

[boatmike]

As far as I remember Carbon Monoxide is produced when there is incomplete combustion not when there is plenty of Oxygen about.... If the wind blows smoke into the cabin you are gonna choke, but not die of C Monoxide I would have thought....

 

[boatmike]

And getting poisoned though eating uncooked chicken burnt to a crisp outside and raw inside.......

 

[Trevethan]

I spent ages trying to find a decent barbeque for the boat that was daftly over priced.

Eventually settle for an Outback picnic bbq. Runs on gas has a cast iron grill with space for 6 large prok chops, plus a griddle area for doing onions etc. Cost about £45. plus a regulator.

I am getting a stainless basket made up to mount it on the rail (over the side so it doesn't mess up the decks) it also has legs for use in cockpit on beach etc-- but put it on a baking sheet to keep any grease from dripping on deck.

I got ours from a barbeque place in St Austell and Outback have stopped selling them.

It made a huge difference last summer when we cooked almost everything outside -- reduces food smells below, makes it a lot less hot and makes the neighbours far more friendly -- inviting themelve over to sample!

Good luck

Nick

 

[paulskent]

I have a Skottle. Great for Paella. Not thought of using it on the boat though. The concept does make some sense. And when you have finished cooking you could turn it to the vertical plain and use it as a radar reflector or satellite dish ??

PK.

 

[Robin]

We have a S/S Magma gas BBQ mounted on the pushpit and rate it highly. We previously had the charcoal version but changed it only because it was easier to use gas, no charcoal/wood/lighter cubes to carry and less mess afterwards. Using the standard gas cannisters is expensive though as these are not the cheap throwaway type but have a valve allowing removal after use. We bought an adapter (different regulator plugs into the BBQ plus a flexible hose to connect to the cylinder) from West Marine USA to run ours from a normal cylinder, we actually use propane (red Calor) but it also ran just as well on butane (blue Calor). With the West adapter we needed a new tube end fitting (Calor shop) to match the UK cylinders. We also have a set of legs and a couple of disposable gas cannisters for when we want to use it ashore, but rarely do these days.

We use ours extensively on our main summer cruise, less heat down below and we use it as an oven in effect as well. We often cook a full roast dinner, roast beef, roast potatoes, carrots, sometimes shallots as well, takes about 35 minutes for one big enough for 2 of us with some for lunch next day as well. A meat thermometer is essential as with the lid on cooking is much faster than you would think. The whole lot is cooked in a cheap S/S oven dish bought for £5 on Lymington market. For steaks and fish we use a cast iron griddle pan with the handles removed, no fishy smell below is another advantage.

 

[giraffehappy]

Hi, we have a force ten, which they make in two sizes. We have the smaller one for gas economy, it cost £185 inc vat and delivery from Southampton Gas. I want to avoid heat and smell below. I think it is a bargain for what we get from it. All that horrid fishy stuff straight into the open air......mounted on the stern by the way.

 

[billcowan]

"FORCE 10" who thought of that as a name for a bbq for christ's sake.

reminds me of Eccles caravans, that had names like "invader" and "marauder"

Anybody got any other examples of ridiculously innapropriate trade names.

 

[john_morris_uk]

We bought a Compass one at the boat show. It is designed for charcoal, circular and has a fitting that clips on the pushpit and makes it sit outboard over the oggin. About £60 if I remember correctly. Haven't used it yet so don't know if its any good. All s/s and the lid is on funny catches that stop it falling in the water.