Origo Cooker - how good?

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GilesC

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I'm thinking about abandoning gas in favour of an origo 6000 - spirit stove and oven. I know the oven got a pasting in a review 2 years ago in PBO, but has anyone actually got one of these installed - is it any good? Is the oven worth bothering with?

I don't want gas, but I do need help!

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I replaced my parafin Primus some years ago by an Origo 3000, and am perfectly happy with it.
I have no experience of the oven thought.
In my opinion, the Origo is perfectly adequate for week-end and vacation sailing.
If I considered living aboard again, or even extensive cruising, I would switch back to parafin, though.

Hope this helps.

Paul

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Am I the only person who has a problem with fumes when I fire up the Origo? Seriously, it's bad enough to make my eyes stream and more susceptible crew members rush to the rail.

Is there a 'clean' fuel that avoids this problem?
(Otherwise it's great!)



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Love the Origo, don't mind the slightly meths smell. If you go to France, stove alcohol is available at 1/3 the price of meths in supermarkets

<hr width=100% size=1>Larry Botheras

Anderson 26 "Amber"
 
I am surprised you get such a problem with fumes.It makes me think something could be wrong with your cooker.

On my 2 burner Origo (25 year old. )The only real smell is when refuelling ,so we refill it in the cockpit.

It does blacken the pots a bit but thats a price worth paying for safety in my opinion.

Is yours gimballed?possibly not being level could make a difference,I am only guessing here.

PS We use ordinary methylated spirits from our corner shop .

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Didn't know they did an oven. As the meths cookers seem to be immune to the Boat Safety Scheme I'd be interested in some idea of how and why the oven was slated. Don't care if its slow, a slow cooked casserole for supper after an evening soaking up a few wets is always welcome.

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.
 
I can't exactly remember the problem, but it was something to with problems refitting the fuel container and a safety device on it. I'm going to try and dig out the review, and quiz origo directly about it.
Much like you, I'm not worried it the oven's a bit slow, and anything got to be better than the palver of getting a gas saftey certificate and keeping it up to scratch, let alone the saftey concerns with gas. If I get a sensible reply, I'll let you know!



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Alcool a Bruler... Got mine from Carrefour in Cite Europe on the pre Christmas stock up. IIRC it was about 1.1 Euro for 1 litre.

<hr width=100% size=1>Larry Botheras

Anderson 26 "Amber"
 
After one season with a single-burner Origo, I thankfully converted it to LPG and swore I would never, ever again sail in a boat with an alcohol cooker.

Now nearly all those who have them appear to swear by them and they cannot all be dummies. However here are a few of my criticisms:-

1. Heat output OK for boiling a kettle or heating beans, but far too little for serious cooking.
2. Lighting up a menace, we had a couple of flare-ups which were exciting but the worst was the general nausea caused by alcohol fumes.
3. The tankage was inadequate for more than about 20 minutes cooking and you tried to refill whilst it was lit at your peril.
4. The difficulty in obtaining methanol and its cost far outweighed any spurious feeling of safety from explosion.
5. The fumes and water in the cabin were thoroughly unpleasant.

Now this was in 1972, when perhaps Origo had not got their act together, but I have happily sailed over most of Western Europe with never any example of an LPG explosion, never any supply problems and able to produce excellent 4 course meals for up to 6, but always using LPG.
Mind you I did have one gas leak, no tea from Iroise to Aberystwyth, I nearly expired from withdrawal symptoms. The leak was finally traced to a registered CORGI fitter using unarmoured hose in the flexible feed from bulkhead to the cooker.

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I've just had a reply back from Origo (quick response), and they basically dismissed the problem and gave me extracts from the handbook on how the oven fuel tank should be replaced and, i quote "Would be better if the reporter read the instruction"
Interesting to see if someone from PBO has anything to say about that?

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mmm I have to say that the gear tests (not just in PBO) always seem to come up in favour of the conventional system and do not really explore the benefits of new or "different" systems.. this is general obs. and not specific to cookers/stoves etc. The conclusions that I draw from a lot of the gear tests are that they are either a marketing exercise for a new gimic or that the reporters are a bit on the stick in the mud side of objective!

P.S. I riped out a gas cooker and replaced with a Blakes 2 burner (without grill) I did consider Origio / Alcohol but felt that the cooking (even tho' I'm really a weekend and holiday cruiser) to be insufficient.. my cruising ground is the West Coast of Scotland and there are many anchorages which have no facilities at all so going ashore for meals isn't always an option... The traditional parrafin option is easy to install and I think preferable in small boats with low freeboard which makes a proper gas looker v difficult.

In my hunt for boats last year I looked at 2 low freeboard boats which had come up with a compromise and v safe obtion of a bracket on the after deck holding the gas bottle and a tin bucket over it.. I believe both had passed the boat safety scheme with this set up. So for those with low freeboard and a preference for gas this might be an option to look at.
 
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