Oven on Gimball - How much room does it need to swing? How do I measure that?

[DangerousPirate]

My current boat (camper nicholson 30) is getting a new cooker soon, but I am not sure if maybe an upgrade to a stove with oven is a better choice? Oven makes cooking very lazy and very easy and yet still very good, but I could easily live without it.

So I had a look at some oven units, width wise they'd fit, but I am not sure how much room they need to swing around.

The dimensions are:

• Width without gimbals: 450mm
• Width with gimbals: 485mm
• Gimballing arc: 510mm
• Cooker Depth (front to back): 410mm
• Minimum space required when heeled at 30deg: H520xD410mm

So from where do I measure the depth? The 41 cm? From the gimbal fixture or the front of the appliance? Bit confusing because it's identical to the cooker depth

Haven't seen many Nicholson 30s, and the few I have found online just have a little 2 burner hob. It's perfectly adequate, so I wouldn't be too unhappy if it won't fit, but not sure how to measure it exactly.

 

[Boathook]

Last time I looked at a new cooker, it had dimensions required for it to gimbal. I must admit to not taking much notice as being on a cat it would have been bolted down.

 

[wonkywinch]

Would you actually cook whilst heeled at 30 degrees? I rarely unlock the gimbal as the majority of use is in calmer waters or when moored up.

 

[MontyMariner]

Decided how many degrees that you are happy to heel at and cook then do the maths.
Pivot Point Z = Dist X + Dist Y
I attach a Bungee from the cooker base rear to the floor at the front of the cooker recess to dampen the swing.

 

[Roberto]

So I had a look at some oven units, width wise they'd fit, but I am not sure how much room they need to swing around.

If you plan to cook while underway, allow plenty of room. When the boat heels and moves with waves, the damn thing will begin to oscillate with inertia well beyond the heeling angle and hit the outside container if too small, sbammm sbammm sbammm...
Also, it probably does not apply to a Nic30, but if the stove area is too high, once the boat heels one cannot see anymore what happens inside the pans I'd say look for the widest surrounding area and lowest level you can.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Would you actually cook whilst heeled at 30 degrees? I rarely unlock the gimbal as the majority of use is in calmer waters or when moored up.

If you do any sort of offshore sailing surely you cook when heeled?

 

[Frank Holden]

If you do any sort of offshore sailing surely you cook when heeled?

Yes but maybe not when rolling.
I always - whether on passage or not - lock my gimbals after setting the appropriate amount of 'preheel'. If I was going to let it swing I would ballast the oven with dive weights to ensure adequate GM in a seaway.

 

[Rappey]

Make a cardboard template for the side of the cooker. Put a pin in it where the pivot point is. You can now swing it and see exactly what space it needs?

 

[vyv_cox]

Our Neptune 2500 swings outboard 23 cm at lowest point. Most often it is locked vertically but has been used at sea a good few times

 

[john_morris_uk]

Yes but maybe not when rolling.
I always - whether on passage or not - lock my gimbals after setting the appropriate amount of 'preheel'. If I was going to let it swing I would ballast the oven with dive weights to ensure adequate GM in a seaway.

Try sailing in the trades without rolling!!

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I remove a broken fixed cooker and added a gimballed double burner hob and grill in the rather confined space. I made and moved a temporary pivot point until it would just swing 15 degrees without the back hitting the far wall, or its lower near corner hitting the locker under the cooker. This needed about 4cm of clearance which meant it only just intruded above sink level. Obviously a cooker with oven would need much more particularly toward the rear, however dont use oven at home and dont miss one on boat.

15 degrees for us is the Most the Naviator feels comfortable sailing or indeed coking at, and indeed the max reccomended heel when motorsailing. In more rolly seas it does not crash into the stops violently enough to disturb things, and stew remains in Le Crueset except if heading into F6 short seas when everything levitates and kettle needs holding down with clamps and my stomach contents threaten levitation if I try and cook

 

[DangerousPirate]

Make a cardboard template for the side of the cooker. Put a pin in it where the pivot point is. You can now swing it and see exactly what space it needs?

I was thinking of that, but at the moment, there is a cupboard under the hob. So when and if I install the oven unit, I'd have to take that out.

 

[capnsensible]

Would you actually cook whilst heeled at 30 degrees? I rarely unlock the gimbal as the majority of use is in calmer waters or when moored up.

25 degrees is easier.

 

[Frank Holden]

Try sailing in the trades without rolling!!

I must be doing it rong

 

[john_morris_uk]

I must be doing it rong

If you’re trade wind sailing without rolling, please tell me the secret.

 

[Frank Holden]

If you’re trade wind sailing without rolling, please tell me the secret.

Sorry about the slow response but I have been busy fitting a new capstan and overhauling the Mamba steering. Both 'turning boxes' and all the universals were fine except rather oddly the one by the big turning box which was extremely dry. Anyway all jobs ticked off the list - and now its raining.
Moving right along.

If I told you the secret it would no longer be a secret.

I've never sailed in the N Atlantic trades, just Antofagasta/ FP/Tonga 10 years ago and twice NZ - Chile which is 90% downhill sailing.
I've never let my stove swing free.
I have also never used twin poled out headsails.
One headsail poled out - yes- with a typically reefed mainsail as both the self steerer and I like 'headsail drive'.

Stove is a SMEV/Dometic 'caravan quality' 3 burner. Gimbal lock is pretty useless so I use a pair of 'Visegrips' to make it really secure.

I see there is a Sealord for sale in NZ - don't know which one.