Paraffin cookers?

[Ino]

Any thoughts as to pros and cons of paraffin or diseasel cookers for a small yacht? The gas has been removed already but I am unsure about its replacement. How do their outputs compare in terms of wattage and, most importantly, time to brew up? Many thanks.

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[Mirelle]

We have a Taylors' paraffin stove; it boils a kettle quite a bit faster than gas. Meths on the other hand is slower. No experience of diesel, but would assume slower as they use hotplates. Think BTU figures may be on Taylors' website, but anyway it is pretty hot.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[MASH]

From a chemical point of view parraffin and dieso are virtually the same thing - kerosene in other words. Jet A1 and white spirit too, if you work in aviation or as a painter. The correct type of camping stove (eg a Colman multi fuel) will burn them all happily, and probably handle meths and white gas too. It's not exactly rocket science.

There are some differences in terms of additives - dieso is likely to be a bit more oily than the others but if you can make a cooker work odour free on diesel what a huge advantage - gas is such a pain what with variences in types, regulators and fittings if you are travelling to different areas.

Any info on universal fuel stoves that will burn our universal fuel, dieseo, would be much appreciated.

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[wrr]

I have an old two burner Primus paraffin cooker. The only drawback is that it requires pre-heating with meths. or a small gas torch. Otherwise, it very efficient and controllable, a kettle can be kept hot on a tiny flame. Flare-ups are avoided by adequate pre-heating and an aluminium tray copes with any meths spills. I dispense the meths from an old-fashioned long-spout oil can and there are wicks which light the meths and burners from above. The burners are self-pricking. A large integral tank requires only occasional filling. Overall, I find it far less bother than gas; no locker, cylinders, solenoids or alarms.

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[ianabc]

Diesel is available everywhere, and for cruising yachts on a budget seems to be a good choice as a stove and engine fuel. It works well for here in Canada as many of thje commercial fish boats use a Dickinson diesel stove for heating. Our used Dickinson Pacific model, cost equivalent of 120 UK pouinds! I believe Taylor makes a similar stove, but the Dickinson is considered very robust.

Temperature on the cast iron top ( exchanged the aluminium top for cast iron as aluminium tends to flow at high heat!) on a setting of 2 on the 1 to 5 possible valve settings, gives a top temperature of 200 degrees and oven temperature of 300 degrees F.

Bit of a nightmare lifting it up and lowering through the main hatch!

We added a stainless steel double coil and the unit cycles hot water without a pump. A small header tank ( I gallon with a braised on car radiator fill and cap provides pressure relief) Heated the steel sailboat for the last 3 winters here on the east side of Vancouver Island ( 50 degrees N )

It is advisable to add a filter to the fuel line to avoid any water entering the drip bowl where the fuel ignites. We used a metal bowl Racor filter, and insulated around the stove with Solimide foam insulation as used in some ships and aircraft.
Fire retardant polyurethane foam with fire retardant paint embedded holow glass beads over the rest of the 37 foot boat.

Well wot with the North Atlantic Drift / Gulf Stream slowing down...you might all need one!

<hr width=100% size=1>Building a steel sailboat in Comox, B.C. Canada.