Primus Stoves

Roach1948

Roach1948

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 Apr 2006
Messages
1,268
www.dallimoredesigns.nl
Are they worth considering - or am I being too purist in taking my galley back to original?

Would love to know of people that have used the old style Primus and can give me a few pro's and cons.
 
Used an old primus for a while. Nice, bags of heat and won't blow your boat up. If you can mount a couple in a plate with a gimbal, you can call it a home-made taylors. How much space do you have?
A friend of mine actually owns a Rippingill No 3. Doesn't recommend it for cooking with, though.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you can mount a couple in a plate with a gimbal, you can call it a home-made taylors. How much space do you have?

[/ QUOTE ]

You read my mind. Enough space I think. I refuse to depart with a grand for a new Taylors - I really think their pricing is beyond comprehension (or they run a very inefficient business)
 
I was able to buy a secondhand Taylors which required a little refurbishment, and it worked fine for me. However, 'Swallow's new custodian has a devil of a time trying to make it work, so there must be something in the skill of the operator; it's not like just turning on a gas stove.
Peter.
 
I've a taylors -should last a lifetime, especially as they are all brass or stainless. I agree the price is exorbitant, but I've never seen another stove on a lot of charter boats and yachts that comes close to heat output, and peace of mind, or looks.

Lighting - its a knack, but not voodoo. A full tray of meths, a firelighter, or even a blowtoch, heats the burner. The trickey bit is getting the burner to light whilst the last of the meths is still burning. Sounds like a disaster but usually lights fine- just have a cooker gas lighter handy in case it goes out at the crucial stage.

I spent a year looking for old ones on ebay, and gave up and bought new. Doesn't mean that you should give up so easily, I justified it by saying "I don't smoke, take drugs or need to buy a gas alarm". Also more importantly, Cleone already had a taylors heater, with a tank and spare outlet, so the choice was a bit more obvious. I could also get rid of the gas, reclaim the bottle locker for sailbags, and adapt the fittings.

Old camping primus stoves come up quite regularly, so if you want one, they are available. This, though is weird and not a little sad... This

..though just watching it makes me want one! My therapist is very worried.

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
...a Rippingill No 3....

[/ QUOTE ]

Wasn't that what the owner of Dulcibella [Riddle of the Sands] told his mate to buy in London? Must be quite an antique now!
 
[ QUOTE ]
You read my mind. Enough space I think. I refuse to depart with a grand for a new Taylors - I really think their pricing is beyond comprehension (or they run a very inefficient business)

[/ QUOTE ]

My local chandlers is selling a new taylors (it looks new to me) on behalf of someone.
I'm not sure how much it is but i can find out for you?
its the 2 burner and grill.
Rob
 
Yes, Twisterowner, the very same. Bit of a standing joke in the old boat bunch, and frankly mythical like the "golden rivet" or the "long stand" till I saw a picture of one. Sent the pic as a joke to my mate, and he replied, "mine's in better nick".

Apparently doesn't cook so much as heat it up. Has two big tanks with wide wicks which heat the oven and hobs on top. I'll try and post the image here.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'll try and post the image here.



[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, please do. Just so that, if I read the book again, I can picture the Foreign Office type struggling along with it in his luggage!
 
Roach 1948

I've used pressure stoves for camping and sailing for many years, and love their economy, solid engineering, heat output, durability and safety.
I have an old Optimus 22B ( a double burner version of the populat 111) which I picked up in a junk shop for a couple of quid about 20 years ago. It has never let me down. A few years back I cooked on it every day for a couple of months without any problems. Once you get the hang of starting up they're a doddle.
I've not used a "proper" marine parafin stove like the Taylors. Perhaps you could engineer a gimbal arrangement for a couple of more conventional "camp" stoves?
It would be worth experimenting with the "silent burner" type if you can find them, as they are so much quieter in operation.
Ebay is the place for interesting stoves, although I've had a few good finds at car boots etc.
 
If I do go the Primus Route, what version would one buy. Is the 96 the one that was used in the 1930/40's?

What should I look for in a getting a decent second-hand one?
 
I used an Optimus 2 burner for years and years...(Still have it in fact)
Brilliant bit of kit though it pays to fit it close to the companionway hatch cos there is definitley more soot than with gas.
Used to leave mine on all day in winter when working on the boat,which coupled with having the hatches cracked open,ensured a dry warm cabin.Wouldnt consider that with gas.
Oh yeah,the deluxe winter version involves placing an upside down terracotta flowerpot on the burner to produce more radiant heat !
Having sailed and used taylors too,I would say IMO they are perhaps overbuilt and less powerful,certainly more expensive but to be regarded as an investment rather than the depreciation that is the case4 for most marine hardware!
You need (imo) some exhaust lagging/asbestos substitute in the preheat bowl to prevent the methylated spirit spilling when sailing heeled over.
 
I have a Taylors 029 in Nora Bee. Lighting it is a bit of an art form which quite often includes meths, gas lighter, canister blowtorch and an industrial spark igniter but that's all part of the fun.

It is efficient as a hob cooker and the oven bit is reasonable although it's a strange sort of heating set up from the ring burners to warm the space (oven) below. Wouln't really want to challenge it with too exotic a gastronomic delight but perfectly good for the odd Ginsters pasty which is about all I ever use an oven for on board anyway.

The real down side is the amount of space it takes. It's not just the cooker you need to worry about but the tank and piping as well. If you've already got plenty of locker space etc then OK but in a Tamarisk 24 the amount of space I'm losing is not worth it. I may get round as a winter project to removing it and building extra lockers. The aformentioned idea of slinging a Primus or similar into some gimbals has appeal as I don't want to go down the gas route (especially as I have a petrol Stuart Turner engine) and all reports of Origos say they smell pretty foul.

Perhaps I should just live on sandwiches.
 
There is a couple who attend most of the boat jumbles selling Taylors cookers, new and second-hand.
I had a good chat with them at the Scottish jumble in Irvine a couple of weeks back... they had a 029 for a lot less than the retail.
www.taylorsheatersandcookers.co.uk
I was sorely tempted by an all stainless cooker, very much like the Taylors 030. It had an integral fuel tank and a cunning system for burner pre-heating - no meths cups, instead small jets. By memory they were asking under £500.
I would have gone for it, but I have just installed a mighty, three burner and oven spirit stove.
 
Re: Deoderising Paraffin with White Spirit

I see mentioned in Atom's site that one can add one part White Spirit to 3 parts Paraffin to make in odourless... Does anybody do this and can confirm it works?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Refueler
Switch panel setup ?
2
Replies
21
Views
548
Refueler
Refueler
S
Single handing locks
Replies
7
Views
719
StevieH
S

Share this page

Top