Association Forum - alcohol fuel

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

alcohol fuel

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

dave holtgrave
Captain

Member Avatar

USA
427 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/20/2009 : 20:01:26

ok!!!
i haven't bought fuel for the stove in a while and i went to west marine. it's $15 a quart!!!!!!!!

i might be cheap but, i can't see giving them that kind of money.

any suggestions on where to buy it cheaper.
i would perfer the soot free.

thanks in advance

dave holtgrave
5722 sk/tr
hard till saturday near carlyle lake in southern illinois

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2009 : 20:04:49

Home Depot/Lowes, etc. $10/gallon or so.

Edited by - on

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 07:17:30

Hi Dave,

No matter where you get the fuel, make sure that it's marine stove fuel. The other stuff often doesn't have the hotter burning additives.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 07:23:25

Um... Is there a difference between fondue fuel and "Marine" alcohol? Both of them are Alcohol, but one is blue.

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 08:00:56

99% Isopryl Alcohol in the pharmacy at 1.29 a bottle will work. Just won't burn hot enough as previously noted. However, it's an alcohol stove, it won't burn hot no matter what you do.

sten

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 08:55:38

I've decided my little Kenyon butane is soooooo much nicer than my expen$ive Origo was. It cost me less than three quarts of that WM alcohol. About 50% more heat, better control, no smell, no spilling,... A $5 pop-in cartridge cooks for 3 hours.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 04/21/2009 08:57:45

Windhover
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
35 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 10:46:37

Dave, I found the Kenyon Express II, looks like what I am looking for. Are you able to find the butane refills locally? Do you store the butane cartridge in the stove/ in cabin when not in use, or on deck/ elsewhere like a propane canister?

Edited by - on

Peregrine
Admiral

Members Avatar

830 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 11:25:36

I use the [url="http://www.amazon.com/Burton-Portable-Table-Butane-Stove/dp/B0000DI5GD/ref=pd_sbs_sg_2"] Max Burton Portable Table Top Butane Stove[/url] and it is plenty hot. It's $30 at Amazon.

I took the “curtain burner" out and tossed it. I kept the cutting board and use the space under it to store the stove and some pots and pans.
I made a false front that looks like a drawer but is held in place with Velcro to dress up the opening.
I keep spare canisters in the lazarette.

Underlined words are HOT links.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 12:02:56

Peregrine, we use one of those too.

What we do is place one of the companionway boards across the cockpit at the transom of the boat. One settee becomes the prep area, and the othre is the finished meals area. If its rainy out, we throw a tarp over the boom, and put a boathook or two crosswise on it to hold it out. Our cockpit becomes a nice little kitchen tent.

Since the little butane stove is so portable, we can also take it ashore for picnics, etc. One improvement we have made though is that we borrowed the "heat sheild" from our MSR backpacking stove, which is basically a piece of aluminium flashing you wrap around the pot to keep the wind from blowing the heat away. It makes a big difference in our cooking times when we have it.

We also still use the MSR backpacking stove to boil water etc., however it is pretty tippy and not suited to sailing very well. In order to get it to work, we have used the winter camping "trillium" heat sheild bolted onto a 3/4" piece of plywood, and the stove bolted onto that to dissipate the bottom heat from the stove (AKA the Afterburner since its so loud) We really only use that stove to boil water for coffee or to warm baby bottles though.

Having a family of 4 aboard, we find that the bigger working space of the cockpit, and having 2 burners is quite necessary. We count ourselves lucky to have a load of compact gear from Canoeing/backpacking, and try to make as much of it transferrable to sailing as possible.

If you choose to use a backpacking stove, I would suggest that you get very comfortable with it onshore before trying to use it aboard the boat, as some of them have a lot of "personality", although different quirks from the curtain-burner that came with the boat. The single worst feature of backpacking stoves is that they tend to be top-heavy, and want to dump your pot of food with the very least provocation.

Edited by - Prospector on 04/21/2009 12:06:03

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 12:09:25

BTW - for the folks up here - you can get the stove Peregrine is advocating and its fuel cartridges at home hardware at a suitable upcharged price... $31 CAD

http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I6347139/name/burner_butane_1brnr_8000btu_blk

And the fuel is available for $10 for a four-pack. Last summer we went through 2 of these for the stove and lantern. Our refills go in the "seat storage" on the Starboard side of the cockpit. None have leaked yet but you never know. I have considered adding loops to the top of the fuel locker and storing them there instead.

http://www.homehardware.ca/Products/index/show/product/I6332042/name/fuel_butane_220g_4pk

Edited by - Prospector on 04/21/2009 12:17:12

dave holtgrave
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
427 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 17:58:04

headed to big box home store to pick up denatured alcohol.

i was there today and it said it was for marine stoves.

just wanted to verify with you guys.

thanks for the replies.
that's what so cool about this site and the people on it.

thanks again

dave hopltgrave
5722 sk/tr

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 18:53:52

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Prospector
 Peregrine, we use one of those too.

What we do is place one of the companionway boards across the cockpit at the transom of the boat. One settee becomes the prep area, and the othre is the finished meals area. If its rainy out, we throw a tarp over the boom, and put a boathook or two crosswise on it to hold it out. Our cockpit becomes a nice little kitchen tent.

Since the little butane stove is so portable, we can also take it ashore for picnics, etc. One improvement we have made though is that we borrowed the "heat sheild" from our MSR backpacking stove, which is basically a piece of aluminium flashing you wrap around the pot to keep the wind from blowing the heat away. It makes a big difference in our cooking times when we have it.

We also still use the MSR backpacking stove to boil water etc., however it is pretty tippy and not suited to sailing very well. In order to get it to work, we have used the winter camping "trillium" heat sheild bolted onto a 3/4" piece of plywood, and the stove bolted onto that to dissipate the bottom heat from the stove (AKA the Afterburner since its so loud) We really only use that stove to boil water for coffee or to warm baby bottles though.

Having a family of 4 aboard, we find that the bigger working space of the cockpit, and having 2 burners is quite necessary. We count ourselves lucky to have a load of compact gear from Canoeing/backpacking, and try to make as much of it transferrable to sailing as possible.

If you choose to use a backpacking stove, I would suggest that you get very comfortable with it onshore before trying to use it aboard the boat, as some of them have a lot of "personality", although different quirks from the curtain-burner that came with the boat. The single worst feature of backpacking stoves is that they tend to be top-heavy, and want to dump your pot of food with the very least provocation.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Beautifully written, and very accurate. Isn't micro yachting great? I guess that is what they would call it these days. It used to be normal?

sten

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 19:34:04

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Windhover
 Dave, I found the Kenyon Express II, looks like what I am looking for. Are you able to find the butane refills locally? Do you store the butane cartridge in the stove/ in cabin when not in use, or on deck/ elsewhere like a propane canister?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 04/21/2009 19:36:14

Peregrine
Admiral

Members Avatar

830 Posts

Response Posted - 04/21/2009 : 20:18:51

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Dave Bristle
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Windhover
 Dave, I found the Kenyon Express II, looks like what I am looking for. Are you able to find the butane refills locally? Do you store the butane cartridge in the stove/ in cabin when not in use, or on deck/ elsewhere like a propane canister?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

As you can see, it's virtually identical to Peregrine's (although shown here with the case)--probably just different labels. WM, Defender, and my local hardware all have Kenyon refills, and I've seen them at marinas. Per the instructions, I remove the cartridge from the stove and store it in a cockpit locker. If it were the C-25, I'd put them in the starboard rope locker or the port fuel locker--not in the "dumpster" (which is open to the bilge). Like propane, butane is heavier than air and flows to low spots. I also bought their pot-holder for security, since it isn't gimbaled.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Dave,
They do look the same and the Max does come with a case.
The only difference I can see is the Max seems to sell for $10 - $12 cheaper and is black instead of camo.

Edited by - on

Windhover
1st Mate

Members Avatar

USA
35 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2009 : 01:37:26

Thanks, good info as usual.

Edited by - on

Patrice C25
1st Mate

Members Avatar

78 Posts

Response Posted - 04/22/2009 : 05:14:41

Hi,
The Alcohol for the stove can be bought at any hardware store, it is usualy with paint remover. Make sure you get the right one. Denaturated Alcohol, and it is written for marine use.

Boy O Boy !!!! can't wait to put back the boat in water.... winter is toooo loonnngggg up north.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.