butane stove questions

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patrick and linda

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C Dory Year
1986
C Dory Model
27 Cruiser
Hull Identification Number
TOFOLLOW
Vessel Name
"Fan-A-Sea"
has any of my 50,000 c-brat friends have experience with a butane stove top? positive or negative feed back will be appreciated.
thanks
pat
 
Only with the portable 1-burner kenyon but I believe it is the same basic unit that some of the boats have in a built-in application. Simple, quick, and hot, and way less odor than alcohol. I like it. At some point I may tear out the alcohol and replace with a one burner butane. It would certainly free up some counter space.
 
Pat,
We use a single burner Kenyon model. Came with the boat. Works fast a little bit of an odor so we always crack a window when we use it. Great for fast fish cooking or a quick cup of joe. Boils water fast. Fuel canisters readily available. These stoves pretty are cheap to buy and the stove fuel canisters are about 5 or 6 bucks. Shipping can be a little high as they might fall into the hazmat category.
D.D.
 
Somewhere, maybe on here, I read where folks were buying the canisters from oriental markets for less than $3. I haven't tried it yet, but I think that is correct.
 
i've looked at a boat that had the butane single burner cooktop stove, didn't know anything about it. i understand the canisters are small, so, not sure how long one would last. also, not sure how safe this type of fuel is. thanks for the info.
best regards to all
pat
 
We sure love ours...it's a Vector. We also found a new one in the case at a thrift store for 5 bucks, so we even have a spare.
 
love mine, cheap easy to use and hot. I got mine at Home Hardware for about $35.00. Same thing is marketed as Kenyon, Vector and a bunch of others.
The canisters are not expensive and for the 19 makes camp cooking painless. I'd have one in any boat I used. Having once had to go a weekend with no stove when some fancy system with a solenoid/ sniffer alarm thing decided it wouldn't let gas thru. I like things bullet proof simple so they always work. My last crusing sailboat had a wood burning stove made by the Lunenburg foundry for heat. Sick, hurt, too tired or worse it could be made to go. we've cooked on propane for 30 years and I like my $35.00 stove the best of all.
George
 
We have a Kenyon single burner butane installed in the "kitchen" and it works just fine. The fuel cylinders are small and the last time I bought some they were less than $2 each. They seem to last about 3hrs. We also have the $25-35 camping version others have written about and used it for outdoor cooking in the cockpit. We have transitioned to a Coleman propane "fold and go" for the outdoor cooking and rarely use the Kenyon anymore just because it is so easy to cook outside.
 
We have cooked with Propane on the vast majority of our boating time. But these were large built in stoves of 3 to 4 burners and ovens, with several safety features--including fuel sniffers in the bilge and under the stove, and a selenoid valve to shut off the propane at the cylinder.

My very close friend had a gas cylinder seal fail, (not the Kenyon brand, but similar) all all of the content of the cylinder came into the confined environment and exploded/burned. He spent over 2 months in the burn unit, in a coma and on dialysis. In the long run he was OK--but it gave me a whole different feeling about using butane cartreges in boats. Be very careful. I will not use any canister type of heater or stove in a boat--If I use them for grills, the canisters are stored outside of the cabin in waterproof bags.
 
The canisters for both propane, and butane SEEM to be pretty safe, until they are used, and removed from the appliance with fuel still in them. They then don't always reseal perfectly. But, that said, I still like to store them where they will vent overboard - in the motorwell, or in a hanger strapped on the rail.
 
We also carry a single burner Kenyon butane stove on Wild Blue. We use it on occasion when we don't want the additional heat from the Wallas. We buy the canisters at Cabela's. The canisters are carried in an Action Packer in the cockpit.
 
We have the built-in single burner Kenyon that came with the boat. (Check it out in our photo album) I love it. It heats fast. We buy the canisters at the West Marine store. Checked on buying them online but it was not worth it due to the extra charge for hazard material transportation. We haven't noticed any heavy odors from the butane and find it cost efficient to operate. I am sold on the Kenyon.
 
Our butane and propane cylinders are stored in the cockpit upright in 2" custom fitted rigid foam insulation which itself is in a closed plastic non-airtight storage container. I like to keep them outside. The one affixed to the Kenyon stove is however left attached until empty.
 
I too use the single Kenyon butane on Napoleon - so far so good. I never keep the fuel inside the cabin unless we are cooking. It lights good, burns hot, and provides plenty of cook time on a single container.
 
well, linda and i have been in the market to purchase another boat, no big surprise there, that's what i do, buy and then fix up and sell at a loss! did i say i'm not to smart? well, we found the boat we've been looking for and made an offer several days ago and received an acceptance last evening. the reason for my original post as stated was that this boat in question has a butane stove. i think i will replace that stove with an electric cook-top simular to the one i just installed in misty seas, oh yeah, we'll be selling misty seas, and yes, at a loss. how good of me!
you guys have provided the information i needed so, thank you. note of interest, i did receive a private email regarding this subject, and that person explained some disadvantages to the butane as a fuel source. i appreciated his response , he had also mentioned he preferred emailing me because he didn't want to start a war on pro's and con's. i think at times there is too much sheltering of thought, to much political correctness, and not enough, fun, spirited conversation, on this site.
you guys rock!
pat

ps: never met a c-brat i didn't like!
 
thataway":27ivj8rv said:
My very close friend had a gas cylinder seal fail, (not the Kenyon brand, but similar) all all of the content of the cylinder came into the confined environment and exploded/burned. He spent over 2 months in the burn unit, in a coma and on dialysis. In the long run he was OK--but it gave me a whole different feeling about using butane cartreges in boats. Be very careful. I will not use any canister type of heater or stove in a boat--If I use them for grills, the canisters are stored outside of the cabin in waterproof bags.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dr. Bob. A story like this makes the slight smell, slowness, messy filling and relative bulk of our two burner portable alcohol stove not such a big deal. In fact I consider it a big improvement over the wood fire or small gasoline stove I used during my backpacking days.

Harper
 
When discussions of cooking fuels comes up...I can't help but remember one of my favorite movies.....Stripes

General Barnicke: Where is your drill sergeant, men?
John Winger: Blown up, sir!
Soldiers: Blown up, sir!
Click to expand...
 
sorry, missed that movie. when it comes to fuels words like "blown up" aren't in my vocabulary.
pat
 
An important thing to remember is that propane gas is heavier than air and will thus fill up your boat/bilge form the bottom. Can you say BOOM???

It is an excellent source of heat if used properly.
 
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