Replacing alchohol stove - Ideas?

[rgoff]

I have a 20 year old pressurized alchohol 2 burner stove on my '73 E27. I think it's a Princess and it's recessed in the counter. It's gone unused for many years and needs a rebuild (of at least the pump) to work.

Any input on rebuilding or a replacement would be welcomed. I probably only need a one burner, as I'm not much of a cook. Elsewhere I've seen the Oringo (non pressurized alchohol) recommended.

Thanks,

 

[Loren Beach]

The only thing I would add to prior comments on this site is that the Origo is simple enough to use that you might find yourself actually using it regularly... and liking it.

Loren

 

[Dave G]

Stove recomendations

I'd highly recomend the Origo, It is so simple to use it's amazing. No pumps, no moving parts, not much to go wrong, I really am impressed with this unit. I find myself using it often when working on the boat for a quick cup of hot tea.

http://www.swego.com/stoves_alcohol.htm


Dave
E-29 Spirit
Bellingham, WA

 

[Art Mullinax]

Propane stoves

Our 71/E29 didn't have a stove when we bought her (didn't have one from the factory). We considered installing a permanent stove but would have lost the top drawer in doing this. Being campers from long ago we purchased a 2 burner propane stove. I built a drop down table top that is attached to the side of the cabinet over the settee. I couldn't find Honduran Mahogany to match the rest of the interior so I used Phillipine Mahogany. When we prepare a meal or a cup of Tea we hook a 1 lb bottle of propane to the stove. After we've finished, we can fold it up and store it away. It's out of the way and we can use the counter top space. On a larger boat we could see a permanent installation but on our 29, space is a premium. And, since it's not permanently installed, if it catches on fire we can throw it overboard...
Art M.
KISS, Keep It Simple Sailor!

 

[Joe Benedict]

Stove or Burner Top

Ralph, From your original post, I think you were talking about a burner top. I installed an Origo 2-burner alcohol/electric stove. Bought it new on eBay for $300 -that's about half price for this dual power model. Like others have said it is simple - nothing pressurized to surprise you one day - the concept is like the old style Zippo lighters. Yes, it takes longer to heat water than propane -but an extra couple of minutes is fine with me. On an e27 (or my e29) I agree that the cupboard space is better than a stove. Origa's website has downloadable manuals so you can get all the demensions. If your existing cutout is too large, I can tell you how to fill it is simply and attractively (she who must be obeyed had to approve the final design.)

 

[Glyn Judson]

Ralph, Here's another idea to toss around before choosing the stove that's perfect for you. A friend with his E27 had the same situation as you and opted to remove his 2-burner alcohol stove and replace it with a single burner butane cooker. These are the very affordable ones you see at Home Depot and elsewhere, the ones made in Tiawan or mainland China. They have a removable fuel can not unlike a can of spray paint in appearance that can be stowed outside the boat when not in use. The neat thing about how he attached it is that he made a wood board that spaned the opening and then some where the old stove was. He screwed the four plastic feet of the stove to the board, offset to the left so as to leave space to the right for food preparation. Now here's the really cool part. The board sits in the opening and stays in place by means of some nice looking fiddles on the underside. When he's not using the stove, he simply flips it over and has the entire space free for other uses. The little stove is quite happy upside down in it's storage position and is easily put into use by flipping the board over again. Good luck with your choice of replacement stove, Glyn

 

[rgoff]

Fellow Sailors,

Thanks a bunch for your opinions. Info from actual users is always better than the sales literature.

I'll let you know what I decided on. My first task to get ready for summer cruising is to remove the 30+ year old dirty gas tank and get a new one made. Doing that Friday (removal, anyway). Installing a new stove will be much easier.

BTW, I'm posting from my boat anchored in Dana Point, CA (my home port). I decided to make the 0.3 nm trip from my slip for the afternoon. I'm using a new laptop and a Verizon wireless Internet connection. I'm really enjoying it.

Happy summer sailing,

 

[briangsmith]

dana...

ralph, great to hear there's an ericson home-ported at
dana point! richard henry is a distant relative (on my
mom's side) and i'm reading, for the first time, '2 years
before the mast'- anyhow, just wanted to say hey-
one day this '78 E25 from homer, alaska will make the
trek down the coast.....

brian smith
s/v 'sparkle plenty'
homer, alaska

 

[rgoff]

Brian,

Wow, I'm feeling like the circle has been closed. Nice to communicate with a real descendent of R.H. Dana.

The marina here at Dana Point is very nice. Originally built around 30 years ago. As I go out of my end of the marina to sea, I see the large cliffs that cow hides were thrown down to the waiting ships that took them to the East Coast.

I remember starting the book many years ago. However, the "old time" language in it got difficult to stick with after a while.

Be sure and PM me with any questions on the current Dana Point. I've had a boat here for 22 years.

I'm making myself a note to take a picture of the statue of Dana here in the harbor and I'll email it to you.

Later,

 

[Emerald]

Hi,


On the off chance you decide you want to stay with alchohol (or look for used), two thoughts. Give Bacon's a call (they ship), and ask to talk with Walt, and you can tell him you were referred by his "Ericson friend, David". The number is 410-263-4880. They always have a pretty good supply of alchohol (and other fuel supply) stoves and ovens. I bought a Kenyon two burner with cutting board for my E-27 for something like $30. It was cosmetically perfect, but did need a little work. I think I spent something like another $15-20 and put in a new check valve and a couple other pieces and bought a tool for servicing them. As I went through the excercise, I learned that Optimus made most of the boat stove burners, as was the case with my Kenyon. Bacon's has some rebuild pieces also, but you have to know what you need. Another source of tools and parts is Viking Boat Supply. Their number is 410-268-8000 - ask to speak with Pete. One last thought, the Bacon's I mention is the same place known for sails: http://www.baconsails.com/


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

 

[bigtyme805]

Ralph:

When I read what Glyn wrote I thought I would let you know that I did the same thing as his friend with the Butane burner. I also had the same problem as you. What to do with that death trap alcohol burner? I built a similiar system as Glyn's friend and couldn't be happier.

Glyn provided you with how to do it so I wont waste anymore time.

Don
E-27 Amigo
Channel Islands, CA

 

[Sven]

Fuel ?

We finally went for a 2-burner Origo ... it is beautiful both visually and in functionality. What did you expect, it's a Swedish design

On the other hand, filling it with a gallon alcohol can is impossible. There must be some kind of screw-on nozzle or funnel that makes it workable? Right now I'm thinking of getting some MSR fuel canisters and using them for the actual filling operation but that seems like overkill.

I also have a question about the fuel, is it the same as Coleman's camp stove fuel ?

Thanks,


-Sven

 

[Loren Beach]

I thought Coleman fuel was white gas, many many years ago... That would be explosive in an Origo.:eek:

Just buy alcohol at the hardware store. The fancy jug alcohol at West is fine, but rather spendy.
Tip the burner pot on its side and slowly pour in the alcohol against the side of the mesh with the indentation for this purpose.

We have used an Origo model 6000 for a decade.

Loren

 

[Sven]

Hi Loren,

I thought Coleman fuel was white gas, many many years ago... That would be explosive in an Origo.

I think you are right about it being white gas. The surprising thing is that it doesn't really say on the can, but it does say that it contains a naphta petroleum distillate and it is for use in Coleman stoves and for unleaded applications. Petroleum and unleaded should have given it away

Tip the burner pot on its side and slowly pour in the alcohol against the side of the mesh with the indentation for this purpose.

I'll have to look for the indentation you are talking about. The instructions did indeed show the canister tipped but even when I tipped it it still splattered.

After some of the posts I'd read I was surprised how well the burners bring water to a boil. I'd be surprised if our coffee was more than a minute late compared to the butane stove.

Thanks,


-Sven

 

[evm]

Coleman + orego = Ball of fire (sooner or later)

Coleman fuel is gasoline without the anti-knock additives and so on. I once ran out of gas a few miles from the next station getting out of the mountains. I put the left over pint of coleman fuel in the tank and made it to a gas station. Pinging all the way....

 

[Dan Hayes]

Alcohol Stove Repair

If you decide to get that alcohol stove repaired instead of replacing it, I found a place that fixes them. They specialize in marine and camping stove repair - alcohol, kerosene and propane.
.


They're here in Orange County, in Tustin, and they're called A&H Packstoves. I'm going to have them go over my Galley Maid stove and oven. I was going to go with propane, but this alcohol stove is pretty cool - I think I prefer the fire danger to the explosive danger! And, I do keep one of those one burner butane stoves handy for a quick meal - they can't be beat and they're under $20.

Here's the link for A&H Packstoves:

http://www.packstoves.com/




Good luck!

.

 

[Richard Elliott]

Origo Stoves

Use soot-free stove alcohol to keep the bottom of your pans clean. A ketchup/condiment squeeze bottle of about one pint with a nozzle cap workks great for filling the canisters.

 

[Sven]

Have to think of some sailing content

That Optimus on the packstove pages sure brings back memories:

http://www.packstoves.com/optimus pages/optimus hunter stove.htm

Used one of those for 10-15 years while backpacking, before it got lost somehow.



-Sven

 

[Emerald]

Coleman fuel is gasoline without the anti-knock additives and so on. I once ran out of gas a few miles from the next station getting out of the mountains. I put the left over pint of coleman fuel in the tank and made it to a gas station. Pinging all the way....

This may have worked, but you should not do it. You risk extreme engine damage. From Coleman's own website, you can verify this. Check this link:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/faq/faqreturn.asp?question=18

This is from the above link:

"Coleman fuel is basically petroleum naphtha with a bit of rust inhibitor. It has an octane rating of 50 to 55 and none of the additives found in gasoline. It has a lighter molecular weight than gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel and cannot be used as a substitute for any of those fuels. The flammability of Coleman Fuel is comparable to gasoline but it cannot be used in gasoline engines. It will burn out the valves."


Also, I must add that "pinging" is terrible on the engine. Here is what is happening. The piston is moving to the top of the stroke, the fuel starts to burn too soon (higher octane burns slower) and while the piston is still moving up, it now has an explosion over it starting. The "pinging" sound you here is the piston rattling around on the wrist pins that connect it to the connecting rod. All this force is coming down through the rods to the crank. This is really bad.


-David
Independence 31
Emerald

 

[rgoff]

It's amazing how long a topic can be dormant and then suddenly spring to life! I should have said earlier that I bought a replacement.

Last summer I decided on the one burner Origo alcohol stove and am very happy with it. Really heats things up fast and I don't have that one foot high flame when "preheating" like the pressurized stove.

I don't think it's that hard to pour the alcohol in, but a "squeeze bottle" would help. There is definitely a recommended way to orient the canister when filling.