Scott I agree with you on the Origo stoves. They are the best and the safest. We use them on all our boats. Bob Wilsometer@aol.com wrote:
Hi group, At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I would like to share my success/happiness with the Origo absorption-type alcohol stove (I have the single burner model #1500).
I can just hear the collective sighs of those who fought with the earlier generations of pressurized alcohol stoves--some probably still missing eye brows. Well, the absorption stoves are *much* safer, and I would argue almost as easy to use as propane. This new generation of stove utilizes a round stainless canister packed with a wool-like substance that absorbs all of the alcohol poured into it. When properly filled, this canister will not spill.
The stove is all stainless, has one moving part (a shutter door that opens and closes the aperture to the fuel canister), has an adjustable flame (yes you can simmer), and has been rated the safest of all stoves for marine use.
We have used this stove now for about four years with complete satisfaction (including three week trips). Indeed, there is nothing to rebuild, clean, se rvice, or replace. We get about six or seven hours use per quart of alcohol (at full burn).
I added the optional pot holders, and have found them to be more than satisfactory in keeping the pot on the stove while under way or at anchor (I tend not to cook/heat water while under way. We heat water while still at anchor in the morning, and fill a high quality thermos for use during the day).
I have been witness to two boat explosions--one in San Francisco caused by leaking propane that blew the entire deck off the hull, and another in British Columbia caused by gasoline in the bilge. The owners survived, but the boats in both cases were a total loss.
I personally won't have propane on a boat, and I don't think cooking with white gas on a boat is such a good idea either. Keep in mind that on the M15, the cockpit drain does not provide a means of egress for errant gas vapors/fumes (drains into centerboard trunk filled with water), so even cooking in the cockpit could be potentially dangerous.
I am aware that the overwhelming weight of opinion is against me, and that propane has become the fuel of choice for purposes of convenience. I am also aware that there are 'sniffers' and safety solenoid valves, etc. I am sure these represent an improvement in safety, but at the cost of added complexity.
I am frustrated that so few people are aware of what I feel is a much better alternative. Try one of the Origo's, you'll like it.
Scott Grometer, M15 #478 'bebe'
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