Bbq,s

Most marinas on Lake Michigan have posted rules against BBQ on board. Some enforce it, some look the other way. Private marinas tend to be the most strict in enforcement. Shore facilities are always available. Locals who do grill on deck are typically courteous and take the wind direction into account if they are parked next to another occupied boat. Transients are another story...primarily Loopers. We have a rail mounted unit, and a small portable (both propane) that I take to the shore facilities when other boaters might be impacted by our smoke.

A couple of years ago anchored at Sucia Island there was a beautiful center cockpit sailboat close to us. It seemed like it was Mom,Dad, Daughter and new son in law. In the evening they were BBQing on a charcoal grill on the aft deck. The son in law kicked over the little Weber spilling hot coals on the teak. You can use your imagination on how up set Dad was. I sure every boat in the bay heard it. Go for the gas.

blunda said:

WOW how easy a simple question gets side tracked into utter stupidity
Thanks All
Cheers
Peter & Ronie B

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You have two pages of answers... There are more effective ways of keeping your original post on track other than calling folks stupid. Figure it out!

I don't think anyone can argue that meat cooked over charcoal isn't tastier than meat cooked over gas. Having to carry briquettes, worrying about them absorbing moisture from the air, and having to dump the ash "somewhere" makes charcoal unacceptable. Dumping it over the side used to be acceptable, but it isn't anymore. On my Bayliner I was never out for more than four days at a time (no shower), and stored my charcoal in an airtight bucket with lid on. I left the rest of the bag at home (inside) to keep it dry. I have a new Dickinson Spitfire in the box waiting for the new season, the small one, and hope it will bake as well as grill since I too have an electric stove top and microwave installed. To be replaced with a gas stove with oven. Better predictability of cooking heat (looking at the flame), a real oven, and I won't have to turn the stereo up to cover the noisemaker while cooking. More heat, more quiet, no ash, no bag of briquettes... Easy choice!

blunda said:

WOW how easy a simple question gets side tracked into utter stupidity
Thanks All
Cheers
Peter & Ronie B

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That's one of the charms of TF ... Oh, who asked what the difference was between electric & gas?

AKDoug said:

Dumping it over the side used to be acceptable, but it isn't anymore.

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What's next? Banning bonfires on the beach? No roasting marsh mellows? We are a long way from hacking down trees to build your own cabin folks.

Skipper Dude where are you?

So nobody leaves the dock? Nothing better than being on the hook with the grill of your choice deployed. (insert gratuitous MP type pictures here):

We love using our propane BBQ at anchor but are not allowed to use it at a dock. Marine rules and local ordinance, same as Craig. It uses completely different propane bottles than a propane galley would (if we had one). No big deal to carry a few of the small bottles it uses.

It is technically against the law for us to grill at our condo because we can't get the grill the legally required distance from the building (tiny condo backyard).

The little green cans offend me, so I replaced them with a small (1.5 gallon) propane cylinder, it is equal to twenty some odd little green cans, and you can refill it. The hose to connect it is under $25 and no more little green non-refillable cans. At $3 a little green can, that's about $75 worth of propane. It's an environmentally friendly thing in my opinion. I figure the aluminum propane cylinder paid for itself in two fillings and you never inconveniently run out while cooking.

Save money by refilling your propane bottles yourself! This solid-brass coupler attaches to your propane tank to allow for an easy propane bottle refill. This coupler refills cylinders in one minute or less! A great alternative to disposing and purchasing new propane bottles and a safe, legal propane bottle refill alternative.

• Refills cylinders in 1 minute or less
• Solid brass construction to last a lifetime
• Do not use when air temperature is 85 degrees or above

Propane tank not included. Propane resale or transport across state lines is prohibited by law.

Propane Refill Kit - Refill Propane Bottles with Ease!

AKDoug said:

The little green cans offend me, so I replaced them with a small (1.5 gallon) propane cylinder..... I figure the aluminum propane cylinder paid for itself in two fillings and you never inconveniently run out while cooking.

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We, too, use a 1.5 gallon vertical aluminum tank (Worthington) in a rail mount to power the BBQ plus a spare Worthington bottle in a second mount. Much more hassle-free gas source than the green cannisters.

But our portable cabin heater uses the green cannisters and the price can vary greatly. The farther away from the water and "boat world" you get, the cheaper they seem to be. My wife buys them at Target and the price is often $1.25 per cannister.

George, you're making my mouth water.

I have a Mr Heater that we use for trolling in the fall, and the same $25 hose will connect to your portable heater as connects to the BBQ. Custom length hoses are easy to make at your local propane distributor. The stuff is a little scary, but it sure does put out the BTU's when you want to boil a crab, some steamer clams, or pot of shrimp. Disclaimers on the safety and legality of re-filling little green bottles puts me off a little bit. It could be because I am a retired firefighter

+1

psneeld said:

Save money by refilling your propane bottles yourself! This solid-brass coupler attaches to your propane tank to allow for an easy propane bottle refill. This coupler refills cylinders in one minute or less! A great alternative to disposing and purchasing new propane bottles and a safe, legal propane bottle refill alternative.

• Refills cylinders in 1 minute or less
• Solid brass construction to last a lifetime
• Do not use when air temperature is 85 degrees or above

Propane tank not included. Propane resale or transport across state lines is prohibited by law.

Propane Refill Kit - Refill Propane Bottles with Ease!

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Except that it's not really safe or legal...

AKDoug said:

I have a Mr Heater that we use for trolling in the fall, and the same $25 hose will connect to your portable heater as connects to the BBQ.

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Our good friends who we cruise with did this on their 36' lobsterboat. They installed a new propane stove/oven and put the propane locker in the cockpit just the other side of the bulkhead. They, like us, use a Mr. Heater "Buddy" in their boat and he ran a short hose from the locker through the bulkhead to where the heater mounts.

All our propane is up on the flying bridge so running a long hose down into the main cabin for the purpose of running the portable heater is not practical. So we use the cannisters for it. As we only run it in the evening when we're out on the boat and perhaps in the morning, we don't use that much propane. One and a half cannisters will get us through a weekend easy.

AKDoug said:

...........having to dump the ash "somewhere" makes charcoal unacceptable. Dumping it over the side used to be acceptable, but it isn't anymore. ...............

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Charcoal is made from wood, right? What's the difference between a few pounds of charcoal in the river and a tree branch that broke off and landed in the river?

The real danger with open flame cooking on a boat is fire. Park the boats ten feet from each other and connect them with wooden docks and a fire on one boat quickly becomes a fire on an entire dock.

Ever notice how many people mount their portable grills over or near the fuel fill or tank vent on a gasoline powered boat?

Northern Spy said:

Except that it's not really safe or legal...

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A minor detail that's easily overlooked by some folks.

Originally Posted by psneeld
Save money by refilling your propane bottles yourself! This solid-brass coupler attaches to your propane tank to allow for an easy propane bottle refill. This coupler refills cylinders in one minute or less! A great alternative to disposing and purchasing new propane bottles and a safe, legal propane bottle refill alternative.

• Refills cylinders in 1 minute or less
• Solid brass construction to last a lifetime
• Do not use when air temperature is 85 degrees or above

Propane tank not included. Propane resale or transport across state lines is prohibited by law.

Propane Refill Kit - Refill Propane Bottles with Ease!

tiku said:

Good topic, since this bbq issue has been causing me concerns. Eletric is a no go, so it is either charcoal or gas. We already use gas for normal cooking so we already have the bottles aboard.

We usually grill while the boat is tied to some island and use cooking places or those throw-away charcoal ones and have no need to install any rail mounts etc.

So, lately I have looking for information about the cobb grill, so far I have read only positive comments, any experiences here?

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Yes, we use a Cobb, and frankly out on the boat I wouldn't bother with anything else, especially now they have the brickettes, which combine the firelighter and charcoal thing in one....
If the weather is an issue, then frankly I'd rather just cook the steaks or whatever in a pan. I think the taste difference is negligible, and largely in the mind.
cobb cooker - Google Search

Cobb Cooker - Product Features - BCF - YouTube

I also have a Cobb grill. It's a great boat bbq, you really can set it anywhere and it won't burn what it's sitting on. If grilling underway, put a couple bungee cords on it so it won't fall over. I use about 10 charcoal brickettes per use, plus I found those starter tabs at a hardware store, about 50 of them for $5. Got lucky on the purchase, was at a West Marine store last May and saw one in the window. Asked how much for it, the guy said its been there for 3 years, so $44.00 plus tax. I think they're about $150 or so now. I recommend the Cobb for charcoal cooking on a boat.
Mike
Baton Rouge

I use a 1650 watt electric BBQ. Cooks (6) 2" thick steaks on about 700 w-hr. That includes preheating so you get the witness marks on the meat. Comes with a detachable metal cup for juices and can be set on a table or any flat surface because of a sealed bottom, so no mess.

No fire, no fun! Of course, I am a retired firefighter

markpierce said:

George, you're making my mouth water.

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You made me homesick with your Petaluma pix, so now we're even!

psneeld said:

Originally Posted by psneeld
Save money by refilling your propane bottles yourself! This solid-brass coupler attaches to your propane tank to allow for an easy propane bottle refill. This coupler refills cylinders in one minute or less! A great alternative to disposing and purchasing new propane bottles and a safe, legal propane bottle refill alternative.

• Refills cylinders in 1 minute or less
• Solid brass construction to last a lifetime
• Do not use when air temperature is 85 degrees or above

Propane tank not included. Propane resale or transport across state lines is prohibited by law.

Propane Refill Kit - Refill Propane Bottles with Ease!

Click to expand...

I am an inspector for the Technical Standards and Safety Authority in Ontario and these fittings are considered Unsafe and Illegal and banned from use in Ontario, but per previous posts some people overlook this and hopefully nothing happens or their insurance company may not cover them and could cancel their policy. The small refillable tanks IMO are a much better idea or just buy the small ones new. Laws in all provinces and States are different.

Don't forget to add a side table for your cold beer and platter of steaks

LaBomba said:

I am an inspector for the Technical Standards and Safety Authority in Ontario and these fittings are considered Unsafe and Illegal and banned from use in Ontario, but per previous posts some people overlook this and hopefully nothing happens or their insurance company may not cover them and could cancel their policy. The small refillable tanks IMO are a much better idea or just buy the small ones new. Laws in all provinces and States are different.

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Maybe...but many are sold and used quite safely...the transporting restriction I completely understand.

Insurance would have to cover me and plenty of others here in the states as we are well within the law using one.

However after thinking how everyone here is SO concerned for safety (even with the "holy mackerel"..know what I did thread)...based on my experience as a former Coast Guardsman...I would ban boating because based on the statistics and what I have seen....boating is way too dangerous for the average person...

I am sure this thread is long over, and the bbq of choice has been purchased.

I just want to use the thread to show off my new BBQ that was given to me by a boat who would have otherwise thrown it away! Bigger than I would have purchsed, but hey, it was free!

Another consideration for propane versus electric is that propane (gas) is on/off (i.e. immediate heat or no heat). With electric, you have a warm-up/cool-down period, however short/long depending on setting. So, if you keep your meat on the grill to let it rest for a while (you do let the meat rest, correct?), with electric you may end up overcooking the meat. It's a minor consideration, but one to be aware of nonetheless.

sailtones said:

I am sure this thread is long over, and the bbq of choice has been purchased.

I just want to use the thread to show off my new BBQ that was given to me by a boat who would have otherwise thrown it away! Bigger than I would have purchsed, but hey, it was free!

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What did you get and let's see the pics