Propane/vs Microwave

Of those here that grill frequently, do you have issues with marinas prohibiting it? I've always enjoyed using rail mounted grills and didn't think much of it whether at anchor or in a slip but have recently noticed that some marinas prohibit the use of grills onboard and provide grills ashore. I'm not sure if it is a new trend due to liability or something that I simply failed to observe before.

Gdavid said:

Of those here that grill frequently, do you have issues with marinas prohibiting it? I've always enjoyed using rail mounted grills and didn't think much of it whether at anchor or in a slip but have recently noticed that some marinas prohibit the use of grills onboard and provide grills ashore. I'm not sure if it is a new trend due to liability or something that I simply failed to observe before.

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Some marinas will not allow gas grills on the docks, but will allow them on the boat. Others prohibit them on the boats as well. In my area we have had some serious marina fires in recent years and so marina managers and their insurance carriers are much more cautious. When in doubt, just ask.

dhays said:

Some marinas will not allow gas grills on the docks, but will allow them on the boat. Others prohibit them on the boats as well. In my area we have had some serious marina fires in recent years and so marina managers and their insurance carriers are much more cautious. When in doubt, just ask.

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In Florida the newer marinas and some municipalities say no outside gas cooking grills on your boat, period! Fort Pierce City Marina says it but doesn’t enforce it. The marina in JAX we’re at enforces the no gas rule so we went out and bought a Webber electric grill. It’s ok but gas is better but we can at least still grill on the boat. I should say that both marina’s have gas grills at the head of the docks.

Microwave was buggered on ours when we bought it so we replaced it thinking it may have a use, never needed one before but we'll give it a go.
In 3 years aboard full time we have probably used it 3 times.
Useless device if you know how to cook and have no need to reheat "off boat" meals

I would replace the stove with menus from local restaurants with docks.

alormaria said:

I would replace the stove with menus from local restaurants with docks.

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That's my strategy

alormaria said:

I would replace the stove with menus from local restaurants with docks.

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Doesn't work well in a remote anchorage, though you can always have pizza flown in by floatplane.

OP said he has an oven and I think most folks are talking about the usefulness of a stovetop (boiling water, pasta etc). We have a propane stovetop and a micro which works great for us. But we wouldn’t have much use for an oven on the boat the way we use it.

Consider yanking the oven and adding a 3”deep stovetop and adding cupboard space beneath where the oven was?

olsurfer said:

Having owned both boats and restaurants, my first shortcoming on propane is the lack of making the same BTU's as nat gas. However, I would choose propane over a microwave any day of the week!!!!
Microwaves destroy a food's nutritional value.
If you have any doubts, get two small potted plants of the same variety and make sure one of the plants is only watered with tap water. Water the other plant with water that has been microwaved to the boiling point then let it cool down to room temp before you water the plant.
You will be shocked at the results of how each plant develops.

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Hmmmm....I find this hard to believe. My professional expertise is in plant nutrition, water, soil, fertilizer etc. I'm also a commercial ornamental plant grower. Show me the science behind it.

As a dock queen live aboard, I want a friggin electric oven that actually works as the word suggests. I can do many things IF the oven temp were accurate but a 25+F temp swing is a bit too much.

"I can do many things IF the oven temp were accurate but a 25+F temp swing is a bit too much."


Robertshaw and others make thermostats that can be easily adjusted .

olsurfer said:

Having owned both boats and restaurants, my first shortcoming on propane is the lack of making the same BTU's as nat gas. However, I would choose propane over a microwave any day of the week!!!!
Microwaves destroy a food's nutritional value.
If you have any doubts, get two small potted plants of the same variety and make sure one of the plants is only watered with tap water. Water the other plant with water that has been microwaved to the boiling point then let it cool down to room temp before you water the plant.
You will be shocked at the results of how each plant develops.

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Your claim is 100% not supported by any scientific fact

I guess it depends what sort of meals you cook and your lifestyle. I am a full-time liveaboard away from the dock. I have an electric stove and oven and have not used it you're probably 3 years. I have a Weber grill that I use often and also a microwave that I use regularly. I do have a small single propane burner that screws onto the top of a 1 lb propane bottle. That I use occasionally to boil water for spaghetti.

FF said:

"I can do many things IF the oven temp were accurate but a 25+F temp swing is a bit too much."


Robertshaw and others make thermostats that can be easily adjusted .

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Have you had success with one of their electric stove thermostats?

Bradenvlp said:

OP said he has an oven and I think most folks are talking about the usefulness of a stovetop (boiling water, pasta etc). We have a propane stovetop and a micro which works great for us. But we wouldn’t have much use for an oven on the boat the way we use it.

Consider yanking the oven and adding a 3”deep stovetop and adding cupboard space beneath where the oven was?

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I have seen this done with a lot of sailboats, where the stove/oven combination has been replaced with a cabinet with a stovetop and storage where the oven use to be.

I think when it comes time to sell the boat, most potential buyers expect there to be a stovetop. Even 25' cruisers will have at least a single burner to go with the microwave.

An old school option to using a microwave might be using a toaster oven. Our rental home has a gas stove/oven. While we LOVE the gas stovetop, we HATE the gas oven, so much so we bought a Breville convention toaster oven.

Jim

JLD said:

I think when it comes time to sell the boat, most potential buyers expect there to be a stovetop.

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All boats will eventually be sold, donated or scrapped. Keep that in mind when making changes to your boat.

"Have you had success with one of their electric stove thermostats?"

Mostly , on out 90/90 we have a Shipmate fantastic looking gas oven and warming bins.

For cruising I simply cut a hole and mounted some clips and our 10,000 btu Primus pressure kerosene unit mounts easily underneath and works well.

For shore living we bring in 240v with (2) 30A lines.

The second 30A line is for the 240v range and oven,

Using 240v elements the oven works (tho hardly large) and is controlled with a Robertshaw thermostat.

I am hardly a gourmet cook but the settings seem to match a hung off a shelf thermometer in the oven.

One improvement is a battery powered drive that spins a spit in the oven.

Baked chicken works great , too small for a turkey tho.

Like some have said, it's personal preference.
One of our first trips, and we stayed at a marina, we realized the a/c could not cope with the heat load of the propane stove in North Carolina.
The surveyor recommended all the propane hoses be replaced so that played into the decision also to remove the propane.
I removed the stove/cook top and replaced with a microwave/convection oven and an Induction cook top.
Underway we can do everything with our 2,000 watt inverter we want and should we anchor we can start the engine to keep the inverter going for the few minutes it takes and of course when tied up it's no issue at all.
We do not have a generator.

Bill

We had a 3 burner Princess with an oven. I could never fit more than 2 pans at once on the burners. My husband took the Princess out and put in a 2 burner glass top surface unit. He built a roomy cabinet below it for storage. For baking, I have a Sharp convection microwave which works great for us.

I'm on shore power mostly. I cook all the time. I use:

1. Electric kettle for hot water.

2. Cusinart electric skillet for most of what I'd cook on a stove.

3. Cusinart electric, cast iron single burner cooktop, when I need to use a frying pan.

4. Microwave for defrosting, baked potatoes, popcorn and lots of other stuff.

5. Toaster oven for baking and toasting. Looking at getting a newer high tech model that you can cook pizza in.

6. Weber Q1200 portable grill up top. Very versatile.

Never use the propane stove anymore. Nice to have as a backup.

motion30 said:

Your claim is 100% not supported by any scientific fact

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AND he got the propane v Natural Gas comparative BTUs backwards.

koliver said:

AND he got the propane v Natural Gas comparative BTUs backwards.

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Propane vs. natural gas cost comparison

If the natural gas cost is $15.00 per 1,000 cubic feet, the same $15.00 will purchase around one million BTUs, this is the equivalent of slightly over 11.20 gallons of propane. If propane costs $2.50 per gallon, in this example, natural gas is the cheaper alternative.

olsurfer said:

Propane vs. natural gas cost comparison

If the natural gas cost is $15.00 per 1,000 cubic feet, the same $15.00 will purchase around one million BTUs, this is the equivalent of slightly over 11.20 gallons of propane. If propane costs $2.50 per gallon, in this example, natural gas is the cheaper alternative.

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Just google it.
Google says Propane has 2x the BTUs for the same cost.

The reason folks might want natural gas is its lighter than air , so a leak departs out an overhead opening and does not collect in the bilge,as propane might , requiring an alarm system.

Bill R. said:

Like some have said, it's personal preference.
One of our first trips, and we stayed at a marina, we realized the a/c could not cope with the heat load of the propane stove in North Carolina.
The surveyor recommended all the propane hoses be replaced so that played into the decision also to remove the propane.
I removed the stove/cook top and replaced with a microwave/convection oven and an Induction cook top.
Underway we can do everything with our 2,000 watt inverter we want and should we anchor we can start the engine to keep the inverter going for the few minutes it takes and of course when tied up it's no issue at all.
We do not have a generator.

Bill

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I’m putting in exactly the same thing in our Defever. Would love to see pix of your install if you can post some. My install requires surgery on the cabinet facing to accommodate the larger convection/MW where the GalleyMaid used to be. So far, I’ve only test-fit the new unit in place. The new solid surface countertops and induction cooktop go in May 1.

I have taken the old (50 years) original stove with oven out on our GB32 during the kitchen remodel. Replaced it with 3 burner propane cook top with Corian lid for work space and use the area below for a small microwave, which is only used when connected to shore power. But it all depends on how you use your boat. Longest for us will be a long weekend.

angus99 said:

I’m putting in exactly the same thing in our Defever. Would love to see pix of your install if you can post some. My install requires surgery on the cabinet facing to accommodate the larger convection/MW where the GalleyMaid used to be. So far, I’ve only test-fit the new unit in place. The new solid surface countertops and induction cooktop go in May 1.

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Does it require 240Vt for the induction cook top?

OldDan1943 said:

Does it require 240Vt for the induction cook top?

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The conv/MW oven and induction cooktop we’re using are both 120.

Propane versus Microwave

Hi Guys,

I have a propane cook top, 3 burner, no induction. Plus a 1000 watt microwave to heat up small items, rest can be cooked on the gas cook top.

I have pictures but have no idea how to upload them.....complete computer illiterate. So if you can tell me how to do that I will be happy to post them.

Give me a wooden boat any time!

Well, the upload was easier than I thought! Will post some more, had the counter top made by a good friend who has a joinery company in Canada, sent templates in and they did a great job. Removed old counter top and old stove with oven (which I never used) and replaced with cook top and microwave. Attached are some pictures of the project and the end result as of February.