To what extent is a gimballed stove necessary?

[mikesu2016]

It depends on whether you plan to make overnight trips very much, but fiddle rails are essential from a safety angle even at anchor in some situations.
I converted my fixed LPG stove to gimbals, fitted rails and have never regretted it.
My rails are Aluminium strip (3/4" x 1/8") rivetted with 1/8" dia Al rivets and should be tall enough to stop the pots taking off and spreading the food all over the cook. (Half way up your saucepan woul be a good starting point). Don't forget the handle of the frying pan though, which will need a dip/gap in the rail at the front.

The gimbals are 1"x 1/8" strip, machined to half thickness where each strip overlaps it's mate. They are bolted through the adjacent bulkeads and the casing of the stove.

Don't do as I did and forget that the door of the stove weighs about 20% of the total weight and will shift the centre of gravity when opened! Bring the pivot point towards the front of the stove somewhat, rather than on the centre line of the casing.



Good luck!



Mike

(Harbinger is an early 20th Century Isle of Man fishing boat converted to a Gaff cutter, probably between the two Worlld Wars.)

[Happ]

To answer your question if you aren’t cooking anything more than heating water up while underway you don’t need a gimbaled stove.

If want to cook on a frying pan underway then you need one. The stove stays reasonably flat while the boat is moving around under it.

[captchetco]

[QUOTE=Jammer;3302780]I've read through some of the many threads on various fuel sources for cooking. Realizing that this can be a controversial

We have been coastal cruising off and on since 1996, from Panama to The Canadian San Juans. We find a gimballed stove, with "grabbers" to be very useful, and sometimes necessary on our 41' sailboat.

[aqfishing]

Get a cat....no gimble/gyro needed!!!

[Pegu Club]

We have a 43 year old Origo gimbaled NON pressurized alcohol stove, works great when your heeled over at 15 plus degrees, a sailor has to have his/her hot cup of coffee/ tea ya know

As to space taken up, it’s really a non issue, even on our 29.9 foot boat. That and it keeps the hot stuff in the pot, and the pot on the stove...

Fair winds,

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I've read through some of the many threads on various fuel sources for cooking. Realizing that this can be a controversial topic I would like some help understanding, specifically, to what extent a gimballed stove is necessary in the galley of a monohull cruiser. We do not cook while under way in our 26' boat except perhaps to make a cup of tea; our boat has an Origo cooktop that is not in gimbals. So I lack firsthand experience


Regardless of fuel choice, a gimballed stove uses more space and poses layout constraints that would not otherwise be present. There are some stoves, notably the Wallas diesel cooktops, that cannot be gimbal mounted due to the unavailability of a flexible exhaust connection.


We do not plan any extensive or lengthy passagemaking but would appreciate the wisdom of others in this area. I note that there have been some suggestions in other threads that it is wise to heave to under some conditions to allow meal preparation to be safe and practical and find this to be sensible advice as far as it goes.


Also wondering to what extent some of the very modest gimbal brackets for small campstoves solve enough of the problem to be useful as an alternative that uses less space, e.g. https://www.safire.uk.com/store/Stab...cket-p25243476

If you want your hot water kettle stay on your stove and don't fly into your lap you need a gimballed stove and possibly some clamps to hold it in position.
Especially on a mono hull which tend to heel even on day trips.
Why would you want a diesel stove?
if you don't like LPG get a kerosene or methylated spirit stove, which are a pain, but can be gimballed easily.
I guess a small camp stove can be gimballed as well and would do the trick for limited cooking.
Good luck

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by gamayun

People on small boats without galleys will use a Jet Boil on a gimballed holder if all you do is heat water or need to make oatmeal. One person I know would boil his egg in the water and then make coffee out of the water. Efficient gourmet dining at its finest!

Gourmet dining?
Better to fill a thermos flask with coffee?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Adelie

The Pardey’s didn’t use fiddles on either boat. But the mounted the stove so you stood aft of it.
If the stove if mounted so you stand athwart then you run the risk of it spilling on you on one tack.

Knowing the Pardey from way back, they did a lot of things in their own eccentric way.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by hafa

A gimbaled stove is not only necessary for heating water while underway, but is very handy for pouring and preparing liquids. Even for overnight runs, I'd consider it a necessity. Then again, we have a wing keel and 14' seas and 25 knot winds constitute a mild day during the trades...

Just curious, what has a winged keel to do with a cooking top arrangement?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I will say, close heavy chop may be worse than big rollers. I think the issue is often gimballed big stoves need more ballast so they dont react so fast. All my cruisers had a stove bolt on the bottom to keep from swinging wildly.

Even with gimbals and pot holders things tend to fly at times...

[MicHughV]

you could do what I do....

I use the " rent a chef" business.

I call them up on the radio, they fly out in a helicopter, lower the chef on a rope to my boat, he cooks up a gourmet meal on our gimbaled stove, serves it to us, then serves us dessert he pre-made before his arrival, washes all the dishes after, and then back up the rope he goes....

seriously....

[tomtriad]

I have an old gimballed Seaswing single burner propane which takes a 1 pound tank that serves as my main cooker. If you can find one, or something similar, I highly recommend it. Even though I sail a trimaran, things bounce around when the going gets rough. Nothing like having a hot meal when going on night watch. When anchored or underway in smooth sailing, I have a Coleman campstove with a grill/griddle and separate burner which I set up behind the dodger.

If you're going to invest in a jetboil, you may as well get something similar that is more versatile.

[kmcshane]

Originally Posted by Pete7

That's ridiculous, you try these, but an hour in the shed with some plate and a drill will probably produce the same thing:

https://www.norfolkmarine.co.uk/lp-s...500-oven-units

I like the idea of pillow blocks, but would have used flat diving weights instead of his round bar.

Pete

I like these pre-made gimbal holders and reasonable price, but I made my own with 3/16" flat stock aluminum and a few nuts and bolts:

[waynetmazan]

If you plan on cooking underway you'll need some kind of gimbaled burner.if not.. then no... if you are boiling water for tea...underway...its dangerous..

[HeinSdL]

I am always quite charmed/impressed by the stability of the stove in rough weather. It just hangs there on its hinges without a care in the world cooking whatever is cooking or supporting an empty cup while pouring hot water into it. Without it most cooking tasks become impossible, including the boiling of water for a cup of tea (I think that was suggested earlier, it being a simple task), and in fact attempting to cook anything on a non-gimballed stove would be outright dangerous, right? Even in calm weather, at anchor, with eg a powerboat passing by.